A Boy I Never Knew

One morning Libby wakes up to learn that the boy she's dated (and fought with the evening before) has been killed. She's drawn into a confusing, uninvolving mystery that includes drugs, corrupt cops, Libby's best friend and the dead boy's brother. Sierra's second book (the first was One-Way Romance is at best a mix of worn-out storylines, perhaps pulled from prime-time detective shows. The murder mystery never really gels, and readers are left with a heroine who makes one dumb move after another and tries to explain each one awaythose explanations strain credibility. Ages 11-14. (June)