Keep Your Friends Close

''A thriller author to watch!'' Karen M. McManus, international bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She''s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school''s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, stabs her in the back, and life comes crashing down.

Things takes a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and Punishment - a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. And it''s not long before entries in the book start to correlate with murders of Jewel and Bone members. Anyone could be a suspect.

Can Chloe get to the bottom of this twisted game before she''s next on the killer''s hit list . . . ?<>

About the author

Cynthia Murphy is the bestselling author of a number of YA thrillers, including the BookTok sensation Win Lose Kill Die.

She has a long-standing love affair with all things scary, reading Point Horrors before graduating to Stephen King in her misguided teens. Studying for a degree in Art History and Archaeology meant that she developed a thirst for anything old, beautiful and very often dead. She tries to combine this with contemporary settings in her writing to make unique and chilling modern stories.

Cynthia lives in her hometown of Manchester with her husband and their rescue dog, Loli, who you will see a lot of on TikTok and Instagram @CynthiaMurphyYA

Report

'An intensely readable dark academia thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson.' The Guardian

Product details

• Authors: Cynthia Murphy, Murphy Cynthia
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 12
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 11.09.2025
• EAN: 9780241712788
• ISBN: 978-0-241-71278-8
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 198 mm x 24 mm
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Young people's books from 12 years of age; JUVENILE FICTION / School & Education, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Horror, School stories (Children's / Teenage), Children’s / Teenage fiction: School stories, Horror & ghost stories, chillers (Children's / Teenage), Thrillers (Children's / Teenage), Interest age: from c 12 years, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Thrillers & Suspense / Crime, YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Thrillers & Suspense / Supernatural, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Thrillers / suspense