Perfect Liars

Sixteen-year-old Drea Faraday may be at the top of her class at the exclusive Woodruff School in suburban Atlanta, but that doesn’t stop her secrets from coming out in this socially conscious crime thriller. While Reid (the Langdon Prep series) hooks readers early on with details about Drea’s parents’ shady history in the antiques market, as well as the orchestrated theft of dozens of luxury cars, the story soon pivots into an exploration of the criminal justice system. After Drea’s parents disappear, she gets caught up in a break-in at her school, winds up tutoring students at Justice Academy—an alternative high school that aims to put juvenile delinquents on a better path—and gets blackmailed into an uneasy alliance with Xavier and Jason, the students caught in the Woodruff break-in. While the plot is slightly convoluted, Reid grounds her story in reality, with a diverse cast (Drea is biracial, Xavier is Korean-American), moral gray areas (involving juvenile offenders, attorneys, cops, and more), and ample consideration of the real-life consequences of the characters’ actions. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (May)