If you enjoyed the first book, Prep School Confidential, you're likely to enjoy Wicked Little Secrets, as it's more of the same.

In Prep School Confidential, Anne Dowling was expelled from her Manhattan prep school for accidental not-arson and is sent to Wheatley, a prep school in Massachusetts. Within a week of arriving at Wheatley, her roommate Isabella was murdered and Anne doggedly pursued the case despite the warnings from practically everyone.

Wicked Little Secrets picks up in the same school year as the previous book, with Anne on precarious footing with the school administration, but in a good place with her boyfriend Brent and her new friends. With only a photo of the 1980 Wheatley crew team - the words 'THEY KILLED HIM' scribbled on the back - Anne's curiosity and investigative spirit get the better of her and she's investigating a mysterious disappearance that involves her boyfriend's father and several other very high profile men.

I usually loathe love triangles but I found both Brent and Anthony, the twin brother of Anne's dead roommate, interesting enough and Anne's perspective on both boys enjoyable enough. It definitely doesn't detract from the story, nor does it become the main point of the book. Sometimes how ~dreamy~ the boys are becomes a real focus of the books, but that doesn't happen here. Anne's desire to find the truth actually often gets in the way of her love life, friendships and academic career.

Anne started the series as a popular, shallow girl but the events at Wheatley have changed her. Her growing frustration and anger at the injustice and corruption that privilege buys, not just at the school but beyond it makes her a very likable lead, as it always pushes her to go a little bit further. Most of the events in the book, beyond the initial murders, are put into motion by the actions of Anne herself and an active protagonist is always more interesting than a reactive one.

A fun murder mystery you can zoom through quickly because you won't want to put it down. 7.6/10 ( )