MISCHIEF GIRLS

Raina Chandra, an Indian American first-year student at Ellison College, finds meaning working for a safety initiative to accompany students across campus at night.

Her job with Night Walk is a way to put her insomnia to good use and deal with the guilt she harbors over a childhood incident involving her younger sister, Maya. When Anika Mehta is reported missing shortly after Raina walks her home one night, Raina feels compelled to join Anika’s stepbrother, Rohan Karan, in helping to find her. As they delve deeper into Anika’s disappearance, they discover that she’d been investigating a 30-year-old mystery surrounding the deaths of two girls on Mischief Night, an annual post-Halloween tradition on campus involving alcohol-fueled pranks and dares. When two more girls are attacked, Raina follows the breadcrumbs of Anika’s research, hoping to find answers to some troubling questions: Is Anika’s investigation connected to her disappearance? Could the recent campus crimes be the work of the original killer of the so-called Mischief Girls—or a copycat? And how well does Raina really know the people close to her, including Rohan, for whom she’s developing feelings? The pacy, twisty plot, replete with red herrings, makes for compulsive reading. Avachat gives Raina a strong narrative voice and an intriguing backstory, ensuring readers will return for the second series entry. She also examines power plays within a college clique and the far-reaching effects of trauma.

Twisty and engrossing.