Beware That Girl

February 29, 2016
Kate O’Brian is a good liar when she has to be, and because of her violent past, that’s most of the time. She’s also good at making “demented rich girls” love her, which is how she goes from sleeping in a storeroom under a Chinatown market to sharing Olivia Sumner’s penthouse apartment during the girls’ senior year at New York City’s posh Waverly School. Toten (The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B) switches between Kate’s first-person account and a third-person look at Olivia, who has secrets of her own. The other plot engine is charismatic Waverly fund-raiser Mark Redkin, who is working on bedding most of the staff and some of the seniors. When Olivia’s turn comes, readers realize that he is far worse than just a hound. As the title suggests, the book combines a Gossip Girl milieu with the unsettled psychological terrain of Gone Girl. But while Kate is a strong character and there is no shortage of suspense, Toten’s desire to keep readers guessing results in a confusing and rushed climax. Ages 14–up. Agent: Marie Campbell, Transatlantic Literary Agency.

August 29, 2016
After surviving a horrific and traumatic childhood, Kate went through foster care and has now landed as a scholarship student at the elite Waverly School. Having learned to be cunning and opportunistic in order to survive, she targets Olivia, a rich girl with emotional problems, and becomes her best friend, manipulating Olivia into inviting her to live in her mansion and enjoy the finer things in life. But Kate begins to genuinely care about Olivia, and when a handsome, charming, slick sexual predator named Mark Redkin gets a high-level job at the school and begins to victimize Olivia, Kate is determined to save her friend. Reader Marie creates the perfect voice for each character—a growly, jaded, sardonic tone for Kate (which becomes sweet and polite when sucking up to teachers and counselors); a high-pitched, naïve-sounding voice for Olivia; a deep, smooth, seductive voice for Mark. Marie’s expert narration keeps the tension and suspense high and will have listeners riveted as dark secrets are revealed and the plot takes unexpected twists and turns, leading to a shocking conclusion. Ages 14–up. A Delacorte hardcover.