Little White Lies

As far as anyone knows, Louise "Lou" Shepherd is "a normal fresher starting at uni," but she's actually living under an assumed name in order to escape her family's notoriety%E2%80%94her uncle is in jail, her cousin is in a coma, and all of England associates her family with scandal. At school, she runs into Kenny, a boy who knows all her secrets, and meets Christian, a handsome stranger she'd like to date, but who harbors secrets of his own. Soon Lou's past is colliding with her present as she makes disturbing discoveries about her university friends and how their histories connect to hers. Dale (Someone Else's Life) has wound an overly complicated and circuitous thriller that leaps from one event to another. An abundant use of exclamatory dialogue gives the impression that Dale's characters are virtually shouting at each other (Lou's friend Vix is a particularly egregious offender). Along with a profusion of plot twists, the result is a frantic, scattered read. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Jenny Savill, Andrew Nurnberg Associates. (Dec.)