THIS IS WHERE WE DIE

Thanks to Sadie Lombard’s trust fund, she and her friends are celebrating high school graduation on Christie’s Island, an exclusive destination off the coast of Massachusetts.

Valedictorian Isla Claythorne is ready to let loose for the weekend, as are playboy Anthony “Ant” Martinez and the group’s star athlete, Will Armstrong. Emily Chang, Ant’s childhood best friend, is excited for this perfect opportunity to confess her feelings for Ant. Charlie Rogers, who’s become moody and distant over the last year, surprises everyone by agreeing to go. Upon their arrival, the teens discover that the island’s mansion is not only devoid of staff but lacking internet and satellite connections. The isolation evokes memories of another trip they took together: Eighteen months ago, the six classmates and two other teens were skiing in Canada when an avalanche trapped them in a mountain hut for weeks. The six gathered on the island haven’t spoken about the experience to anyone since their rescue, but when they find a painting in the mansion referencing the Donner Party, with two of eight depicted figures crossed out, they begin to suspect that someone knows the truth they’re hiding. Conversations inserted between chapters reveal early on that no one survives the graduation party, cranking up the tension and sense of creeping dread. Readers are left wondering who to blame as, one by one, the mostly white cast members meet their untimely and gruesome fates. Names cue some diversity.

A chilling and suspense-filled tragedy.