LUCY KLINE, NECROMANCER

The disappearance of a teen girl complicates the apparent resolution of an earlier crime.

Lucy Kline was certain she’d solved her identical twin sister’s murder two years ago, even though Louisa’s body was never located. When Lyra Franklin, who has “the same dark hair, the same brown eyes, even the same slightly crooked smile as Louisa” goes missing in their small town of Cedar Grove, it blows the case open again. Haunted by visits from her sister’s ghost as well as terrifying nightmares that seem to contain meaning, 17-year-old Lucy, who’s fond of using profanity, dives back into Louisa’s case—and investigates Lyra’s too. Making matters worse, annoying self-proclaimed forensic clairvoyant Mina Cayce, who made incorrect statements about Louisa’s case, is back. With help from neighbor Howie Lindquist (who, crucially, has a car) and virtual assistance from Professor Peter Lowenthal, a retired medieval studies professor, intrepid, Buffy-esque Lucy begins to delve into the supernatural in search of Louisa’s true fate, which seems to be tied to a being named Azazel from the world of necromancy. Lucy’s guilt over not stopping her sister from sneaking out the night she died adds a needed layer of emotional complexity, while the snappy pace and Lucy’s biting sarcasm offset the weight of frequent passages in Latin and multiple storylines and supporting cast members that detract from the central plot. Main characters read white.

Contemporary true-crime influences blended with off-beat supernatural elements in a mostly successful genre mashup.