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All Unquiet Things

by Anna Jarzab
341p. 978-0-38573-835-4.
COPY ISBN
Gr 9-Up This rich, psychological mystery opens with 17-year-old Neily Monroe standing on the bridge where, a year earlier, he found Carly Ribelli's body. Having gone from being her best friend to her boyfriend to a piece of detritus she left in her wake, it's no surprise that he is having trouble "getting over" Carly's murder. Nonetheless, he is determined to somehow make it through high school and move on. Then the school year starts and Neily is approached by Carly's cousin, Audrey. Since her father was convicted of the murder, Neily is surprised that she would come back to school. As it turns out, she is there to find out who "really" murdered Carly, and she is determined to have his help. The narrative alternates between the teens' perspectives, though Neily's voicesarcastic and insightfulis the stronger of the two. The portrayal of the cliquey private high school is familiar but not clichéd. A satisfying story from a promising new author."Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
A year after Carly's murder, her ex-boyfriend Neily and friend Audrey team up to find her killer. Their investigation exposes unsettling secrets about her final months. Jarzab's deft construction of alternating narratives by Neily and Audrey reveals not only Carly's mysterious last days but also the characters' relationships with one another. The murder mystery, while suspenseful, is not as well developed as the fully realized characters.

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