The Sixes

June 20, 2011
Cosmo editor-in-chief White's proseâlike a brisk walk through a tree-lined campus in autumnâis perfectly suited to the setting and tone of this stand-alone mystery thriller about mean girl games run amok. Disgraced celebrity tell-all author Phoebe Hall wants nothing more than to leave Manhattan for the peaceful asylum of Lyle College in rural Pennsylvania, where Lyle's president and her best friend from boarding school, Glenda Johns, has offered her a teaching job. But when Glenda asks Phoebe to look into rumors of a secret sorority known as the Sixes and a possible link to a missing coed, the idea of asylum takes on an ominously different meaning. White (Hush) ratchets up the chills as Phoebe starts to find little things, like six apples, left at her house that she takes to be attempts to frighten her. Undaunted, Phoebe persists in her investigation. Great pacing and plausible characterization with only a smidgen of forgivable contrivance make this a worthy end-of-summer beach read. Author tour.

December 1, 2011
Beleaguered best-selling nonfiction author Phoebe Hall accepts a temporary position as a visiting English instructor at a small Pennsylvania college and promptly finds herself involved with a serial killer, a mean-girl secret society, and a romantic liaison. Despite Jennifer Cohn's somewhat bland if adequate and nicely paced reading, White's ("Lethally Blond") crisp, action-packed writing holds the listener's attention. Cohn's female voices are easily identifiable, but her delivery could be stronger with increased use of the emotive voice and a clearer distinction among the male voices. This title will be of interest to White's fans and those into psychological thrillers. Released simultaneously with the Harper: HarerCollins print edition.--Laurie Selwyn, formerly Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX

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