Monsters Among Us

Debut novelist Rodden’s Wuthering Heights–inspired thriller explores a modern teenage relationship through the lens of toxic masculinity. After her first semester at college, Catherine, 18, returns to her small Washington town still reeling from a sexual assault that she can’t fully remember, relayed to the reader via brief fragments. Things grow worse when Amy, a girl whom Catherine once nannied, is killed. Desperate to find out who murdered the girl, Catherine teams up with childhood friend Henry and another boy, Andrew, who knows something about Catherine’s assault. As the trio gets closer to finding out who killed Amy, Catherine uncovers secrets—some that Henry has tried to bury—and begins coming to terms with her assault. Though Rodden does not shy away from introducing rape and abuse, Catherine never quite addresses her own trauma, relegating these difficult issues to a subplot in this otherwise entertaining and twisty mystery. Ages 14–up. [em]Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Jan.) [/em]