In the first book of a suspenseful YA duology, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and masterfully delivers a dark, propulsive mystery in alternating points of view that unravels a friendship . . . forevermore. Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Truly Devious! Tress Montor’s family used to mean something―until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. The entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo.” Felicity Turnado has it all: looks, money, and a secret. One misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is . . . only that she can’t look at Tress without feeling shame and guilt. But Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity―brick by brick―as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. Tress will have her answers―or settle for revenge. * A Junior Library Guild Selection * Texas Tayshas Reading List of the Year * A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults & Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Book of the Year * Edgar Allan Poe Inspired: A modern, gritty reimagining of "The Cask of Amontillado," where vengeance is served one brick at a time in the basement of an abandoned house. - Former Best Friends: Tress is a social outcast determined to get answers. Felicity is the popular girl who was there that night but can’t—or won’t—remember the truth. - Unreliable Narrator: One point of view comes from a girl who has buried a traumatic secret so deeply that even she can no longer access it, making her memories as dangerous as her silence. - Alternating Points of View: This dark mystery unfolds through the eyes of both the hunter and the hunted, blurring the lines between victim and villain until the final, shocking page. Gr 9 Up-Tress Montor lost everything the night her parents disappeared seven years ago: her family, her friends, and the respect her last name usually demands in the town of Amontillado. Now she lives on the Amontillado Animal Sanctuary-what the locals call "the White Trash Zoo"-with her alcoholic grandfather Cecil and a motley assortment of animals. The town has turned its back on her, and she wants answers-or revenge. Felicity Turnado doesn't have a storied surname and everything that's perfect in her life she's earned on her own: her grades, her popularity, and the respect of the community. What isn't perfect is that her former best friend, Tress, won't even look at her. Felicity was with the Montors the night they vanished, but she's worked so hard to make the community forget she was there that she herself doesn't remember what happened. Sick of being the butt of everyone's jokes, Tress has a plan to get Felicity to talk-one that involves a costume party in the crumbling Usher House, an empty coal chute, and a pile of bricks. McGinnis draws heavily upon the works of Edgar Allan Poe to deliver a gripping modern retelling of "The Cask of Amontillado." Tress and Felicity are expertly fleshed out; the chapters are written from alternating viewpoints of the two girls across their entire friendship. Their linked tragedy and trauma is expressed in prose that is by turns gritty and heart-rending, and they join a lineup of strong, flawed, and intriguing McGinnis main characters. As the first book in a duology, the story ends in a cliff-hanger, which heightens anticipation for the second installment. Most characters are white. VERDICT Well-versed Poe fans will gobble this up, but the heartache, revenge, and anger that ooze from these pages should entice any reader.-Tyler Hixson, Brooklyn P.L.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "McGinnis cleverly weaves elements from Edgar Allen Poe’s stories... The slowly unfolding mystery and chilling cliff-hanger will cement interest for the next volume." - Booklist "A wickedly disturbing and wildly entertaining tale of vengeance, guilt, and secrets. Poe enthusiasts will appreciate McGinnis’ adherence to her inspiration’s darkness." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books "Expertly crafted and absolutely chilling. Mindy McGinnis holds nothing back in this twisty, ruthlessly compelling story of a friendship gone wrong." - Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying "Lush, dangerous, and deliciously twisty, The Initial Insult is an Appalachian Gothic for the ages. A smart and vital reworking of one of Poe's most chilling stories." - Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of the Charlotte Holmes s