Kirkus Review

With the headmaster's killer behind bars, college prep is top priority at Blackbrook Academy--until another body makes an unwelcome appearance. Plum is dismayed that Headmaster Boddy's temporary replacement, a school board member from a pharmaceutical company with long-standing ties to Blackbrook, has boarded up the secret passages in Tudor House, preventing him from recovering his highly extracurricular project. Evading Rosa, a sharp-eyed new student, Plum solicits Scarlett's help. But after school custodian Rusty Nayler's body falls on them, their illicit activities are exposed. Already anxious about her practice-test scores, Scarlett learns that her escapades will carry consequences. Future tennis pro Peacock, also anxious, relies on a new life coach whose diet and meditation instructions are proffered in soothing messages. Ethnically diverse, the students are wealthy with the exception of scholarship student and townie Vaughn, who's kept his connection to Blackbrook secret. Orchid's mostly relieved that Vaughn knows her secret; despite his strange moods, their mutual attraction grows. For Mustard, conflicted, and Plum, perplexingly free of doubt, romance is more complicated. An attempt on a student's life heightens the tension. The six narrators--hobbled by missteps and self-inflicted mistakes--find themselves sharing long-held secrets; even master manipulators Scarlett and Plum must trust one another. These flawed but occasionally endearing characters grow on readers. As the sly plot untwists, questions are answered and new ones posed until the cliffhanger ending. Witty, wicked fun. (Mystery. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.