The Lying Game

November 1, 2010
Those who get past the improbable premise of Shepard's (the Pretty Little Liars books) series debut will find a fun and fast-moving mystery. Foster kid Emma never knew she had an identical twin until she sees an online video of a girl named Sutton being choked by a masked figure. She tries to contact her, but a planned reunion goes awry when Sutton never shows up (readers know this is because she has been killed; Sutton narrates the book as a ghost, unable to communicate with Emma, but eager to "solve my own murder"). Kicked out of her foster home and mistaken for Sutton by Sutton's friends and family, Emma starts living her privileged life; the stakes rise dramatically when she learns her other half is dead. Clique lit fans will recognize the familiar mix of label-dropping and mean girl behavior, but the dark mystery adds a compelling layer. Readers may have a hard time buying the ease with which Emma slips into Sutton's very different life, but they will race through the pages as Emma pieces together clues and will have plenty to ponder as they anticipate the next installment. Ages 14–up.

May 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-In foster care for most of her childhood, Emma aches to belong to a family. She gets that chance when her foster brother frames her for theft and discredits her with a disturbing snuff film on the Internet that reveals a potential sibling. As a result, she is forced to leave her foster home. Emma immediately sets out to meet the mysterious star of the film only to be plunged into assuming the role of her popular and privileged dead twin sister, Sutton Mercer. Readers might initially balk at the easy acceptance of Emma playing the role of her twin. However, Sutton's friends are just shallow enough to barely notice the difference between mean-girl Sutton and introspective Emma. In fact, Sutton's friends appear to be her enemies as Emma works to uncover the truth about the girl's death. As she searches for answers, she learns about the Lying Game, a group of teens, including Sutton and her friends, whose object is to humiliate and frighten the students and parents in their community. The suspense reaches a dangerous frenzy as Emma gets closer to finding the identity of her sister's killer. The first in a projected series, this is a thrilling mystery with just the right doses of romance and danger. Readers will race to the end, hoping to reveal the truth behind the incidents surrounding Sutton's death, only to find themselves simultaneously frustrated by the lack of closure and eager for the sequel.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2010

This first in an intriguing new series reunites long-lost twins, but only after one has been murdered. Emma, the living sister, has been raised in foster care and learns of her wealthy twin just as Emma's kicked out of her last home. Sutton realizes she's dead, but she can't remember much of her life. She attaches her ghostly self, undetected, to Emma and reads Emma's thoughts, giving the novel a compelling first-/third-person point of view. Both twins want to solve the murder, even as Emma almost inadvertently takes Sutton's place at her home, where no one knows she's dead. However, a good twin/bad twin scenario emerges, as Emma learns that Sutton and her friends enjoy playing cruel pranks. But could one of Sutton's friends, or even someone closer, be the murderer? Shepard keeps the action rolling and the clues confusing as she spends this installment uncovering the twins' characters but not solving the murder yet. Naturally, boys and fashion also figure into the story, fleshing out a distinctive scenario that should appeal to many teen girls. (Paranormal chick lit. 14 & up)

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