One of Us Is Next, and the joys of good sequels

Next in my crime craze was One of Us Is Next, the highly rated sequel to One of Us Is Lying. When I listened to my friend rave about it, I was not entirely sure it would live up to all the fuss, especially considering sequels that are not strictly ... necessary, as is the case with this one, tend to be a flop. However, I was quickly convinced the positive chat around the book is well-deserved. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying it's better than the first novel.

The main reason why I think One of Us Is Next works so well is its relevance. Teenagers glued to their phones, an all-encompassing obsession with social media, toxic gossip spreading like wildfire, misguided pettiness, it's pretty much the scene in real high schools, and very often later life as well. Moving the action from a sinister online forum and an elaborate plot to ruin the lives of these four particular kids to a school-wide game of Truth or Dare, the author makes a subtle point about how it takes the complacency of the whole group to make this sort of large-scale bullying work.

I also really enjoyed the fact that, while being set in the same world as the first novel in the series, One of Us Is Next works perfectly well as a standalone. That's a big selling point, especially for stories where a lot has gone down - if I had to remember all the minuscule details of the first instalment, I would be totally screwed, and very likely put off the second book. Luckily, McManus strikes the right balance by peppering the narrative with callbacks to what was the previous year in the story without making them essential for understanding the main plot. It works great to create a wholesome world and raise the stakes slightly, without alienating new readers (or those with poor memory).

Last, but not least, the plot was fantastic. The author skilfully weaves together multiple narrative threads until they all come together to form the pieces of the puzzle. I pride myself on being good with solving mysteries before the protagonists in books I read, but One of Us Is Next had me scratching my head all the way through to the final act, when I narrowly beat the main characters to making a vital connection. Which, I must admit, hit the right mark between an obvious resolution and one pulled out of thin air (I'm looking at you, The Starless Sea).

Whether you're coming at it cold, or you're a returning fan of the series, One of Us Is Next is a quality YA thriller with the right amount of mystery, suspense and poorly timed kissing to leave crime fans and obsessive shippers alike happy.

5/5 stars