YOU'RE NEXT

A teen’s investigative skills lead her through school secrets, small-town mysteries, and murder.

Sixteen-year-old Flora Calhoun doesn’t worry too much about college applications, even if college could be her ticket out of Hartsdale. Instead, she’s busy with unsolved crimes, hunting down criminals who escaped justice and seeking closure for those affected. Although she is at odds with the local police force, has a tense relationship with her younger sister, and feels let down by her mother (who is a painter living in Germany), Flora’s connections with her grandfather and best friend, Cassidy, are rewarding, complex, and nuanced. Her run-ins with romance, with vibrant Ava and clichéd bad boy VT, round out her character while also slowing down the story. When Flora’s latest run-in with danger hits too close to home, she’s sent deep into a mystery that reaches further than she ever expected. Flora’s mission takes her on a journey that delves into issues of socio-economic inequality dividing Hartsdale and neighboring Whitley as well as the long-term effects of trauma—accompanied by some convoluted teen drama. The treatment of the subjects of trust and emotional vulnerability between friends adds an extra dimension while some elements of the mystery may feel familiar to aficionados of the genre. Flora is white and bisexual; Cassidy is Chinese American, Ava is black, and there is diversity among supporting characters.

A thriller that delves into society’s darkness.