Confessions: The Private School Murders
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Romance and snakes add to intrigue in imaginative sequel.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
A very good book, can get boring.
Report this review
What's the Story?
The lurid events of Confessions of a Murder Suspect still loom large in CONFESSIONS: THE PRIVATE SCHOOL MURDERS. Narrator and fledgling detective Tandy Angel is now trying to prove that her eldest brother, Matthew, didn't kill his pregnant, unfaithful girlfriend; meanwhile, one of her classmates becomes the latest victim of a serial killer preying on the private school girls of New York. Tandy and her younger brothers are about to lose their home in the Dakota apartment building as the family business empire collapses, and, as the drugs she's been dosed with all her life wear off, she remembers more and more about the boy from whom her parents tore her. A new guardian changes the kids' lives, and poisonous reptiles start appearing all over their luxurious apartment building.
Is It Any Good?
Not unlike the first volume in the series, this one is a cornucopia of wildly imagined plot developments that are well over the top before the first cobra crops up in the Angel apartment. Pages turn and eyes roll as this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach (detective story! Teen romance! International intrigue! Courtroom drama! Mental hospitals! Corporate villains! And of, course, the snakes...) delivers an improbable but intriguing tale of love, family, and courage pitted against evil forces.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why stories about kids, teens, and even animals who solve crimes are so popular. Do you have any favorites?
How do the Angel kids rise above the dysfunctional home life they had with their parents in looking out for one another now? How do they start to see a different side of family life?
Why do you think James and Tandy's parents were so determined to keep them apart? What do you think will happen in the next book in the Confessions series?
Book Details
- Authors: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
- Publication date: October 7, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 448
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate