What Have You Done (Adler and Dwyer, #0.5)

Shari Lapena

What Have You Done (Adler and Dwyer, #0.5)

Shari Lapena
61 pages2-hour read
Fiction
Novel
Adult
Published in 2018

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Diana is a seventeen-year-old high school student whose sudden murder throws the small town of Fairhill into turmoil. Described as smart, popular, and attractive, she was preparing to leave for college. In the aftermath of her death, her spirit lingers in the town, watching her friends and family grieve while she struggles to regain the missing memories of her final night.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Brenda Brewer

Girlfriend of Cameron Farrell

Best Friend of Riley Mead

Best Friend of Evan Carr

Student of Brad Turner

Student of Graham Kelly

Object of fixation for Joe Prior

Ellen is a young woman in her early twenties who is busy planning her winter wedding and preparing a new home. She cares deeply about her community's opinion and hopes to build a traditional, quiet life in Fairhill. As rumors swirl around the murder investigation, she struggles to maintain her faith in her fiancé while dealing with the town's relentless gossip.

Key Relationships

Fiancée of Brad Turner

Daughter of Roy Ressler

Daughter of Susan Ressler

Brad is the high school gym teacher and running coach in Fairhill. He views himself as a victim of teenage exaggeration and grows highly defensive when his professional conduct falls under scrutiny. He actively manipulates the people around him to ensure his reputation remains pristine as the police investigate the town's dark secrets.

Key Relationships

Fiancé of Ellen Ressler

Teacher of Diana Brewer

Employee of Graham Kelly

Teacher of Taylor Acosta

Paula is an English teacher at Fairhill High School who strives to support her students and her family. She serves as a moral compass within the school administration, pushing her colleagues to address uncomfortable truths. She balances her demanding professional life with her constant worry over her teenage daughter's social isolation.

Key Relationships

Mother of Taylor Acosta

Wife of Martin Acosta

Colleague of Graham Kelly

Teacher of Diana Brewer

Graham is the principal of Fairhill High School. He attempts to manage the school's reputation by sweeping controversies out of sight, a habit that creates severe professional and moral dilemmas for him following Diana's death. He feels trapped between his desire to protect the school's staff and his responsibility to his students.

Key Relationships

Colleague of Paula Acosta

Employer of Brad Turner

Father of Sadie Kelly

Principal of Diana Brewer

Cameron is Diana's high school boyfriend. He is athletic and generally popular, though his friends notice his increasingly possessive behavior regarding his relationship. As the police investigate his timeline for the night of the murder, his instinct to protect his pride causes him to withhold information, making his situation increasingly precarious.

Key Relationships

Boyfriend of Diana Brewer

Son of Edward Farrell

Son of Shelby Farrell

Former close friend of Evan Carr

Evan is one of Diana's closest friends, a quiet teenager who feels misunderstood by his sports-focused father. He processes the trauma of the murder by typing detailed journal entries, documenting the community's reaction, and dreaming of becoming a writer. He provides a steadying presence for Riley as she searches for answers.

Key Relationships

Friend of Diana Brewer

Friend of Riley Mead

Friend of Cameron Farrell

Joe is a construction worker who regularly shops at the Home Depot where Diana works. He has a habit of fixating on young female cashiers across different towns, memorizing their schedules and watching them from afar. His unusual behavior quickly draws the attention of the Fairhill police force.

Key Relationships

Customer of Diana Brewer

Friend of Roddy

Supporting Characters

Riley is Diana's best friend. Devastated by the loss, she refuses to wait passively for the police to solve the case. She takes on an amateur investigative role, tracking down leads and turning to supernatural methods, like a Ouija board, in a desperate attempt to find closure.

Key Relationships

Best friend of Diana Brewer

Friend of Evan Carr

Acquaintance of Cameron Farrell

Caretaker for Brenda Brewer

Brenda is Diana's mother and a nurse at a hospital in Windsor. The shock of her daughter's death leaves her practically housebound, struggling to process the tragedy. She finds comfort in talking to the empty rooms of her house, convinced she can feel her daughter's spirit lingering nearby.

Key Relationships

Mother of Diana Brewer

Ex-wife of Lee

Comforted by Riley Mead

Roy is a local farmer in Fairhill and Ellen's father. He accidentally discovers the crime scene on his property, an event that shakes his usually stoic demeanor. He worries constantly about how the tragedy and the ensuing investigation will impact his daughter's upcoming wedding.

Key Relationships

Father of Ellen Ressler

Husband of Susan Ressler

Edward is Cameron's father. When his son becomes a person of interest, Edward immediately shifts into a defensive posture. He faces a severe moral conflict as he realizes he is willing to bend the law, hide truth, and potentially destroy evidence to keep his son out of prison.

Key Relationships

Father of Cameron Farrell

Husband of Shelby Farrell

Shelby is Cameron's mother. She notices inconsistencies in Cameron's timeline early on but chooses to stay silent. As the investigation tightens, she grapples with heavy anxiety, wondering how well she truly knows the son she is actively trying to protect.

Key Relationships

Mother of Cameron Farrell

Wife of Edward Farrell

Taylor is a ninth-grade student attempting to navigate the harsh social environment of Fairhill High School. She isolates herself in the cafeteria and refuses to communicate her struggles to her parents, hiding the inappropriate attention she receives from school staff.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Paula Acosta

Daughter of Martin Acosta

Student of Brad Turner

Classmate of Sadie Kelly

Susan is Roy's wife and Ellen's mother. She offers a grounded perspective within the Ressler household, pushing back firmly against any suggestions that a victim's attractiveness makes them responsible for violence.

Key Relationships

Wife of Roy Ressler

Mother of Ellen Ressler

Martin is Paula's husband. He acts as a sounding board for his wife's professional anxieties and shares her deep concern for their daughter's emotional well-being as the town's secrets surface.

Key Relationships

Husband of Paula Acosta

Father of Taylor Acosta