Review: The Sixes

Title: The Sixes
Author: Kate White
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Rating: PG
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 2, 2011
Pages: 384 pages
Source: ARC Courtesy of the Publisher
My Rating: 5*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Kate White rises to the pinnacle of modern suspense with The Sixes, a page-turning stand-alone thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Hush, and the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. With taught prose evocative of Laura Lippman’s Life Sentences and Dennis Lehane’s Moonlight Mile, White paints the sinister picture of a quiet Pennsylvania college town left shaken after a mysterious death precipitates a cascade of evil events on campus. When new teacher Phoebe Hall undertakes the dangerous quest of uncovering the truth behind the ghastly recent happenings, her investigation will send her into the clutches of a deadly secret society—the Sixes—and unearth the dark relics of her own long-buried past.


My Thoughts

This is the first book I have read written by Kate White.  I have to say, if they are all like this, then I need to read more of her work.

The Sixes, like The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon, is a book about a murder and secret society of mean girls.  Actually girls aren't just mean, they are sociopath's.  Sociopath's with far, far too much time on their hands.

Phoebe Hall is a famous writer recently a part of plagiarism scandal.  As a way to lay low and recover from this scandal she is offered a place teaching a writing class at Lyle College by her long time friend who is now the head of the school.  Shortly after her arrival, a girl is found drowned in the river just off campus.  During the investigation into her death, the school administration gets wind of a secret society of girls that may be operating on campus.  Desperate to contain possible damage to the school, Phoebe is tasked with using her journalistic talents to investigate The Sixes.

Phoebe's investigation, predictably, stirs up a hornet's nest and makes her the target for this group of mean girls on crack.  It's actually scary the complete lack of respect for authority or personal safety that The Sixes show in their bid to intimidate Phoebe from finding out the truth about them.  In the course of investigating The Sixes, Phoebe unwittingly becomes involved in the investigation for the killer that appears to be haunting Lyle College, its students and Phoebe herself.

Kate White has done a phenomenal job in weaving all the different back stories together into one cohesive and dynamic thriller.  I guarantee that this is one ending that you won't see coming.

This review was done after reading an uncorrected ARC copy courtesy of HarperCollins New York. My priority is to you, and I honour that commitment by being honest! I don’t do reviews for payment, nor do I guarantee favourable reviews for any book/galley/ARC sent to me for review.  I promise to stay truthful with you and all opinions represented here are my own. If you are uncertain what this all means, I urge you to read my Review Policy for further clarification. You can also contact me at contact@nicoleabouttown.com.