We’ll Never Tell

Recent high school graduates Casey, Jacob, Eddie, and Zoe are preparing to shoot the final video of their viral YouTube series We’ll Never Tell, which chronicles infamous California break-ins, in this hair-raising thriller by Heard (Dead End Girls), inspired by the Los Feliz Murder Mansion. The finale will showcase the Valentini Murder House, which is famed for the 1972 murder-suicide of actor Rosalind Valentini and her studio-executive husband—and is believed to be haunted by the couple’s ghosts. As the teens explore the house, a tripped alarm prompts them to beat a hasty retreat, but only three of them make it out. When they discover that Jacob is bleeding out within the residence after a stabbing, the group scrambles to cover their tracks. Casey is unsure whom to trust: Did Jacob fall victim to the house? Or was it one of the crew? Teaming up with a Valentini relative, Casey strives to uncover what happened to Jacob as the police close in. Letters by Rosalind Valentini and fictional 1970s newspaper reports pepper Casey and Jacob’s rapidly paced alternating narratives. While the overarching mystery offers few surprises, Heard deftly crafts dynamic interactions between the intersectionally diverse cast to deliver a multilayered read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary Management/Folio Jr. (May)