Spellbound

Lonely Melanie, Last Act's heroine, has won a big part in the school play and believes she will have a chance to make friends with the kids in her new high school. But when it seems that someone has put a real bullet into the gun Melanie fires in the course of the play, she is accused of murder. Once she is bailed out of jail, Melanie resolves to find the real murderer; her investigation reveals an elaborate, revengeful scheme, masterminded by one of her new-found friends. In Spellbound, Pike takes on the supernatural. Some people think that Cindy's boyfriend Jason killed his old girlfriend Karen up on top of the mountain. But Jason claims that Karen was attacked by a grizzly bear. A few months later, Cindy's pal Ray is killed in a similar manner. When an African exchange student shares his shamanic knowledge with Cindy, she is convinced that a strange and dangerous force is at loose in her home town and goes forth to confront it. Though both novels' plots are well constructed, some readers may find them a bit farfetched. Nevertheless, the combination of likable characters, lively writing and lots of action will keep the pages turning. Ages 13-up. (April)