September 1, 2014
In her first book for teens, adult author McBride (the Dropout Debutant Mystery series) draws readers into upper-crust society and the dangerous secrets that lie beneath it. Fifteen-year-old Katie has felt unsettled during her four years at a New England prep school, despite having a loyal best friend in her roommate Tessa and dating Mark, a hockey star and the headmaster’s son. Lately she has reason to worry: several students seem to want Katie’s relationship with Mark to end, and she suspects someone is following her, leaving roses in the library and her room. Then a “sex pic” of Mark and a Katie lookalike circulates, and after the girl in the photo turns up dead, Mark claims he can’t remember anything about the night when it was taken. To save her future with Mark, and possibly their lives, Katie tries to find the killer. McBride’s fast-paced plot is fueled by jumps between multiple characters’ perspectives, and her rendering of the venerable yet sinister school, complete with a web of subterranean steam tunnels, is as absorbing as the tightly wound mystery. Ages 12–up. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.
September 1, 2014
At an exclusive, picture-perfect prep school, a grisly discovery leads to more sinister-and deadly-revelations. Katie Barton, a scholarship student at the exclusive Whitney Prep boarding school, harbors dark secrets that shattered her home life. Her roommate, Tessa, also on a scholarship, is her best friend and closest confidante, with some disquieting secrets of her own. Much to Tessa's chagrin, Katie has been dating privileged Mark Summers, a star athlete and son of the headmaster. However, one fateful day at her dorm, Katie receives a mysterious, tattered box. Inside, is a severed human hand with a rose tattoo. Soon after, Mark is indicted for the murder of the girl with the missing hand. Could he have done it? Or could Katie's jealous roommate have been involved? The plot is driven by a cast of stereotypical prep school attendees, and the psychological observations of these characters feel boilerplate and wooden. Some of the more serious issues in this book-like date rape-are breezily glossed over to make room for the central mystery. The adults (including a school psychologist) behave questionably and unrealistically, presumably also to accommodate the plot. Most disappointingly, most readers will have started putting the pieces of this mystery together very early on, making for a lackluster reveal at the credibility-defying conclusion. While the pages may fly, the shortcomings are abundant in this overly ambitious offering. (Mystery. 13-16)
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July 1, 2014
Gr 7 Up-Katie has mostly recovered from the tragedy of her father's suicide and is excited about her future: graduation and college with her boyfriend Mark, a popular hockey athlete. She attends a prep school on scholarship and has found a best friend in her roommate Tessa. Katie's senior year takes a sudden turn, though, when a mysterious package arrives at the dorm for her and contains a gruesome object within. Soon she's questioning who she can trust and trying to piece together a story from a hazy night of partying that resulted in the death of an innocent teen girl. Fans of Sara Shepard's "The Pretty Little Liars" series (HarperCollins) will appreciate the high drama and plot twists. The horror elements are tame making this book appealing for middle grade readers as well as teens.-Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2014
Grades 7-10 Katie didn't feel out of her league dating popular jock Mark, because the two fit together so well. But when pictures of Mark with Rose surface, and then Rose's severed handidentifiable by its rose tattoosis delivered to Katie's prep school dorm, she realizes she is in way over her head. The eerie scent of roses seems to follow her everywhere, and Katie wakes at odd hours certain that she is being watched. But by whom? Determined to clear Mark's name and keep herself from ending up like Rose, Katie delves deeper, much to the chagrin of her overprotective roommate and best friend Tessa. Everyone at Whitney Prep has secrets and backstories tinged with tragedy and darkness, making it hard to point the finger of guilt at any one student. Shifting the perspective among Katie, Mark, and Tessa gives the reader a full view as the narrative accelerates into its dramatic, twisting revelations and a white-knuckled climax. Hand this to readers looking for a book teetering between classic romantic suspense and a psychological thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)