Guilt Trip

For the fifth time in three years, Eddie is the new kid in school, this time at Nicollet High in Minneapolis. On his first day, classmate Angela, a gorgeous actress with the New Energy Theater Troupe (NETT), remembers him from his audition with the troupe a few months before, when he'd gotten kicked out after insulting director Corey Howe-Browne. Now the director is dead--murdered--following a scandal about his sexual liaisons with the young men in NETT. All of the clues point to a conspiracy among the parents of the abused boys. But Eddie, who's doing some sleuthing on his own, and police detective Robert Crenshaw separately realize that these clues are a little too obvious. In getting closer to Angela, Eddie finds himself tangled in a web of deceit and betrayal that almost costs him his life. Although the plot is a bit far-fetched and the denouement slightly contrived, Schwandt ( The Last Goodie ) has composed a mystery yarn uncommon to the YA genre. The crisp narrative and fully fleshed-out characterizations make this a satisfying read. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)