SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS

It’s Cleo’s birthday, and someone has arranged a scavenger hunt for her—but it turns out that Cleo is the one being hunted.

The first clue appears in Cleo’s bathroom while she is showering, immediately ratcheting up the creepiness factor. Cleo can’t guess who snuck in; her brother and her friends deny being the culprit. And all of the clues are leading Cleo to revisit key private moments she shared with her former boyfriend Declan, who drowned under shadowy circumstances during a river rafting trip on her last birthday. It is slowly revealed that there was more to their relationship and the events of that fateful day on the river. Tensions climb as the clues turn into threats against Cleo and her brother. The clock is ticking. Did someone witness what happened on the day Declan drowned? Is it possible that Declan himself is orchestrating the hunt? After all, his body was never found. Red herrings abound, and troubling memories have Cleo realistically waffling between strength and self-doubt, but secondary characters are not as well developed. Readers invested in the relationship drama will devour the chaotic, action-packed climax, while serious mystery fans may find that the culprit’s motives stretch belief. Cleo and most other significant characters are White; brown-skinned, biracial Connor has a different father from Cleo.

Engrossing for fans of high school drama.