One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

 

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

 

 

4/5 stars

 

If you like The Breakfast Club, you would love this book.

 

It is wonderfully written, easy to read and keeps you guessing up to the very end. Karen keeps the suspense going, making you want to read it in one sitting.

Writing the story from the viewpoint of the four suspects and not from the detective, made me love it even more. These kids are from all clicks in a high school, none of them friends, all different personalities.

The story has great character development, it flows naturally from one POV to another. If a series were to be made of this book, it would be a hit. Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club.

 

It is definitely a young adult book. The fact that a few high school kids can unravel and solve the mystery is a bit unrealistic, but for young adults it would be a treat. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book immensely and are looking forward to reading the rest of Karen’s books.