THIN AIR

A group of teens on a private jet are slowly picked off by a mysterious killer who seems to know all their secrets.

Emily has just completed her junior year at an exclusive boarding school where she’s on a need-based scholarship. Among other things, she’s been hiding the fact that her mother blew their savings on an MLM scheme and is living in her car following the loss of their house. Fortunately, Emily managed to get a scholarship from a charitable foundation that will allow her to escape to Paris for two weeks over the summer. The unusual program takes 12 finalists from hundreds of boarding school applicants and pits them against one another as they compete in challenges related to “character, intelligence, leadership skills, teamwork, and talent.” The kicker? It all begins as soon as they’re in the air. Emily’s first-person narration of this elaborate setup establishes her as a sympathetic and flawed protagonist. The initial chapter is a quick, interest-piquing vignette set seven hours into the chaotic flight, and it quickly sets the taut line of tension that’s maintained throughout, with each chapter opening with a time stamp marking the plane’s progress across the Atlantic. The fast pace will keep readers engaged, particularly fans of locked-room mysteries, although the romantic subplot feels a bit formulaic. Emily is cued white; secondary characters show some racial diversity.

A fun page-turner.