Beautiful Lies
Gr 8 Up-In this paranormal thriller, Alice goes missing from her identical twin, Rachel, and some friends at a carnival. Orphaned at age 9, the 18-year-olds have a supernatural connection: each can feel physical trauma experienced by the other. When Rachel arrives home alone, she begs Aunt Sharon and Uncle Jeff to alert the police immediately about Alice's disappearance, certain that her sister has been harmed. Their guardians choose not to panic, and cite Alice's criminal record and unpredictable behavior, but after Rachel discovers that she has a head wound, they agree to act. Rachel's forebodings are fraught with memory lapses and visions, quickly revealing her to be an unreliable narrator. When she divulges that there is a stolen duffle bag containing $10,000 under her bed and that she has a history of switching places with her twin, the story becomes increasingly confusing. Red herrings abound with potential abductors, including a mysterious artist-boyfriend; a nosy boy next door; a shady restaurant boss; Homeless Harvey, the creepy town lurk-about; and others. The paranormal elements add suspense and seem easier to digest than the notion that close friends and relatives would be unable to tell these twins apart, given their polar personalities. Two minor characters-developmentally delayed cousin Charlie and bighearted friend Kimber-are well developed and empathetic, adding stability to the wandering plot. However the payoff of all the confusion is dramatic: a bombshell ending that readers won't see coming.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NYα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.