The Agathas
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
'Part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars, and completely entertaining'
-- Karen M McManus, #1 NYT bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
Welcome to Castle Cove —
a town cursed with missing girls,
bad boyfriends, family secrets,
and some very steep cliffs.
Last summer, Alice Ogilvie's basketball-star boyfriend, Steve, dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or at least it was. Because now, another one of Steve's girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice's ex-best friend. And it doesn't look like Brooke will be coming back ...
Enter Iris Adams, Alice's tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn't have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke's family is offering. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn't so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.
Luckily, Alice has exactly what they need to crack the case — the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there's anyone who can teach the girls how to solve a mystery, it's the master herself.
But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into ...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alice Ogilvie is one of the rich, popular kids who rule California's Castle Cove High. After basketball star Steve Anderson dumps her for her best friend, Brooke Donovan, Alice vanishes without a trace for five days, hoping to garner sympathy and attention. Then Alice reappears unscathed, and everyone is furious; she endures months of house arrest as punishment, then returns to school a pariah, prompting her to crash the in-crowd's Halloween bash. Her appearance causes Brooke to flee, en route passing Alice's tutor, Iris Adams, who is out walking. But when Brooke misses school the next day, and most people think she just "pulled an Ogilvie," Iris and Alice unite to find her—Alice out of guilt and a desire to use the detective skills she learned reading Agatha Christie, and Iris for the reward money offered by Brooke's grandmother. Iris and Alice co-narrate, allowing Glasgow (You'd Be Home Now) and Lawson (The Lucky Ones) to fully develop both characters. Despite an outlandish denouement that undercuts the story's impact, the mystery thrills and gratifies thanks to escalating stakes and devastating reveals. Subplots involving domestic abuse and parental neglect confer depth. Most characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agents: (for Glasgow) Julie Stevenson, Massie and McQuilkin Literary; (for Lawson) Andrea Morrison, Writers House.
