The Secret Place

The fifth in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, this book is about loyalty and friendship. Sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey finds a card with a picture of a murdered boy on it and the caption "I know who killed him" on The Secret Place, a board where the girls at St. Kilda's school can post their secrets anonymously. She is a detective's daughter, but doesn't want to take the card to her dad, so she takes it to Detective Stephen Moran, in Cold Cases. Moran has wanted to get on the Murder Squad and sees this as his chance. The photo is of Chris Harper, who was killed a year ago on the grounds of St. Kilda's. The investigating officer was Antoinette Conway, a prickly, abrasive murder Detective. They join forces to find out who posted the card and from there to solve the case. Narrowed down, their search focuses on two cliques in St. Kilda's Boarding School for girls; Joanne, a queen bee, and her three lackeys; and Holly and her three free-spirited friends. The dangers for the detectives are many, not least of which are the machinations of teenage girls.