Breaker

March 1, 2016
A serial killer's son is drawn to the daughter of his dad's final victim. It's been years since Kyle's dad was convicted for the infamous Bonebreaker murders, and he finally has the chance to escape that legacy. Uncle Coby's somehow wrangled Kyle a place at a Pennsylvania prep school. At Killdeer Academy, he can become Kyle Henry instead of Kyle Henry Bluchevsky, the Bonebreaker's son. Surely it's only a heinous coincidence that his first friend at Killdeer turns out to be Naomi Steadman, the only girl to see the Bonebreaker and live? But it can't be a coincidence that people are dying: a girl falls from the academy roof, and a boy is found hanging in the dark. Killdeer Academy provides a suitably Gothic setting for these new deaths: the ivy-covered turrets, the alcoves populated by dusty taxidermic birds, the campus hidden behind iron gates in the deep woods, once a mental institution until arson by inmates in the 1940s left many in the asylum dead. Chapters interleave Kyle's voice with Naomi's (both are white), occasionally interrupted with news clippings, court documents, and other ephemera. These, along with subtle in-story hints (and numerous red herrings) slowly paint a picture of the Bonebreaker's past--and Killdeer's present. Spine-chilling and splendidly gory, with a genre-perfect stormy night denouement: the power cut, the phones out, the corpses revealed by lightning. (Thriller. 12-15)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Fans of YA thrillers will be hooked from the first page. Told from alternating viewpoints, Kyle's and Naomi's backstories captivatingly unfold to reveal the gruesome connection between the two teens. Kyle has come to Kildeer Academy in an attempt to escape his past. His father-a convicted serial killer nicknamed Bonebreaker because of the vicious bludgeoning of his victims-has been recently executed. In an attempt to make a fresh start, Kyle and his fragile mother move to a different state and establish new identities. At the boarding school, Kyle finds that he is attracted to someone he recognizes from his old life and whose past is as filled with trauma as his own. The feelings are mutual; however, Naomi has no idea that Kyle's father is the one who murdered her mother. While the two teens' attraction grows, disturbing things begin to occur around them, including the appearance of unusual items that are tied to the Bonebreaker. Clearly someone knows the truth about Kyle's past, but who? What will happen when Naomi finds out the truth about Kyle? Suspicious deaths, an urban legend, and red herrings will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the satisfying conclusion. VERDICT A standout thriller with a splash of romance.-Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 Kyle is more than ready to start over in a town where no one knows he is the son of a recently executed serial killer known as Bonebreaker. So he is horrified when he recognizes one of the girls in his new boarding school: Naomi Steadman, the daughter of a woman murdered by Kyle's father. Naomi and her friends are immediately interested in Kyle, and though he is drawn to Naomi, he pushes her away, afraid she will find out they are connected by the horrors in their past. But when bodies start turning up on campusmurders committed in Bonebreaker's signature stylethat past catches up to them, and Kyle and Naomi may be more connected than they know. The promise of forbidden romance doesn't detract from the tension, and the final reveal is unexpected enough that most readers won't see it coming. Packed full of suspense, red herrings, and creepy taxidermy, this is an intriguing murder mystery and a compelling look at the ties that bind.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)