Deceived

by Julie Anne Lindsey

Overview

What you don't know can kill you . . .

Ever since she could remember, Elle has had to hop from town to town to keep up with her dad's demanding career as a corporate insurance agent. Each time, a reoccurring nightmare followed her wherever she went - until the day that the frightening figures haunting her at night became all too real. When news of a serial killer spreads throughout her new school, Elle worries that the Reaper has been leaving her his calling card in the form of cigarette butts on her doormat and an unusual ribbon in her locker. With the help of Brian, a boy she meets at a flea market, she discovers that this isn't her first encounter with the murderer and that her father has been concealing her true identity for the past twelve years. But despite her father's desperate attempts to protect her, Elle still comes face to face with the darkness she has been running from her whole life. Trapped in the woods and with help hundreds of miles away, will Elle be able to confront the Reaper and reclaim the life she lost?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440563898
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/18/2013
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Julie Anne Lindsey is an award winning author of mystery, romance, suspense, and more.

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2013
Since 17-year-old Elle's mother's death 10 years earlier, her father has been running from his grief, Elle believes, and dragging her all over the country. Being the new girl, now a senior, at Francine Frances Academy doesn't initially seem much different than other years; she hides behind her flamboyant roommate, Pixie; has a terrible recurring nightmare in which her family is in danger; and nurses a disturbing caffeine addiction. But Elle has an inkling she's being watched by a shadow, and when she finds a black ribbon in her locker and cigarette butts on her stoop, her paranoia grows. Rumors of a serial killer surface, and her protective crush, who communicates with her on an "unseen level," is not who he seems. Lindsey's (Reinventing Chloe) layered depiction of events through the haze of Elle's caffeine-addled, sleep-deprived mind creates a suspenseful and haunting atmosphere of uncertainty and the possibility of lurking madness. While Elle's psychological state is the primary source of tension throughout the novel, a dramatic finale draws together the plot's disparate elements. Ages 14–up. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Lindsey's...layered depiction of events...creates a suspenseful and haunting atmosphere of uncertainty and the possibility of lurking madness.... A dramatic finale draws together the plot's disparate elements." —Publishers Weekly

"Ms. Lindsey crafts an exquisite tale that kicked my adrenaline up with every turn of the page. Deceived is stunning and more than a little scary. From the first page, I had to know what happens next, while at the same time, I had to know what happened before. As Elle's life unravels, the reader will feel just as raw and betrayed as she does." —Gwen Hayes, author of Falling Under

"Outstanding! I fully recommend it... Mysterious, lovely, a lot of suspense, romantic, funny and full of action... I really liked to give a chance to this book, because it was worth it." —Fandom's City

"As the story unfolds to an unpredictable and compelling ending, there are many changes in Elle's world.... The premise of the book is interesting." - School Library Journal

From the Publisher

A 17-year-old girl tries to fit in at her new private school after a lifetime of moving around the country with her widowed father. Since the car crash that killed her mother, Elle and her father haven't stayed long in any one place, so she's looking forward to the stability of boarding school. Although she's shy about making friends, her artistic roommate, Pixie, helps her out. Handsome Brian starts coming to nearly all of her classes, but she can't tell if he's romantically interested in her or not. Meanwhile, she learns that a serial killer may be in the area. Odd events begin to occur. Someone puts a black ribbon, the kind her mother used to wear, in her locker. Brian keeps showing up everywhere she goes. Is someone stalking her or maybe Pixie? What does Elle's father have to do with it? Lindsey writes in a matter-of-fact style with nearly every sentence a declarative statement, lending the narrative a choppy, Dragnet-like feel. It seems appropriate to the plot, however, especially when events foreshadow a serious threat to Elle and her friends from someone who may be closer than she suspects. The author stretches plausibility far beyond the breaking point to set up the required confrontation scene at the end, however, dealing the novel a fatal blow. A decent crime story that's hamstrung by its ending. (Suspense. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews