Thursday, October 22, 2009

WISH YOU WERE DEAD by Todd Strasser


If you are looking for a good thriller, look no further. WISH YOU WERE DEAD by Todd Strasser has everything you're looking for.

When a popular teen from a wealthy, gated community disappears right off her front lawn, everyone is scared. Then when two more teens disappear within the same week, panic sets in.

Madison has always liked being part of the "in" crowd, but she hesitates and tries to distance herself when they start bashing the less fortunate students in her affluent high school.

When her friend Lucy disappears after being dropped off at her house by Madison and her Safe Ride partner, she feels guilty. The rules of Safe Ride state that the person being dropped off should be witnessed entering his/her home. Madison was pretty annoyed with Lucy and her better-than-everyone attitude that night, and when Lucy stubbornly continued to hang around on her front walk, Madison and Tyler just left her.

Now Lucy is gone. Did she run off with her boyfriend? Is she just trying to scare everyone? Or was she kidnapped? When there is no demand for a ransom, people begin to suspect more sinister motives are involved.

Madison is not the only one feeling guilty. The creator of a blog known as Str-S-d is having second thoughts about her actions. Frustrated with the ever popular Lucy and her superior attitude, Str-S-d admits that she wishes her dead. Could someone have read her post and taken it seriously enough to actually kill the girl? And is it coincidence when Str-S-d expresses similar death wishes about the other two missing teens?

Add in the attractive, yet mysterious new student, Tyler and the strange messages Madison keeps finding from someone known only as PBleeker, and the suspense builds quickly.

Todd Strasser is at his best in WISH YOU WERE DEAD. It provides just the edge-of-your-seat action teens love. Happily, it appears to be the first of three similar stories. Can't wait to get a look at the next one.

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