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Most high school students spend their days studying things like math and history and literature. But at a special school in Very Dangerous Things by author Lauren Muñoz, the students learn how to solve crimes—only to end up in a real-life investigation when one of their classmates is murdered on campus.
The story begins as the students at J. Everett High School return for another year of studies and murder. Each year, the school plans an elaborate murder mystery, and the criminology students form teams, competing to solve the mystery and win the prize money. Everyone is thrilled when Xavier Torres, the student assigned to play the victim, is discovered in the school’s greenhouse, as planned. But it’s not the game—he’s been poisoned. And when his girlfriend, Sierra Fox, is arrested for his murder, she asks her former best friend, Dulce Castillo, to help clear her name.
A real-life murder at the school definitely poses a completely different challenge. Every year, Dulce and her best friend, Emi, have come close to winning—and they were determined to win this year and use the prize money to pay for the European vacation that Dulce’s late mother always dreamed of taking. So when Sierra offers to pay them to prove her innocence, Emi eagerly accepts—but Dulce just can’t get over her former friend’s betrayal. Still, as Emi gets to work, Dulce can’t help but get caught up in the details of the case—and, before she knows it, she’s investigating, too.
The case definitely has a number of possible suspects: the victim’s dark and brooding brother, the neighbor who’s clearly not telling them everything, and even the new kid who has his own dark secrets. And there’s a lot at stake—from the school’s reputation and funding to Sierra’s mother’s reelection as mayor. But while Sierra insists that she didn’t do it, she’s still the most obvious choice. And as the friends continue to investigate, they find themselves going to some pretty desperate—and dangerous—measures to get to the truth.
The story is definitely twisting and dramatic—a mysterious tangle of the usual teenage emotions and connections and secrets, only with much more serious implications. The investigation with definitely hold readers’ attention—though, in the end, it all seems to take an unexpected turn that feels unlikely.
Very Dangerous Things takes all of the drama of high school and turns it into an intriguing murder mystery. But while readers will enjoy digging for clues with the young crime solvers, they may find the over-the-top conclusion to be a little far-fetched.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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