Like her equally gripping debut (Such a Pretty Girl), Wiess's suspense story delivers an outsize jolt of adrenaline. Meet Ardith, the much-derided daughter of a low-life, abusive family, and Blair, her more respectable best friend, whose father "ditches [her] to go cheat with his girlfriend and [whose] mother pimps [her] out to further her career." The two take turns narrating what initially appears to be a police statement; however, Wiess shrewdly times clues to suggest rather different circumstances. The girls chronicle a history of suffering (rape, ridicule, abandonment), until they decide to take control and pay back their wrongdoers-with interest. As scandals usually do, the final moments of the book unfold with a bang and a twist, and readers may be shocked at Blair and Ardith's actions even if they are not completely surprised. Although the "best friends against the world" theme is not new, Wiess's clear insight into the evolution of victim into perpetrator and her layered storytelling bump up the subject to a much more challenging playing field. Ages 13-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information