Zoe knows more than they do.

The police think her best friend Jayden ran away. Her classmates don’t seem to even care. But Zoe knows Jayden is still alive. He has to be…

She is mad at herself for walking home alone that day. Most of the time they walk home together, at least until Jayden splits off to his street. But they’d had an argument and tension was high. If only she’d looked for him as soon as he hadn’t answered her message. If only she’d told the police earlier. Would it have helped them find Jayden?

With her classmate’s apathy, and the police investigation stalling only days since Jayden went missing, Zoe begins searching herself. She wishes she had money for a private investigator, but if Jayden’s high profile parents aren’t using one, how can she? Beginning with students around her and with the help of her obsessive friend Niamh, they begin looking for clues and piecing what they find together into possible scenarios.

But nothing makes sense. What is the 17? What is the Green Room and what was Jayden hiding from Zoe? Sure, he’s always looked for attention and longed to fit in with the popular kids, but what has he been doing behind Zoe’s back?

The more she digs, interviewing people and honing her skills as a wannabe investigative reporter, the more she realises she didn’t know her best friend at all. It’s not long before she too is in danger. Someone is trying to silence her, both with warnings and then physically. What has Jayden been a part of?

A gripping Young Adult thriller by a master storyteller, If You Tell Anyone, You’re Next, had me guessing until the heart stomping conclusion. Zoe is a determined character and friend, but the friendship she had based her life around for years isn’t what she thought it was.

She knows her missing friend Jayden so well, she has imagined conversations with him as she tries to unravel the clues she finds. She knows just how he would reply as she questions one thing after another in her investigation, but soon begins to wonder – does she really know him at all?

Each chapter begins with the day, the time, and how many hours Jayden Jones has been missing. This builds the tension as we all know the longer someone is missing, the chances of finding them alive – shrinks.

There is a loose romantic thread woven through as Zoe ex-crush is involved and the reason she changed her mind about him revealed.

Any Karen McManus fans will love If You Tell Anyone, You’re Next – In fact, I think this murder-mystery-thriller is even better.

Author – Jack Heath

Age – 12+

(2023, Scholastic Australia, Thriller, Mystery, Clues, Investigation, Podcast, School, Missing Person, Technology, Friendship, 17, Dares, Challenges, Belonging, Popular, Peer Pressure, Fear, Action, Tension, Police, Group, Secrets, Crime, Popularity, Betrayal, Determination, Loyalty)