The Girl in the Headlines

The Girl in the Headlines

The headlines say she killed her family. The truth? She doesn't remember . Andrea McNulty goes to sleep on her eighteenth birthday with a near-perfect life. The next morning, she wakes up covered in blood. Her parents were killed in the middle of the night…and she's the prime suspect. Andrea McNulty has a wonderful life: she's a high school field hockey star, a doted-upon big sister, the beloved daughter of two happy parents. But when she wakes up in a motel room the morning after her eighteenth birthday, she's covered in blood and can't remember what happened the previous night. According to the news, Andi's parents were brutally attacked in the middle of the night. Her father is dead, her mother is in a coma, her little brother Josh is missing—and Andi is the prime suspect. Terrified and on the run from the police, Andi teams up with Nate, the sympathetic boy working the motel's front desk, to find the real murderer. But while the police are getting further from the killer, the killer is getting closer to Andi—closer than she could ever have imagined. Pick up The Girl in the Headlines if you're looking for: A psychological, fast-paced thriller - A suspenseful, shocking read - Fiction examining death and grief - A coming of age story with a twist Also by Hannah Jayne: Truly, Madly, Deadly Twisted See Jane Run The Dare The Revenge The Escape Copycat Gr 7 Up—Andi has no memory of what happened on the night of her 18th birthday when she wakes up the next morning in an unfamiliar motel room, covered in blood. She wanders into the lobby, hoping for some information about how she got there. Instead of clarity, she sees a sensational news story about her family: Her parents were brutally assaulted in their home, her younger brother is missing, and she is the number one suspect in the crimes. With the conveniently helpful motel clerk, mixed-race Nate, as her only ally, Andi, who has olive skin, sets out to find her brother, clear her name, and solve the mystery of her past that may be at the heart of the tragedy. Jayne renders Andi's insecurity about what she'd believed to be her perfect family alongside Nate's own abandonment issues, and attempts to subvert stereotypes of "neglected kids" in the process. But it's never clear why Nate decides to help Andi, and his near-absence from the final third of the novel only exacerbates this confusion. Readers hoping for a heartfelt portrayal of the impacts of childhood traumas will be left wanting more. VERDICT A fast-paced thriller that is driven more by plot than character. Recommended for very large collections.—Dana West, Nathan Hale H.S., Seattle "The action starts on the first page as readers are introduced to Andi's plight, and the pace does not let up until the final resolution." - Booklist "[T]his is a propulsive...story rife with true-crime TV tropes and plenty of red herrings." - Kirkus Reviews Hannah Jayne lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes cozy mysteries, young adult fiction, chick lit, and grocery lists that she never seems to remember to bring to the grocery store. Hannah shares a house with two neurotic, feet-attacking cats and has Kryptonite-like weakness for donuts. Visit www.hannahjschwartz.com.