The Headmaster’s List

Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Genre: Mystery
Source: Roaring Brook Press ( Netgalley )

Goodreads:

One of them was driving.
One of them was high.
One of them screamed.
And one of them died.

When fifteen-year-old Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Argyle Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?

Eighteen-year-old Spencer Sandoval wishes she knew. As rumors swirl that her ex, Ethan, was the driver that fateful night, she can’t bring herself to defend him. And their messy breakup has nothing to do with it – she can’t remember anything from that night, not even what put her in that car with Ethan, Chris, and Tabby Hill, the new loner in school. Was it just a night out that went very wrong? And is it just a coincidence they were all part of Argyle’s esteemed honor roll, the Headmaster’s List? In a place ruled by pedigree and privilege, the answers can only come at a deadly price.

Set against the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school, Melissa de la Cruz’s first YA thriller is an addictive mystery perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.

Ope’s Opinion: The mystery kept me reading even through some parts that were a bit slow and some times not believable. I am not a big fan of “regular” people trying to solve a mystery that the police have closed the books on. It just feels like if the police can’t solve it, how can someone else solve it.

I had a couple of guesses of what really happened – I was not too far off, but I don’t think it took away from the story. Reading the podcast added some information and a different perspective. I do think Ripley the dog was my favorite character and Tabby my least favorite – this character being neither he nor she was distracting and felt like it was just thrown in – it had no real part to the story.

The ending was a good one – it answered all the lingering questions.