You Killed Wesley Payne - Sean Beaudoin

Seventeen year old Dalton Rev may look like your typical teenager, but he really is a Private Investigator. He has transferred to Salt River High to solve the murder of Wesley Payne. Wesley was a smart kid who apparently, according to the principal, committed suicide. On his first day he starts questioning people about the murder. He gets a crash course in the clique system of this high school. You've got the Balls, the Foxxes, the Pinker Casket, the Yearbook Committee, the Euclidans, the Populahs, and lastly the Fack Cult T. As Dalton digs deeper into the murder he uncovers a plan which would have the Euclidans and the Populahs being the top dogs at the school. Wesley Payne seemed to be at the forefront of this uprising, which would be a likely motive to kill him. Dalton thinks that is part of it, but there has got to be more. In a place where no one is who they seem, and teachers are paid to look the other way, Dalton is determined to figure out who killed Wesley Payne. Who knows the killer might just be right under his nose.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. After finishing a Stephen King novel, this was a nice change of pace. This is a guy book, so the girls may or may not like it. There were a few of the plot elements were kind of out there, and I wouldn't see them happening at a real high school. They did add the what if factor to a very funny and enjoyable novel, where no one is who they seem.

T.B. 2/15/11