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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Moderate violence — a murder; some physical confrontations; the crime scene
Language
Some
Moderate profanity — teenagers and detectives
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild — some teenage romantic situations; nothing explicit
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild — teenage parties; some drinking
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The girls' social world — alliances, betrayals, and the psychology of close-knit teenage friendships under pressure; the alternating timeline reveal
What this book is about
A year after a boy's body was found on the grounds of a Dublin boarding school for girls, Detective Stephen Moran is handed a card from a secret school message board — pinned there recently. It says 'I know who killed him.' The investigation takes Moran and Detective Antoinette Conway back inside the school, deep into the social world of teenage girls. One of Tana French's most original novels — told in alternating timelines.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
A murder at a boarding school — victim is a teenage boy
Teenage social world — cliques, alliances, and betrayals under investigation
Alternating timelines — present investigation + past year at the school
One of the more accessible Dublin Murder Squad novels
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