Without mercy

The murder of Julia "Jules" Farentino's father creates a bond with her younger half-sister, Shaylee Stillman in this juicy creep-a-thon from bestseller Jackson (Chosen to Die). That bond is tested years later when 17-year-old Shaylee is shipped off to Blue Rock Academy, an Oregon school in "the middle of no-damned-where" for at-risk teens. Run by iron-fisted Rev. Tobias Lynch, Blue Rock recently had a student, Lauren Conway, go missing and a female teacher dismissed for inappropriate behavior with a student. When Jules takes a teaching position at Blue Rock to rescue Shay, she discovers Cooper Trent, her ex-boyfriend, working there as an undercover PI looking into Lauren's disappearance. The scary "suicide" strangulation of Shay's roommate and the murder of her teaching assistant boyfriend throw the school into further uproar. Meanwhile, the "Leader," the head of a secret cult at Blue Rock, plots more mayhem. This campy cool thriller builds to a surprising cliffhanger ending. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Trying to help her 17-year-old sister, Shaylee, who has been sent by court order to an exclusive academy for troubled teens, Jules Farentino gets a job at the school. There she encounters ex-lover Cooper Trent, who has been hired to find a student who disappeared six months ago. Then another student is found hanged, and as the deaths continue, Jules and Cooper have only each other to trust as they seek to discover who's behind the horrible crime spree at the school. VERDICT This best-selling and prolific author (Malice) is a master at mixing a hair-raising thriller with sensual romantic suspense. Her latest whodunit hits all the marks, taking readers on a nail-biting roller-coaster ride. It's sure to appeal to all lovers of serious mystery, thrillers, and dark romantic suspense.-Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City/Cty. P.L., MO (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.