Genuine Fraud

Genuine Fraud
E. Lockhart
Delacorte, 2018 262 pages
Grades 9-Up
Mystery

The story opens with chapter eighteen where our seemingly British protagonist, Jule, meets a mysterious woman in a posh Mexican resort. Quickly things get crazy as it is revealed that Jule is not simple a rich tourist and the new acquaintance is for some unknown reason tracking her. After a breakneck chase scene the story backs up a beat and we see the events that have directly led Jule to this place. Each chapter decreases in number and goes a little farther back in Jule's story. We meet rich -girl Imogene Sokoloff, who has run away from her problems to spend a summer in Martha's Vineyard with her boyfriend, where she is reacquainted with Jule, an old friend from high school. Jule, a super-hero in her own mind and fanatic physical trainer, becomes obsessed with Imogene's life, ingratiating herself as a resident house-guest, and learns the ways of the wealthy. Jule is not the person that she says she is, yet Imogene has secrets of her own, weaving an intricate web of lies and intrigues. The story ends with chapter nineteen and the reader finally knows the backstory and the entire plot has been revealed and at last makes sense. Deception, romance, and murder all come into play as Lockhart delivers yet another banger of a story sure to satisfy her many fans and draw in new ones.

I have been a fan of E. Lockhart since The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks. She manages to pen creative stories with strong characters and interesting plot twists with an underling message of Girl-Power. I wasn't sure about Genuine Fraud, especially at the beginning, and it took me a bit of time to get into it. Once the first chase scene broke out I was hooked and couldn’t put this book down. Lockhart led me on an awesome ride right to the very end. The devise of each chapter going backwards was unusual and fun. The plot was great with twist, turns, and surprises along the way. The reader slowly gets to know both of the main characters as the story unfolds, revealing motivation and fleshing out their many layers. Beyond the great plot and characterizations, many themes are included in the novel giving it substance, including the importance of functional family, class status, honesty, friendship and women finding their own strength and power. Parallels have been made to The Talented Mr. Ripley. I found it also similar to Six Degrees of Separation. The characters are around nineteen and twenty, a bit older than traditionally found in teen novels, making this book more "New Adult" than YA. Both teens and adults will enjoy it, as will both boys and girls. My only question is:” When will the movie be released?”