By Kate Harrison (Indigo)
Soul Beach is set in present-day London. A sort of mix between detective thriller and science fiction, it can be enjoyed by teens 13 years old and upwards, though it detours a little from the path of the usual teen read.
Alice Forster’s sister has been murdered and the killer is on the loose. A likeable heroine, Alice, yearns to reconnect with Megan, so when an e-mail – ostensibly from her sister – arrives in her inbox, it is understandable, that she is intrigued.
One can’t help groaning in the belief that this is the killer, but as it turns out, the plot is not that predictable and Alice and her singing sensation sister, Megan, end up sharing regular FaceTime on an online virtual beach for souls.
The killer also occasionally gets to have his or her say, every chapter or so, adding to the sinister factor.
There’s also some suitably angst-ridden teen romance thrown in to make this whodunnit pretty gripping stuff for any teenage girl.
Soul Beach is the first in a trilogy, so while one mystery is solved, the major thread – the identity of Megan’s murderer – continues in book two – Soul Fire.
Nice little message in here for teens about learning to value life.