Freefall

Anhalt’s debut is a plainly written, thoroughly suspenseful tragedy set at the elite Briar Academy in California. Seniors Luke and Hayden are best friends, roommates, opposites (Luke is insecure, Hayden self-assured), and members of the varsity fencing team (“If you got caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing, Luke figured, Hayden was the guy you wanted with you”). When self-important Russell joins the school, shows up the fencing team, and (eventually) steals Hayden’s girlfriend, Hayden’s anger takes over and his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Russell’s initiation for the fencing team—jumping off a cliff into Briar Lake—ends in his death on the rocks below, and Hayden winds up on trial for premeditated murder. Luke is the only eyewitness and, struggling under pressure from Hayden, his friends, lawyers, the police, and the aftereffects of a past trauma in his own life, he attempts to answer one impossible question: was it a murder or an accident? The plot is straightforward, but the high stakes, complex character development, and realistic dialogue and interactions will keep readers riveted—and likely have them imagining themselves in Luke’s position. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)