Shade Me

October 12, 2015
In this gritty thriller, first in a series, 17-year-old Nikki Kill is plunged into a web of lies when a classmate she barely knows is attacked and left for dead, having contacted Nikki as her last act. Nikki has synesthesia: words, numbers, and emotions all have colors for her, and it has turned her into a rebellious outcast. But she is inexplicably drawn to the mystery of Peyton Hollis, daughter of a powerful Hollywood producer, and to Peyton’s fractious, secretive family. As Nikki slowly unravels the clues behind Peyton’s assault, she discovers a seedy world in which nothing related to Peyton is as it seems, including the disgruntled members of her garage band; her manipulative half-sister, Luna; and her sly, seductive older brother, Dru. Complicated and tense, this dark tale runs long amid its many red herrings and revelations, but it hits all the hallmarks of a traditional hardboiled mystery, full of dirty secrets and potential betrayals. Brown (Torn Away) skillfully uses Nikki’s condition to put a fresh spin on time-honored noir conventions. Ages 14–up. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary.

October 1, 2015
An 18-year-old girl decides to investigate an attempted murder on her own. Nikki has synesthesia, which causes her to see colors mixed in with letters, numbers, and the environment, which is why she answers school queen-bee Peyton's orange-colored phone call: it's an emergency. The movie producer's daughter has been beaten nearly to death, and Nikki's was the only number on Peyton's phone]though Nikki hardly knows her. Curious, Nikki becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Peyton. She continually rebuffs Chris, the detective assigned to the case, who pleads with her to be careful and to give him what information she might have. Naturally, Nikki places herself in ever more dangerous positions, but although she's an expert in martial arts, that might not be enough. Brown builds suspense as well as frustration, as Nikki makes better progress in the case than does Chris but blithely withholds and even destroys crucial evidence even as she puts herself in increasing danger. Nikki's intransigence appears to be entirely plot-driven, and the mounting stupidity of her decisions may infuriate readers. The story also simply abandons two subplots, the murder of Nikki's mother and the former boyfriend who wants her back. An intense, often exasperating, sometimes-thrilling series opener. (Thriller. 12-18)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-The author of Hate List (Little, Brown, 2009) kicks off a suspenseful series featuring California high school senior Nikki Kill. Nikki has synesthesia: a sense-combining condition in which she attributes certain colors to numbers, letters, and emotions. A strange phone call from popular classmate Peyton Hollis, with whom Nikki had no previous interactions, embroils Nikki in the illicit secrets of Peyton's glitzy and dangerous family. When Peyton is found badly beaten, Nikki decides to investigate, following Peyton's clues, which are seemingly tailor-made for Nikki's synesthete abilities. Brown writes Nikki's synesthesia as an almost heightened intuition, yet Nikki repeatedly and recklessly ignores it. Readers may also balk at Nikki's hazardous reluctance to enlist adult help, which she deems justifiable given her family history. Excepting the protagonist, the cast tends toward stock or superficially described characters who are saved only by their murky motivations, which help maintain the "whodunit-and-why" mystery. The violent, action-packed climax tears apart a few loose threads for future installments. While Nikki is a force to be reckoned with and the vaguely noirish, seedy Hollywood drama and quick pacing will appeal to teens, this title lacks the cheeky cleverness of Veronica Mars. VERDICT Purchase where mysteries or the author's other works are popular.-Danielle Serra, Cliffside Park Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Nikki Kill knows that everyone, at every moment, is just a breath away from tragedy. She has known it since arriving home as a kid to find her mother dying in a pool of blood, a scene that replays in her mind, infused with colors that weren't there but evoke strong emotions. She is a synesthete: numbers, words, and emotions are inextricably connected to colors for her. The difficulties caused by her synesthesia are part of the reason Nikki is on academic probation, but they prove useful when she is unwittingly dragged into a dangerous investigation involving the savage attack of a local golden girl. Nikki becomes more entwined with the mystery as her investigation deepens to reveal shocking secrets about her own past. In her first outing, Nikki proves a tough, guarded, self-sufficient heroine in the great tradition of hard-boiled detectives. Brown (Bitter End, 2011) effectively turns noirish conventionsglittering facades and seedy streets, hidden lives and conflicted motivesto a modern setting with an ass-kicking female lead.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Despite no apparent connection to her, Nikki Kill is the last person her famous classmate Peyton calls before an attack leaves Peyton comatose. Nikki, whose extrasensory synesthesia gives her a leg up on crime-solving, follows the satisfyingly twisty mystery to her own doorstep. Though the synesthesia is gimmicky, Nikki's world-weariness, self-destructive tendencies, and risky relationships make her a classically appealing hard-boiled detective.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)