A House of Vipers

A boarding school student winds up in over his head after he unearths new information about his missing sibling in this pulse-pounding mystery by Jackson (Careful What You Witch For, for adults). High school junior Sutter Heyward is anxious to return to Meddlehart Academy, an isolated institution in the Colorado mountains. Though administrators, authorities, and Sutter’s classmates have moved on from his older brother Lawson’s disappearance more than a year prior to the book’s start, Sutter is certain that Lawson is alive. With help from loyal peers, including a lifelong best friend, a crush, and a romantic rival, Sutter searches for clues to his sibling’s whereabouts. Upon learning that Lawson went missing while investigating their school’s rumored buried treasure—one that members of a secret student society called the Order of the Vipers have also been searching for—Sutter believes he’s uncovered the key to finding his brother. But things take a dangerous turn as Sutter delves further into the society’s sinister history. Though some aspects of the dark academia plotting and atmosphere feel overly familiar, expertly rendered character dynamics, a believably suspenseful love triangle, and a focus on the bracing impact of trust and friendship sets this YA debut apart. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Assoc. (Apr.)