Last One to Die

While attending a six-week drama course in London, Irish 16-year-old Niamh struggles to stay one step ahead of a killer who seems intent on following her everywhere she goes in this halting thriller by Murphy (Win Lose Kill Die). Upon arriving on campus, Niamh meets her roommate Sara, who looks shockingly like Niamh. Later that night, Niamh returns to her dorm and discovers Sara’s mutilated body, the first in a string of deaths involving teen girls who all physically resemble Niamh. Her defenses and paranoia crumble when she meets Tommy, a handsome classmate with an enigmatic personality. But when Niamh begins to correlate the modern-day deaths with a disturbing legend from Victorian England, her fear returns anew. Feeling as if danger is closing in, Niamh must use her wits to protect herself. Bland characterization and a preponderance of exposition keep the story stuck in first gear, deflating promised thrills. Still, Murphy employs supernatural plot twists to add an interesting element to the classic whodunit format, which coalesces in a way that is approachable and familiar, calling to mind late-90s slasher films and R.L. Stine’s Fear Street novels. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)