How to Die Famous

Young actors expose a deadly scandal in this twisty, tantalizing thriller from Dean (The King Is Dead) that pits “a billion-dollar company against four teenagers.” Abel Miller, who is “mixed race,” seizes the chance to costar in the reboot of the hit teen dramedy Sunset High; mysterious disappearances and death blight the original production’s “cursed” history. But he doesn’t accept the role simply to launch his career—a celebrity reporter approaches Abel to go undercover to investigate the off-set drama, to which Abel agrees for personal reasons: his older brother died in a “tragic accident” while working as a production assistant for the studio three years ago, and Abel suspects foul play. While befriending costars to untangle the truth (and his own romantic feelings for the leading man), Abel learns that Sunset High’s makers and players all harbor dangerous secrets that will prove deadly for one teen star. Multiple narrators deglamorize Hollywood’s every angle with searing social commentary on stalkers, abusive guardians, alcohol dependency, racism, sexism, and homophobia, while soapy drama and plentiful pop culture references keep this mystery compulsively readable. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Chloe Seager, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (July)