Last One to Die

January 1, 2024
Supernatural terror is unleashed in London. Niamh leaves her hometown in Ireland for the London Academy of Dramatic Arts summer course she's worked hard to afford. But focusing on classes and her work placement at the Victorian Street Museum, where she plays Jane, the daughter of a mill owner, proves difficult. Classmates Sara and Tasha, both of whom have long, dark hair and freckles like Niamh, are victims of brutal attacks. Niamh has her own creepy encounters with a mysterious entity. Niamh finds some distraction at the museum, where handsome volunteer Tommy stares at her intensely. Is it because, in costume, Niamh is the mirror image of freckled, dark-haired Jane, who died tragically? Or is romance brewing between them? Haunting, gothic overtones appear as new friend Jess helps Niamh research attacks similar to the ones on her friends--some of which took place in Victorian times. In an eerie twist, Niamh begins to feel as though Jane is trying to communicate something to her. There are red herrings throughout, and the reveals are deliciously paced. Readers will be on edge trying to determine the link between the historic attacks and the current-day events and how Tommy fits into everything. Niamh may read as swoony, but at critical moments she proves quite capable of saving herself. The cast is primarily white; Jess has brown skin and "tight curls." Tightly plotted and thrilling, this book will grab readers by the throat. (Thriller. 13-18)

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January 8, 2024
While attending a six-week drama course in London, Irish 16-year-old Niamh struggles to stay one step ahead of a killer who seems intent on following her everywhere she goes in this halting thriller by Murphy (Win Lose Kill Die). Upon arriving on campus, Niamh meets her roommate Sara, who looks shockingly like Niamh. Later that night, Niamh returns to her dorm and discovers Sara’s mutilated body, the first in a string of deaths involving teen girls who all physically resemble Niamh. Her defenses and paranoia crumble when she meets Tommy, a handsome classmate with an enigmatic personality. But when Niamh begins to correlate the modern-day deaths with a disturbing legend from Victorian England, her fear returns anew. Feeling as if danger is closing in, Niamh must use her wits to protect herself. Bland characterization and a preponderance of exposition keep the story stuck in first gear, deflating promised thrills. Still, Murphy employs supernatural plot twists to add an interesting element to the classic whodunit format, which coalesces in a way that is approachable and familiar, calling to mind late-90s slasher films and R.L. Stine’s Fear Street novels. Ages 12–up.

February 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 When 16-year-old Niamh, freshly arrived from small-town Ireland to attend a London summer drama course, agrees on the first night to switch rooms with a fellow student, she doesn't think much of it. But within the hour, the other girl is dead, brutally slashed to pieces by a mysterious killer in the bed that should have been Niamh's. As attacks around the city continue, a terrifying pattern begins to emerge: all the victims look like Niamh. It seems only a matter of time before the killer catches up with her, but between scholarship applications, a new friendship, and a crush on the boy at her creepy Victorian-museum job, Niamh doesn't want to give up her new life. The only hope she has of following her dreams is in solving the mystery of who--or what--is haunting her. Plot holes and inconsistent pacing keep a satisfying ending just out of reach, but fans of the macabre and the penny dreadful will appreciate this love letter to the Victorian gothic.

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March 1, 2024

Gr 6-9-Farm girl Niamh, 16, leaves her rural Irish hometown for a six-week drama program at a university in London. Her big city dreams are dashed almost immediately by a rash of violent incidents. Girls who look eerily similar to her are being attacked and murdered. Not yet willing to return to her bland life, Niamh tries to ignore the dangers that plague her and pushes on with her lectures and work placement in the drama program, where she struggles to make friends. Eventually she hits it off with the university librarian's daughter, the kooky head tour guide at the museum where she is assigned to work, and a hot coworker. As more violence surrounds her, she can no longer deny that there is a strange connection among her, these attacks, and the museum. The pacing and plot are clunky and disjointed in an effort to keep readers on edge. But scenes often cut away in the middle of the action and jump to a new scene or new day, leaving the previous scene barely discussed, let alone resolved. Characters are shallow and lack background as well as development. Niamh's internal woes sometimes drag down the thriller aspect. Supernatural components are alluded to but not strongly enough. When they do show up in the late in the story, it's jarring. That aside, preteen and younger teens will devour this novel; more mature readers will want something meatier and complex. VERDICT Purchase for upper middle school libraries that need to boost their suspense/thriller shelves; skip for high school.-Kara Jonson

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