Who killed her? Lo's storytelling is taut and vivid as she expertly doles out clues (Margot's history of bullying Ryan's secret stash of love letters). Then, in the aftermath of a party, one of the four girls dies from a gunshot. Her concerns about Margot's motives are mostly warranted, but Angie persists in the hope that the four of them-Angie, Jess, Margot, and Margot's hostile best friend Ryan-can become close. When Angie falls for Margot, a wealthy, charismatic student from the nearby tony boarding school, Jess's jealousy builds. Jess and Angie are both queer and out, but have never been together. Jess's feelings for her best friend Angie are strong and complicated-a mix of longstanding affection, mutual dependence, protectiveness, and unrequited longing. Though the final few chapters feel rushed, they provide a satisfying-and shocking-finale to this scandalous examination of jealousy, secrets, and untrustworthy characters. The pace picks up in the second part, with higher tension and uncertainty propelling the story forward quickly, encouraging teens to race to the whodunit conclusion. Dark, twisty, and unsettling, this book almost begs to be read in one sitting, and then instantly reread. Just when it seems like the truth is coming to light, the story takes another turn, forcing readers to reassess everything they think they understand. As the police interview all three girls, the details of the night a student is killed highlight the tension among Angie, Jess, and Margot, but do not clearly point to who may have committed the crime. Margot drives a wedge between Angie and Jess, but eventually, a murder brings them back together. Jess, a talented artist who creates a dark, supernatural comic about a love triangle, has her doubts about Margot, who seems cruel and controlling. Their relationship becomes complicated when Angie begins to date Margot, a wealthy student at a nearby boarding school. Angie Redmond and Jess Wong are best friends, though Jess harbors a desperate and rather obvious crush on Angie.

Gr 9 Up-Friendship, romance, obsession, and crime all get tangled up in this complicated mystery about love and lies.

A line in the dark by malinda lo