Book Review: Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy

Being accepted to Morton Academy was a dream come true for Liz Williams. Morton has a repute of accepting solely the perfect of the perfect, scouting all the colleges in England yearly for 50 sensible, gifted college students and enrolling them on scholarship no matter means or background. For Liz, being at Morton is an opportunity to flee her lower than best residence scenario, even when she’s reluctant to inform her fellow college students the complete fact of her life outdoors Morton.

A lot of the different children are simply as excited as she is to be there, even when their mother and father are a lot prouder of them than hers are. As new pupil Cole asks:

“Had been your mother and father the identical? I imply, you bought in right here final 12 months; you should be tremendous intelligent. Not like us wait-list dweebs. I guess they have been proud.”

 

“Yeah.” I consider the day I sat in my head instructor’s workplace with Dr Patel. Dad had stayed in mattress and Mother was pacing forwards and backwards outdoors, certainly one of her so-called good friend’s dramas taking part in out on the cellphone she held in a single hand as she took lengthy puffs off a cigarette with the opposite. We watched her from the window and I noticed she wasn’t even barely conscious that she was late for our assembly.

 

“Yeah,” I repeat. “They have been thrilled too. Anyway!” I power brightness into my voice. “How’s your first week been?[”]

One more reason for Liz’s willpower to place up a great entrance is a current college tragedy. Cole has solely been in a position to enroll at Morton following the unintentional demise of former head lady Morgan, in a boating accident that traumatized Liz and a great variety of their fellow college students. By no means thoughts that Morgan had been one thing of a bully. Hopefully, the appointment of her good friend Jameela to the place of head lady will make issues higher. However when Jameela receives a threatening notice and is subsequently poisoned, the coed physique can’t assist however marvel if somebody is intentionally focusing on essentially the most highly effective women at school.

Considered one of Liz’s greatest mates, Taylor, is subsequent in line for the celebrated place. Being head lady at Morton isn’t nearly resume-building: college students granted that title are just about assured entry, tuition and board to any college of their selection, worldwide, because of the affect and funds of the academy’s huge net of alumni. It’s a coveted spot, however nobody would actually kill with a view to achieve that form of benefit, would they?

Liz has little interest in testing that idea by placing Taylor’s life on the road. As she and her mates—together with her new love curiosity, Cole—examine, they uncover disturbing truths about Morton and its folks. Certain, Liz and her interior circle all find out about Morton’s secret society. As the perfect of the perfect, they’ve all been initiated into the membership’s gothic pageantry, with Jameela herself presiding over the ritual that elevated Taylor to the place of her personal deputy again when she was nonetheless alive:

Taylor retains her head held excessive as Jameela takes the knife. It’s an previous blade, as previous because the physique they’re flanking, I’d guess, and simply as encrusted in jewels. The blade is stored sharp, although, one thing that’s evident as Jameela slices into her personal palm, after which Taylor’s upturned one. They each step towards the skeleton, and, because the glass case is opened for them, they every evenly grasp an arm bone, smearing their blood upon the blood of tons of of earlier pledges.

However what really is the purpose of all these elaborate rituals and secrecy? As Liz and her mates dig additional into the historical past of Morton, they uncover secrets and techniques with beautiful repercussions for the current day. Will the scholars be capable of survive their tenure on the academy, whilst a serial killer lurks within the shadows, ready to homicide them one after the other?

I used to be fully lulled by Cynthia Murphy’s propulsive writing into guessing that each one the fallacious folks have been chargeable for the murders on this sensible Younger Grownup thriller set within the seemingly excellent boarding college. Like Liz, I wished a lot to imagine in Morton as an escape route, even because the academy’s picture-perfect façade was crumbling proper earlier than our eyes. I liked the ultimate reveal of the killer, whilst I used to be impressed by Ms. Murphy’s ability at each misdirection and sheer human empathy.

Be taught Extra Or Order A Copy