The Girl in the Picture

October 1, 2016
A murder mystery with a paranormal twist.Unfortunately, the paranormal twist does not serve the mystery plot well. White prep school scholarship student Nicole Morgan is a magnificent violinist but socially inept, so shes surprised when the handsome, white, and wealthy Chace Porter seems to be attracted to her. But Chace has a girlfriend, beautiful and wealthy bronze-skinned Lana Rivera, Nicoles roommate, who claimed him when he arrived on campus. Nicole and Chace meet secretly, however, intending eventually to confess to Lana, but before they can, Chace is found murdered. Nicole becomes the chief suspect when the police find a photo strip of the two of them on Chaces body; later, the murder weapon is found planted in Nicoles room. Can Nicole prove her innocence? Moving her narrative back and forth through time and different characters perspectives, Monir hits every possible convention: the posh prep school; the talented, innocent scholarship student; the wealthy, powerful, and, of course, modelworthy appearances of most characters; the forbidden romance; the overwrought writing. When she suddenly throws a completely unexpected paranormal element into the story, she departs from the basic mystery/suspense plot and seems to be writing another genre altogether. Readers credulity seems to be the required element to enjoy this messed-up mystery. (Mystery. 12-18)

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November 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-The hallowed halls of Oyster Bay Preparatory School are rocked with scandal and tragedy after senior soccer star Chace Porter, son of a U.S. Congressman, is found dead in the woods. A full-scale murder investigation begins, and police narrow their suspects to Chace's closest friends. At the top of the list are his beautiful, popular girlfriend, Lana Rivera, and the girl whose picture was found in the victim's pocket: Nicole Morgan, a brilliant nobody. No one seems to know why Lana and Nicole, former roommates and friends, stopped talking months before Chace was found, or the reasons why Chace was always sneaking off somewhere. Monir constructs multiple backstories that piece together remnants of events that Lana and Nicole are struggling to remember but would rather forget. And she coaxes individualistic characters out of common tropes: Lana, the "girl everyone wants to be," has a frank internal monologue that prevents her from coming across as a typical mean girl. Nicole wears her low self-esteem like a cloak, much like an eccentric savant would in a "Gossip Girl" high school setting, but her interior discourse is searching and endearing. The strongest pull for readers, though, will be solving the mystery, and although the actions of the police and the culprit occasionally feel unrealistic, Monir effectively keeps readers guessing until nearly the end. VERDICT Teens will enjoy the cleverly crafted ride of this whodunit. Purchase for libraries looking to bolster their YA mystery collections.-Michael Marie Jacobs, Darlington School, GA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
Grades 7-10 Chace Porter, Oyster Bay Prep's soccer star and leading man, is found dead, and the only clue in this whodunit is a picture in his pocket of him with a girl no one knew was close to him. His girlfriend, Lana Rivera, is both devastated by his death and furious at her ex-roomie, Nicole Morgan, the girl in the picture. While the student body is sequestered on campus during the investigation, Nicole becomes the prime suspect before being arrested. But did she really murder Chace? She claims she didn't, but the evidence categorically points to her. Told by Lana and Nicole in alternating points of view and time frames, layered secrets are revealed about the three students, Lana's and Chace's politician parents, and Chace's past. Despite stereotypical characters (the beautiful, self-absorbed rich girl; the nerdy, talented, violin-playing girl from a single-parent home; the stunningly handsome, athletic boy; and the pushy politician parents), this is a murder mystery with tightly tucked-in clues. Perfect for readers who enjoy fancy prep-school tales or mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)