Kill You Last

February 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-Strasser introduces another affluent Soundview resident: high school senior Shelby Sloan. Her father is the chief suspect and only link in an investigation of three missing girls who booked him and his staff to shoot their modeling portfolios. In addition to regular, icy looks and attitudes from students, Shelby deals with constant media coverage and aggressive reporters outside her house. Her life upheaval also includes menacing emails implying that there's more to her dad than she realizes. Convinced that he is not a killer and encouraged by her friend Roman, Shelby begins her own investigation. The deeper she digs, the darker the secrets become, revealing the sketchy pasts of her father and his staff. All of the titles in this cyberthriller trilogy stand alone, but readers who pick up one are likely to enjoy the others. However, Strasser steps up his pacing and story line for Shelby's story. The large list of suspects and number of secrets revealed will keep readers engaged in the rapidly unfolding plot, while the technology embedded into the narrative will appeal most to those who utilize it.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2012
Grades 9-12 After three teenage girls go missing, the police and the media camp outside Shelby's home, where her fashion-photographer dad had previously taken photos of the girls as part of his modeling business. Everyone knows Dad is borderline creepy with young girls. Is his agency a scam? Is he the serial killer? Or is one of his workers guilty perhaps his gorgeous assistant Gabriel? What about the journalist following the story: how come he knows so much, especially when the bodies are found? And who is sending Shelby threatening e-mails and texts? Can she trust her best friend? Dad is loving and protective toward Shelby, though he is distant from Mom. As in the best mysteries, the final revelation is both a total surprise and yet no surprise at all; how could Shelbyand the readerhave missed the prime suspect?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)