|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Television reporter Maxine "Max" Revere investigates cold cases. Her latest is one in which few people seem to care about the victim - a high school girl who bullied others and may have caused the suicide of a classmate. When the cyberbully, Ivy Lake, 17, falls - or is pushed - off a cliff, few seem to mourn her passing, including her own brother.
But Ivy's stepbrother, mentally-challenged Tommy, writes to Max. His father's new wife refuses to let Tommy near her home, even accusing him of killing Ivy. The letter pulls at Max, and she travels to California to look into the cold case.
Once there, she finds there is indeed a long list of suspects. Ivy had videotaped many classmates, several in sexually explicit situations, and posted them on social media sites. One of those was Heather Brock, who killed herself shortly after Ivy videotaped her having sex and posted the video on porn sites. Max's investigation reopens old wounds, putting more lives in danger.
Interspersed with the investigation is a subplot that deals with Max's shaky love life with Det. Nick Santini, as well as a storyline that deals with Max's right-hand man, David Kane, and the mother of his daughter. These subplots at times feel as if they might overtake the main story, especially in the novel's beginning.
The story does pick up later, though, making for a fast-paced thriller that, unfortunately, is very realistic - several teens have killed themselves in the past few years after cyberbullying and/or being videotaped. There have been several crime fiction books in the past few years that deal with teens and bullying, and POISONOUS joins the list as another strong story that tries to make sense of this sad phenomenon.
§ Lourdes Venard is an independent editor who divides her time between New York and Maui.
Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, May 2016
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
