The Meadowbrook Murders

December 1, 2024
Two high school seniors with very different motives reluctantly join forces when two of their classmates are murdered. Amy Alterman considers herself lucky to have had Sarah Oliver in her life. Since they were in their first year at Meadowbrook Academy--a prestigious institution for the children of the extremely wealthy--the soccer besties have been inseparable. Liz Charles, who attends Meadowbrook on scholarship, doesn't have any close friends on campus, but she does have theMeadowbrook Gazette, the school's online newspaper. Liz is determined to make a name for herself in journalism no matter the cost. So, when Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan Pelham, are found brutally murdered in Sarah and Amy's dorm room, Liz excitedly breaks the story without considering the consequences. Amy, who soon becomes her classmates' prime suspect, desperately tries to clear her name while also protecting her "townie" boyfriend, Joseph Stone. In this plot-driven page-turner, Liz and Amy are thrown together despite their mutual distrust as they try to figure out who really committed the heinous double murder. The unlikely companions discover that the truth isn't easy to find and that even the people they trust the most are likely hiding something. This compelling novel will keep readers guessing, as the narrative moves steadily toward its satisfying conclusion. Central characters are cued white; Amy's Jewish identity is skillfully and naturally woven into the story. A fast-paced, attention-grabbing boarding school murder mystery.(Mystery. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 The first week of senior year was meant to be fun for best friends and boarding school students Amy and Sarah. It plummets into disaster when Amy wakes up to find Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan, murdered in Sarah's bed. Now, the rumor mill is speculating that Amy is responsible for their deaths, since she was the only one there. Except, she wasn't--Amy's boyfriend, Joseph, was with her for part of that night, but since he's a townie, Amy wants to protect him from suspicion. Elsewhere on campus, Liz, the driven editor of the school newspaper, is investigating the murder, hoping it will lead to an important journalism scholarship. When Amy is reassigned to be Liz's roommate, the relationship starts frosty until they find themselves relying on each other for their lives. Taut and suspenseful, the academic thriller wields an unexpected villain, revealing the seamier aspects of wealth and privilege and the painful realities of complex friendships. Believable characters with distinct personalities enhance this gripping race to whodunit.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 24, 2025
Goodman (The Legacies) shocks in the opening sequence of this gruesome murder mystery in which 17-year-old Amy Alterman, a senior at upper-class Connecticut boarding school Meadowbrook Academy, awakens to find her roommate, Sarah Oliver, and Sarah’s boyfriend, Ryan Pelham, blood-soaked and dead in Sarah’s bed. The scene then shifts to school newspaper editor Elizabeth Charles, who’s writing in her office when she learns of Sarah and Ryan’s deaths. The mystery of what happened to the teens unfolds via Amy and Liz’s alternating POVs, during which Amy, devastated by a fight she and Sarah had the night before Sarah’s death, struggles to accept that her best friend is gone; and Liz, following her reportorial instincts, begins investigating, hoping to write an article worthy of landing a college scholarship. As Liz unearths new information, Amy—the primary suspect—strives to prove her innocence, despite her own misgivings surrounding the suspicious disappearance of her own boyfriend, Joseph Stone. Liz’s inquiry and Goodman’s adroit examination surrounding the ethics of gathering evidence and disseminating news elevates the familiar posh boarding school mystery plot. Major characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Alyssa Reuben, WME.