Ever since Kacey's social worker brought her to Broken Falls to live with her estranged father and his family, she's developed a tight-knit friendship with Bailey and Jade, two misfit girls desperate to escape their small Midwestern town. Kacey is finally feeling comfortable with her dad, stepmom, stepbrother, and half sister, so when Bailey goes missing and Kacey becomes a suspect, she's worried that, among other things, this new family she's come to love will abandon her, too. But swirling around Kacey's anxieties are truly insidious secrets, and Thomas unspools the truth at a tantalizing pace, turning suspicion for Bailey's ever-lengthening disappearance from character to character. Occasional entries from Bailey's diary reveal her disturbing motivations, which Kacey gradually uncovers as she starts her own investigation. Thomas keeps the atmosphere taut and suspenseful by incorporating a menacing urban legend and plenty of red herrings to throw readers off the scent, while Kacey's compelling character and narrative keep the story firmly grounded in her complicated emotional reality. This gritty page-turner will easily hook a broad range of readers.

Escaping a tumultuous home life with her mother, Kacey finds stability in Wisconsin with her father and new stepfamily. Kacey even quickly makes friends--but when one of them disappears, Kacey becomes embroiled in the investigation and gains new insights into the friends' motivations. Some narrative choices feel overly flummoxing, but fans of psychological thrillers will nevertheless respond to this dark, twisty mystery.

The new girl in town teases apart a web of lies in the wake of her friend's disappearance.White teen Kacey Young ran away from a volatile relationship with her mother to a new home in Broken Falls, Wisconsin, with the father she never met, a kind stepmother, and two new siblings. But it's best friends Bailey and Jade, both also white, who become Kacey's close-knit circle. The girls text constantly, and Bailey shows up at Kacey's house even if she declines to hang out. One night, the girls attempt a séance in a haunted barn, and something spooks Kacey's little sister, Lauren, who tags along. That night sets off a domino effect: Lauren is traumatized, Bailey and Jade give Kacey the cold shoulder, and then Bailey disappears. Kacey begins to investigate, and the more clues she stumbles upon, the more the police suspect her involvement. Rumors swirl, and Kacey learns that Bailey left a foundation of lies in her wake—lies that put their entire friendship into question. Thomas seems to be aiming at a chilling exploration of how far a teenage girl will go for revenge, but she doesn't succeed. Red herrings make for a frustrating mystery that comes together in a rush, with too little buildup to make the shocking reveal believable. Too bent on keeping readers in the dark to allow for true mystery. (Thriller. 14-18)

Thomas-s (The Darkest Corners) twisted and atmospheric dive into the psychology of teenage girls holds a horrifying fascination. Kacey has had a difficult go of things. After fights with her mother became untenable, she moved from Rochester, N.Y., to Broken Falls, Wis., to live with the father she-s never met, his new wife, and her stepsiblings. Despite being labeled as different, thanks to her -punk hair- and mysterious past, Kacey befriended classmates Jade and Bailey, though it-s a relationship fraught with minefields. When Kacey-s 13-year-old sister, Lauren, joins Kacey and her friends for a séance at the site of a massacre, everything starts to unravel. Kacey finds herself ostracized from Bailey and Jade-and then Bailey disappears. What follows is equal parts mystery and introspection as Kacey begins to question her life, her choices, and everyone around her in a quest to find justice. It-s an intense psychological thriller that all but ensures the lights will be left on between dusk and dawn. Ages 14-up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (July)

Gr 10 Up-n eerie and masterly psychological thriller. Shattered from living with her unstable mother for years, Kacey arrives in Broken Falls, WI, to live with her father. She rebuilds her life, surrounding herself with new family and tight-knit friends Bailey and Jade. One night, in the deep of winter, the girls and Kacey's half sister, Lauren, hold a séance to summon the spirit of the legendary ghost rumored to lurk in the forest. Their botched ritual precedes the sudden disappearance of Bailey, who fails to return home from a party the next night. As the investigation ramps up and clues are found, secrets about the girls seep into the town's rumor mill. Excerpts from Bailey's journal reveal a consuming jealousy and deceit she disguised as friendship, further shrouding her disappearance in mystery. Blame shifts from person to person to ghost and culminates in a shocking and disturbing ending. Thomas expertly captures the pointed nuances and the fickle, manipulative bonds of adolescent girls' friendships. A fast-paced plot develops characters just enough to pique readers' suspicions. The book is descriptive yet concise, deftly folding in layers of mystery, a ghost story, and realistic dialogue to propel the narrative forward. VERDICT A compelling and vivid thriller that even the most reluctant of readers will devour.Amy Reddy, Lewiston High School, ME

Throughout Kacey’s life, she has been searching for a home, a place where she belongs, a place where she feels accepted. Finally, she moves away from her volatile mother and becomes part of her father’s family. She gains a stepmother and stepsiblings and finally experiences some semblance of a caring family. She goes to a new school, meets new people, and finds two best friends in Jade and Bailey. Everything appears too good to be true until Bailey disappears. Suddenly, Kacey finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation in which she is one of the lead suspects. Little Monsters delves into a teenage underworld of drugs and fraternity parties. Jealousy, betrayal, and manipulation fuel this murder mystery. Thomas explores the complex minds of teenagers, and finds a dark place not often shown in young adult novels. Each character rebels against the structures and expectations set by the small community. The dialogue and character interactions are gritty and realistic, and profanity is used throughout the book in an attempt to achieve the aforementioned realism. The conclusion to this mystery will leave readers in awe. This is a good choice for older teens who like psychological thrillers.—Richard Vigdor.