The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond

Gearheads and Internet geeks may take a liking to this esoteric murder mystery debut by actress Foyt, but many readers may find its plot too ""plugged in"" for everyday enjoyment. When 14-year-old computer nerd Lexie Diamond's mother is killed instantly in a car crash while fighting on the phone with Lexie's father (they're divorced), Lexie's world changes forever. Then, when her father moves back home and brings his psycho girlfriend, Jane, with him Lexie vows to bury herself in the online world in order to block out her increasingly horrible real life in ""the Bubble."" But then blonde bombshell-popular chick Zoe Lushing uncharacteristically hands her a CD-ROM containing a virtual personality program that allows her to access her deceased mother online, as well as secret clues to her murder (including a possible link to Jane). Lexie begins to take more of an active interest in her day-to-day life, if only to solve the mystery of her mother's death once and for all. The narrative labors under the weight of excessive jargon (e.g., ""She no longer cared who was pushing her personal mouse around the disintegrating pad of her mind""). Frequent jumps between reality and dreamscape vignettes make the plot confusing and the story's reliance on a necessarily tech-friendly audience will limit its overall appeal. Ages 12-up.