Little White Lies

October 20, 2014
As far as anyone knows, Louise "Lou" Shepherd is "a normal fresher starting at uni," but she's actually living under an assumed name in order to escape her family's notorietyâher uncle is in jail, her cousin is in a coma, and all of England associates her family with scandal. At school, she runs into Kenny, a boy who knows all her secrets, and meets Christian, a handsome stranger she'd like to date, but who harbors secrets of his own. Soon Lou's past is colliding with her present as she makes disturbing discoveries about her university friends and how their histories connect to hers. Dale (Someone Else's Life) has wound an overly complicated and circuitous thriller that leaps from one event to another. An abundant use of exclamatory dialogue gives the impression that Dale's characters are virtually shouting at each other (Lou's friend Vix is a particularly egregious offender). Along with a profusion of plot twists, the result is a frantic, scattered read. Ages 14âup. Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates.

October 1, 2014
Sometimes lying is the only way to get to the truth for one teen in this British thriller. As the niece of the most famous inmate in the country, the narrator, a first-year "uni" student, has changed her name to Louise Shepherd. But navigating her new identity is tricky when her latest friend is a budding investigative journalist and a computer-hacker classmate from her past turns up (on purpose?) in the same town. And then there's young bartender Christian Webb, who has secrets of his own. Lou's evenly paced narration is Hollywood-script-ready as readers learn bit by bit about her cousin who lies in a coma, her culpability in her uncle's prison sentence and Christian's connections to her family's tragedies. As the story twists and turns even more with vigilante thugs and possible police coverups, Lou finds herself on the run and trying to prove Christian's innocence. But she's not sure whether proving his innocence is for him or her. And are her loyalties to her family or the one she now loves? Along with uncovering clues, Lou discovers that right and wrong become confused when feelings are involved. Slight Briticisms make the fact-finding all the more interesting as readers keep guessing in this gripping whodunit. (Thriller. 14 & up)

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October 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-On the outside, 19-year-old Lou Shepherd is transitioning smoothly into college life. She's made a new best friend and even has a crush on a hot guy named Christian, whom she repeatedly runs into around town. Behind her normal facade, though, Lou is hiding some painful truths. She is operating under a false identity. Additionally, her family recently was the object of high-profile scrutiny, leaving her beloved uncle in jail and her cousin in a coma. When things start to heat up with Christian, she realizes that everyone around her is not what they seem and she might not be the only one with secrets. Though filled with surprising twists and turns, this narrative is riddled with loose threads, making the final chapters cluttered and unbelievable. The protagonist is understandably emotionally driven and changeable, but she often comes off as volatile and out of control. The secondary characters, however, add depth and ground Lou throughout, managing at times to steal the show. Purchase only where suspense novels fly off the shelves.-Morgan Brickey, Marion County Public Library System, FL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 If you are lucky, you get the chance to remake yourself when you go to university, and Louise Shepherd is doing just that. But she cannot escape her pasttoo many painful memories, coupled by the unnerving presence of Kenny, who knows everything, keep her from adjusting to her new identity. Her budding relationship with Christian is challenged when mixed messages about his own past muddy the waters, and Lou finds herself searching for truth and torn between family and friendship. This edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller is painstakingly plotted and well paced, with twists around every corner that keep the reader guessing until the end. Lou's first-person narration pulls in the reader, who will be blindsided by unforeseen revelations. What you thought you knew is only a lieor is it? Perfect for fans of Liar (2009), by Justine Larbalesier, or in-your-head suspense like Acceleration, by Graham McNamee (2003), this book may just prove an excellent adult crossover novel as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)