A slightly uneven but snarky, high-energy thriller with abundant wit.
Aspiring young actress Kate’s tedious filing job becomes more dramatic than she bargained for when she witnesses a double homicide.
Kate Williams, a freckled, plus-size White girl, didn’t always dream of being an actress, but after a fluke audition lands her a co-starring role on Dirty Pretty Teens, she knows it’s what she was born to do. A controversy that leads to the show’s cancelation collides with her parents’ discovery of her plans to skip college, forcing her to take a job filing papers at her best friend Rowan Chen’s dad’s law firm to prove herself. She works in the dungeon—the secure room where high-profile clients’ confidential files are stored—and tries to avoid awkward encounters with Rowan’s brother, Ty, whose heart she broke. When Kate is the only witness to an incident in a neighboring office that leaves two men dead, but no one is willing to believe her, she must convince them or watch a killer go free. This Rear Window adaptation features a fresh main character with realistic and relatable interpersonal issues that lend charisma to what is a sometimes overly detailed text and a contrived plot that takes a while to get going and ends rather abruptly. Readers will understand and appreciate Kate’s struggle to be taken seriously and how it conflicts with her need for guidance and support. Secondary characters are a mixed bag in terms of how well developed they are.
A slightly uneven but snarky, high-energy thriller with abundant wit. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-368-07215-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A fast-paced, attention-grabbing boarding school murder mystery.
Two high school seniors with very different motives reluctantly join forces when two of their classmates are murdered.
Amy Alterman considers herself lucky to have had Sarah Oliver in her life. Since they were in their first year at Meadowbrook Academy—a prestigious institution for the children of the extremely wealthy—the soccer besties have been inseparable. Liz Charles, who attends Meadowbrook on scholarship, doesn’t have any close friends on campus, but she does have the Meadowbrook Gazette, the school’s online newspaper. Liz is determined to make a name for herself in journalism no matter the cost. So, when Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan Pelham, are found brutally murdered in Sarah and Amy’s dorm room, Liz excitedly breaks the story without considering the consequences. Amy, who soon becomes her classmates’ prime suspect, desperately tries to clear her name while also protecting her “townie” boyfriend, Joseph Stone. In this plot-driven page-turner, Liz and Amy are thrown together despite their mutual distrust as they try to figure out who really committed the heinous double murder. The unlikely companions discover that the truth isn’t easy to find and that even the people they trust the most are likely hiding something. This compelling novel will keep readers guessing, as the narrative moves steadily toward its satisfying conclusion. Central characters are cued white; Amy’s Jewish identity is skillfully and naturally woven into the story.
A fast-paced, attention-grabbing boarding school murder mystery. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593698716
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
A strong beginning that will leave readers hungry for more.
Subterfuge is the name of the game at an elite and secretive prep school.
Seventeen-year-old Italian-American November was born in August. Though she tragically lost her mother at age 6, she has an enviable life in small-town Connecticut, a strong relationship with her dad, and a mentor in her Aunt Jo. That is until, due to a family emergency, her father sends her away to a covert boarding school. Instead of mathematics and literature, students at the Academy Absconditi learn how to wield weapons both physical and psychological, and history is taught so they might manipulate the future. Guileless November quickly allies herself with her studious Egyptian roommate, Layla, and Layla’s handsome brother, Ash. When a fellow student turns up dead, November must expose the truth, including her own connection to the victim and the influential Council of Families, while navigating a minefield of misinformation. The first-person narration is unreliable due to the protagonist’s ignorance of the society in which she moves, while surreptitious behavior by the supporting characters forces the reader to be as wary as November ought to be. Revelations are well-paced, though astute readers are apt to pick up several of the dropped clues (but some are dropped and not resolved). Red herrings or possible threads that will be woven into future plots? Anything is possible in this world of cloaks and daggers.
A strong beginning that will leave readers hungry for more. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-57908-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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