256. The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer
Published September 2012 Scholastic

From the publisher:
Abby Goodwin is sure her sister Maya isn't a murderer. But her parents don't agree. Her friends don't agree. And the cops definitely don't agree. Maya is a drop-out, a stoner, a girl who's obsessed with her tutor, Jefferson Andrews...until he ends up dead. Maya runs away, and leaves Abby following the trail of clues. Each piece of evidence points to Maya, but it also appears that Jefferson had secrets of his own. And enemies. Like his brother, who Abby becomes involved with...until he falls under suspicion.

I do so love a good murder mystery / thriller, and in the world of teenage fiction they are difficult to come by.  This book has all of the elements of a great who-dunit. There is of course a murder, the body of the most popular boy in High School is found in the low palms by the river.  As the story unfolds we learn that this 'all round American good guy' was far from that, and he had plenty of enemies, so...plenty of suspects to choose from!



Jefferson Andrews, the dead teen, was a drug dealer, a user of girls and a master manipulator, so it's hardly surprising that someone wanted him dead.  The narrator of the story is Abby, and it's her wild sister Maya, who is the prime suspect.  Of all the people he has hurt or used, Maya was the last one to see him alive, and Abby found her phone at the crime scene.  

Abby has always protected her sister, and now is no different, so she tries to find  a way to keep her away, and out of the eyes of the police.  The thing is, Abby is not so sure her sister is actually innocent. So the mystery unfolds, as we learn more about what happened the night Jefferson died, and we also learn about the relationships he had with the people around him.

The trail to find the murderer shifts and bends, as at first we think one person is guilty, then another, and then another, until it at last we find out the truth, or do we?

As I have already mentioned Jefferson was not a nice person, so the content in this book reflects that.  he was a drug dealer, so there are plenty of drug references.  He also used girls, so there are also sexual references.  If those two things aren't an issue, then I highly recommend this book, because it's a great mystery that keeps you guessing, until the very end.

Who will like this book: Girls and boys age 15+
Read it if you like: Deadtime: The Murder Notebooks by Cathy Cassidy