“A twisty, dark psychological thriller that will leave you guessing til the very end." —Teen Vogue “[A] riveting read…"—NPR The line between best friend and something more is a line always crossed in the dark.   Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. And that’s the most important thing, even if Angie can’t see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. If nobody notices her, she’s free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more a curse than a gift.   As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences.   When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.                                 “It doesn’t even matter that she probably doesn’t understand how much she means to me. It’s purer this way. She can take whatever she wants from me, whenever she wants it, because I’m her best friend.”   A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder. ★ "Mesmerizing."— Kirkus , starred review. Gr 9 Up—Friendship, romance, obsession, and crime all get tangled up in this complicated mystery about love and lies. Angie Redmond and Jess Wong are best friends, though Jess harbors a desperate and rather obvious crush on Angie. Their relationship becomes complicated when Angie begins to date Margot, a wealthy student at a nearby boarding school. Jess, a talented artist who creates a dark, supernatural comic about a love triangle, has her doubts about Margot, who seems cruel and controlling. Margot drives a wedge between Angie and Jess, but eventually, a murder brings them back together. As the police interview all three girls, the details of the night a student is killed highlight the tension among Angie, Jess, and Margot, but do not clearly point to who may have committed the crime. Just when it seems like the truth is coming to light, the story takes another turn, forcing readers to reassess everything they think they understand. Dark, twisty, and unsettling, this book almost begs to be read in one sitting, and then instantly reread. The pace picks up in the second part, with higher tension and uncertainty propelling the story forward quickly, encouraging teens to race to the whodunit conclusion. Though the final few chapters feel rushed, they provide a satisfying—and shocking—finale to this scandalous examination of jealousy, secrets, and untrustworthy characters. VERDICT A high-interest thriller with wide appeal recommended for all collections.—Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Great River Regional Library, Saint Cloud, MN “ With an active focus on female friendships and relationships, A Line in the Dark is a twisty, dark psychological thriller that will leave you guessing til the very end. The story follows two friends down a path of dysfunction and murder as one of them, Chinese-American Jess tries to balance the expectations of her family, her fraught relationship with Angie, and her mounting sexual attraction for her. Lo offers some impressive storytelling, a chilling plot, and mean girls aplenty.” — Teen Vogue “[A] riveting read… The story of tensions, romances and even violence between townies and prep school kids is well-trodden ground, but Lo makes it new and exciting by creating nuanced queer characters and giving them the chance to make their own terrible decisions .”—NPR "[A] heart-tugging story of a teenage girl who expresses herself in art in ways she can’t quite do in real life — even as she tries to hold on to her best friend despite grappling with deeper feelings for her.”—Vulture "A Ash, Huntress, and Inheritance, A Line in the Dark. Lo instantly invites readers along, enticing them to stay up just a little bit later for the next big reveal, and supplies readers with one final twist that will take their breath away. "—Lambda Literary "[A] hauntingly captivating thriller."—Bustle "This slender novel packs a punch."—Brightly "A Line in the Dark marks Lo’s foray into the contemporary genre, promising an intense read that should be at the top of your list."—Paste "Malinda Lo's A Line in the Dark is soaked in menace. Each page in this brilliant thriller is deliciously unsettling—like Gone Girl meets Pretty Little Liars." —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken and Now I Rise. “A beautifully written and compellingly well-observed psychological thriller.” —Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of Court of Fives and Cold Magic "As soon as I finished, I had to read it again.” —Justine Larbalestier, author of My Sister Rosa and Liar ★"Malinda Lo delivers an enthralling myste