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The high school years are a time for learning and building relationships and preparing for the future—for junk food and late-night chats with friends. But at the high school students in Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy, it’s a time for tracking down a killer.
The story begins the school year at Morton Academy, an exclusive prep school where the brightest and best—but not necessarily the most privileged—are given the chance to chase greatness. After the newly-named head girl drowned in an initiation celebration at the end of the school year, the returning students are just trying to get back to their routines. But when the next head girl is found dead right after another school year begins, Liz and her friends start to wonder if there’s something more sinister playing out at the school.
As one death becomes two…and then three…it becomes harder and harder for the students of Morton Academy to accept that each one is just another tragic accident. It’s especially hard for the members of the school’s secret society, Jewel and Bone—the school’s brightest and best—who begin to wonder which of them is next…and which of them could be the killer.
Everything about this novel is steeped in shadow and mystery—from the eerie secret society, with all of its rituals and ceremonies, to the school and its dark past, which has been kept hidden from the students, to the characters themselves. In this grand and immaculate school, everyone seems to be hiding something—including the school’s principal, who was the school’s Head Girl during a tumultuous time. And the more Liz and her friends dig for answers, the darker and more haunting it gets.
Though the story does have a few aspects that are just a little too convenient—starting with the fact that students aren’t allowed to have phones or unsupervised Internet access—the novel’s atmosphere of mystery and suspense makes its flaws a lot easier to overlook. It’s sure to keep you guessing, trying to figure out how the pieces will all come together in the end. And while the outcome isn’t entirely satisfying, it’s definitely an entertaining journey.
At this prestigious academy, nothing is quite as it seems—and the competition can be deadly. And that makes Win Lose Kill Die a thrilling tale of teenage mystery and murder.
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