Take the Fall

January 18, 2016
High school senior Sonia Feldman is reeling after being attacked in the woods of Hidden Falls, as well as the news that her best friend, Gretchen, fell to her death from the top of the Black River Creek falls the same night. Sonia's memories of her attack are hazy, and after Gretchen's ex-boyfriend, Marcus, is arrested and released, Sonia isn't sure what to think. When Sonia starts getting threatening notes, it seems that she may be in danger, but as Gretchen's dark secrets come to light, the suspect list gets longer, and Sonia begins to question everything she knew about her friend. Writing in Sonia's voice, Hainsworth (Through to You) navigates the murky waters of friendship and loyalty to spin an intriguing murder mystery, one whose final twists and revelations hit their marks. As a protagonist, Sonia is well drawn, but as Gretchen's cruel machinations are revealed, it's hard to see her as sympathetic, and her motives aren't explored much. Nonetheless, it's a mystery that should keep readers hooked. Ages 14âup. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

November 15, 2015
Gretchen Meyer's list of friends was long; the list of suspects who wanted her dead is even longer. High school senior Sonia Feldman thinks she's safe at home after narrowly escaping an attack in the woods of her small town. She soon discovers that Gretchen, her popular best friend and daughter of the area's rich tech mogul, wasn't as lucky. In a separate part of the woods, at a waterfall, Gretchen was murdered. When the local police have few leads, Sonia begins her own investigation to find the killer. While the teen's first-person narration is not dramatic, it does capture the drama of high school, from breakups to hookups. Unfortunately, it's not so effective with the mystery part. What Sonia uncovers is Gretchen's dark side and the growing number of racially diverse frenemies who would have benefited from her death. Not only does she confront her own feelings for Gretchen and how her supposed BFF took advantage of her, but her feelings for Gretchen's former boyfriend as well. And with the killer still at large, someone may want Sonia dead, too. The story offers plenty of red herrings but falls short of thrilling. (Mystery. 14-18)

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January 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Sonia emerged from the woods, bloody and terrified, haunted by the chilling memory of cold hands wrapped around her throat. Someone had tried to kill her. And when Sonia's best friend, Gretchen, is found dead near the scene, it becomes crucial for Sonia to remember what happened that night in the woods. Suspicion turns to Gretchen's latest ex, Marcus, in large part because he has the unwarranted reputation of a bad boy. As the spotlight of suspicion spreads throughout Gretchen's circle of acquaintances, secrets come to light. A lot of characters are introduced, and Gretchen's penchant for bad boys makes the line of suspects even more interesting. The pace lags a bit as each character is discovered to have some trace of a motive for killing Gretchen, but fans of whodunit mysteries will enjoy a story that doesn't involve fantastical powers to unravel. Recommend to readers who loved Jennifer Armentrout's Don't Look Back (2014) or Caroline B. Cooney's No Such Person (2015).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)