One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

This book has been getting a lot of notice on twitter and since it was described as the book version of The Breakfast Club  I knew I had to pick it up and I'm glad I did.

One of Us Is Lying starts off in a typical after-school detention with five students suffering through the punishment.  But while five students start off in detention, in a few short minutes, only four students walk out alive, one is dead.  The students thought that detention was the worst thing that could happen, but they soon realize that one of them is going to be blamed for this death. 

Simon, the boy who died, was not very well liked, as he was the owner of an app that spilled gossip and secrets about the other students at the school.  He was set to press 'submit' on an entry that would spill the deepest secrets of the other four students in detention that day.  These students were:

• Bronwyn- the over-achiever who has her sights set on going to Yale
• Cooper- the athlete whose pitch is going to lead him right to the Major league 
• Nate- the rebel who already has a police record
• Addy- the popular beauty queen who works very hard at always being perfect.

But each of these students has a secret they don't want revealed and so all have a motive for killing Simon.  The rest of the school population is very happy to throw all suspicion their way. But who had the biggest motive of all and killed Simon?  

This book was really enjoyable.  It was a great mystery novel as it kept me guessing right up until the end.  I really enjoyed the glimpse into what is hidden behind the exterior these students presented to the rest of the school community.  

There is some mature content in this, but it is appropriate and not something that would stop me from putting this in my Intermediate classroom.  The fact that the story is told from all four perspectives makes it a book that would be enjoyed by all students.