The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker

Released on 3/1/11
Published by SourceBooks Fire
Paperback/358 pages

Since when do the dead send emails?
Kate Lowry's best friend Grace died a year ago. So when she gets an email from her, Kate's more than a little confused.
To: Kate Lowry@pemberlybrown.edu
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Kate,
I'm here... sort of.
Find Cameron. He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell. They'll hurt you.
Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace's death was more than just a tragic accident. She teams up with a couple of knights-in-(not-so)-shining armor- the dangerously hot bad boy, Liam, and her love-struck neighbor, Seth. But at their elite private school, there are secrets so big people will do anything to protect them- even if it means getting rid of anyone trying to solve a murder...

I am an extremely picky reader, especially when it comes to female main characters. There is just so much that can go wrong. Thank god this book was just so right.

The book begins with action when the main character, Kate Lowry, gets a shocking email from her best friend that died in a mysterious fire their freshman year. Like any sane person, she doesn't know how to deal with this. She had just gotten over Grace's death; why has she comes back into her life now? Still, Kate gets it into her head that it is now her job to figure out what exactly happened the night Grace died.

Like any good crime solver, she needs her side-kicks. Cue Seth, her paranoid neighbor that just happens to be in love with her, and Liam, a bad boy with something to hide. With their help, and the help of Grace's beyond the grave emails, she follows the trail of clues all the way to the twisted end.

Beside being a great, fast read, I found the characters to be skillfully written. Kate's reactions were fitting and realistic, especially where the guys in her life are concerned. Maybe this is just one of my peeves, but I can't stand it when the girls in YA novels are blinded by their attraction to a guy so they can't even see what's right in front of them. With Kate, that isn't an issue. Again, thank god.

For fans of YA mystery, awesome. Here's another book to add to your probably impressive collection. But if you aren't, give it a try anyway. You'll be deducing with Kate all the way until the final GASP.

~Leah