From the author of Lies Like Wildfire comes another page-turning thriller about the little lies we all tell before the truth sets us free—perfect for readers of Karen M. McManus and Diana Urban.
FRIENDS LIKE THESE
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Delacorte, November 2022
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)
Mistake number one: Fun-loving Jake tells his girlfriend Jessica that they have to go to Tegan’s end of summer party in their tiny California beach town. Jessica doesn’t like parties and she doesn’t like Tegan, who has an obvious, obsessive crush on Jake. But Jessica agrees to go, to make Jake happy.
Mistake number two: Something awful happens at the party. Something so embarrassing that Jessica doesn’t know if she can ever get over it—and Jake will do whatever it takes for forgiveness. And now, a girl is missing. Everyone is a suspect. And, Jessica begins to notice that Jake seems to have a lot to hide.
When a body is discovered at the beach, friends start turning on friends, and lies start piling on top of lies. What happened this summer could destroy their lives. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Perhaps that’s mistake number three…
“With pulsing dialogue and believable action, the thriller raises the stakes at every turn. A fast-paced thriller to keep readers on the edges of their seats.” —Kirkus Reviews
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is the author of the young adult thriller, Lies Like Wildfire, and two middle-grade fantasy series, The Guardian Herd and Riders of The Realm. She earned her degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley and is the Sonoma County Coordinator for SCBWI. The Pet Washer is her indie novel. Jennifer lives on a small ranch in Northern California with her husband, three children, and more than her fair share of pets.
Twelve years after the events of House of Salt and Sorrows, the Thaumas sisters are scattered across Arcannia. Camille rules over Highmoor as an efficient duchess. Annaleigh, Keeper of the Light, runs Old Maude with husband Cassius. Lenore is long gone, wandering throughout Arcannia. Honor is a governess in Foresia and Mercy lives at court, a companion to the two princesses. Despite dreams of adventures, almost-eighteen year old Verity has remained at Highmoor. She has no memory of the tragic events or her part within them. She spends her days filling hundreds of sketchbooks and canvases with portraits and paintings. Unfortunately, not all her subjects are alive. Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it. When Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance. Verity is also quickly drawn to Alexander Laurent. Though a childhood accident left him without the use of his legs, Alexander roams the estate in a wicker wheelchair, taking Verity on adventurous and romantic outings as they grow closer. When he proposes she joyfully accepts. Even the constant revelry can’t hold back a new series of nightmares from plaguing Verity. She longs to confide in Alex but finds him much changed since the engagement. When she spots him walking through the halls of Chauntilalie one night, she fears that nothing is as it seems.
It’s summertime in New York City and Magnolia Wu is stuck helping her parents at the family-owned Bing Qi Ling Bubbles Laundromat. While her classmates are off at summer camps and on vacation, Magnolia longs to escape the daily monotony of laundromat life. Luckily the Wu family keeps a sock board where all the lost socks get pinned. With her dog, Mister Pants, as her sidekick, Magnolia becomes New York’s leading Sock Detective, venturing into the city’s chaos to return every sock to its rightful owner.
Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal—to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care about the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve to be punished as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So, when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he’ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he’s a prosecutor. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served.