Mystery/Thriller -- 3 stars
Temple House is a decaying Catholic-run boarding school. Louisa is the new scholarship student. Victoria is a favorite of Mr. Lavelle, the new art teacher. The three of them will form a force answerable only to themselves. Then two of them disappear. Years later, a young reporter wants to know why. ----- Eerie and gothic-flavored, this is a character driven novel of teenaged angst, the need to belong, and the consequences of failing. Though Victoria is the center of the story, it is Louisa who is the better drawn character. Fluctuating loyalties add to the atmosphere of unease that permeates every aspect of the story, from the school itself to the characters floundering through adolescence. Slow pacing makes the solution a relief that seems a bit too long in coming.
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