MANIFEST

New Yorker Krystal, 15, moves to her mother’s hometown of Lincoln, Conn., after her parents divorce. She befriends Ricky, who is a great potential boyfriend save for the fact that he’s been dead for a year. Ricky asks Krystal to help him solve his murder with her ghost-whispering skills. At school, Krystal befriends Jake and Sasha, who bear M-shaped birthmarks identical to Krystal’s and have supernatural abilities of their own. The three discover they’re part of a long legacy of Lincoln residents with superpowers, and they band together in an attempt to find a cyberstalker. In tracking the sender of the threatening text messages, Krystal discovers the true identity of Ricky’s killer. This smart, well-paced paranormal mystery resolves one plot while opening the door for a continuing Mystyx series. Krystal is likable but sometimes a little too self-aware for complete credibility; still, this is an auspicious opener. Krystal and her fellow Mystyx are all people of color, adding a dimension of diversity too rarely seen in the genre. (Paranormal mystery. YA)