A murder mystery game turns deadly in this young adult whodunit by the author of Suddenly a Murder.

"Dark academia meets classic detective fiction in this clever, twisty page-turner." --Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

Everyone in town knows about the game. For decades, J. Everett High has staged an annual murder mystery to put its criminology students to the test. And this year, crime junkie Dulce Castillo is dead set on winning. Soon, the game kicks off, and the student playing the victim, Xavier Torres, is found poisoned in the school's greenhouse . . . except his death is not pretend.

It's murder.

When the authorities open an investigation, all the evidence points to Sierra Fox, Xavier's ex-girlfriend and Dulce's ex-best friend. Claiming innocence and desperate to clear her name, Sierra begs Dulce to look past their bad blood and find the culprit.

After all, Dulce knows this school better than any investigator ever could, but she must use caution to solve this mystery. Because these historic halls are full of suspects with no shortage of motives. And in this game of cat and mouse, the other player kills.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: 07/29/2025
ISBN: 9780593857892
Pages: 352
Weight: 1.25lbs

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 05/12/2025
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025