The Legacies

May 1, 2023
A group of seniors from elite New York City prep schools find themselves embroiled in murder. Each year, members of the Legacy Club nominate 36 seniors from the Intercollegiate League to become part of their exclusive society. The Legacy Ball is the culmination of a week of activities, and one winner, chosen based on a presentation competition, will receive a check and a seat on the club's board. The story opens dramatically after the ball, as a body is whisked away in an ambulance, before backtracking to four days before the party. Excelsior Prep's club nominees include Bernie Kaplan, a White girl with famous socialite parents; her best friend, artistic Isobel Rothcroft, whose Mexican American mother is a well-known magazine editor; and queer Greek American scholarship student Tori Tasso, whose widowed dad owns a neighborhood diner. Tori feels out of place in this group, but she knows better than anyone the impact access to the club's social connections could have on her life. The book counts down the days leading up to the ball that leaves someone dead, interspersing chapters from different characters' points of view with scenes from the ball's aftermath as secrets are revealed and the drama and intrigue ramp up. As well as being a fast-paced, page-turning thriller, the book explores issues such as social class divisions, grief, and drug and alcohol use. A skillfully executed thriller with a decadent setting that fans of the genre will adore. (Thriller. 14-18)

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May 15, 2023
A grand gala ends in murder in this grandiose high-society thriller by Goodman (The Counselors). New York City high school seniors Bernie and Isobel have spent their lives preparing to join the Legacy Club, an exclusive group that offers a wealth of connections and privilege. They’re excited to engage in the secret rituals they’ve heard whispers about, until they learn that Tori, a scholarship student from their prep school with no ties to the club, will be joining their Legacy initiation class. Bernie and Isobel were admitted by default as legacies, but they wonder what Tori could have done to gain an invitation. Their initiation rites culminate at the Legacy Ball, a lavish gala where the teens musts insert themselves into the Legacy Club’s inner circle. As Bernie and Isobel mingle, they continue trying to suss out Tori’s past, but it seems that other members have secrets of their own that they’re desperate to keep hidden. The three teens’ alternating first-person chapters leading up to the ball are interspersed with second-person sections detailing the event’s deadly aftermath. Sharp and snappy dialogue; a fleshed-out, intersectionally diverse cast; and thought-provoking interrogations of classism elevate this adrenaline-packed read. Ages 14–up.