White Rabbit

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 9, 2018

Review

This propulsive whodunnit takes place all in the space of one night, when just as Rufus is confronted by his ex-boyfriend Sebastian at a party, he receives a troubling phone call from his half sister, April, who begs him for help. In short chapters that alternate between flashbacks and the present, readers are pulled into the provocative and pulpy mystery, which begins with Rufus and Sebastian (who has a car and insists on driving Rufus, who's on foot) finding a drugged April covered in blood and holding a knife next to the body of her murdered boyfriend at his wealthy family's summer house. The house is littered with alcohol and drugs, including pills called white rabbits, known for sometimes producing violent behavior in their users. As the pair track down one after the other of April's friends, the backstory of their relationship is slowly pieced together, the details of which are both steamy and heartrending. Clever dialogue that is authentically peppered with the foul language and sexual references that would be characteristic of many older teens melds well with the breakneck pacing and the mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end. Though some characters are more fully explored than others, the dynamics of sexual orientation, class and more are nuanced and realistic. Readers who've enjoyed books by Gillian French and Karen McManus will be a natural audience for this one.

Overall Book Score: excellent