The Headmaster's List

Melissa de la Cruz

Feb 2023 · Sold by Roaring Brook Press

About this ebook

One of Us Is Lying meets Gossip Girl in The Headmaster's List, an edge-of-your-seat YA thriller about a fatal car crash and the dangerous lengths one teen will go to uncover the truth about what really happened.

Friday night. The party of the summer. Four teens ride home together. Only one never makes it.

When high school sophomore Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Armstrong Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?

Eighteen-year-old Spencer Sandoval wishes she knew. As rumors swirl that her ex, Ethan, was the reckless driver, she can’t bring herself to defend him. And their messy breakup has nothing to do with it – she can’t remember anything from that night, not even what put her in that car with Ethan, Chris, and Tabby Hill, the new loner in school.

The hunt for answers intensifies when a local true crime podcast takes an interest in the case, pushing Spencer further into the depths of this sinister mystery. Was it all just a night out that went very wrong? And is it a coincidence that all but Chris is on Armstrong's esteemed honor roll, the Headmaster’s List? In a place ruled by pedigree and privilege, the truth can only come at a deadly price.

Set against the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school, Melissa de la Cruz's explosive YA thriller is an addictive mystery perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

"There's nothing Melissa de la Cruz can't write, and she continues to prove it with this razor-sharp, glitteringly mysterious thriller! Put The Headmaster's List at the top of your TBR." —Kiersten White, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken trilogy

"Melissa de la Cruz will keep you guessing - all the way up to the last page even when you think you’ve figured it out! Everything you want in a thriller - a complicated heroine, snarky outsiders, cute boys, and a surprising and insightful story about status, race, class and tragedy in Los Angeles." —Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars

Ratings and reviews

I did enjoy reading the story, but there just wasn't anything that made it special to me. I don't know if I'm going to remember much about it after a few days, but I do think it was worth reading. The writing style made it a quick read. Those looking for a YA mystery that doesn't require much thought, would probably enjoy this. I just wouldn't go into it expecting too much. It was rather simple, but entertaining nonetheless. I would have liked just a bit more from the story.

I thought this one was decent but not great. I had guessed the ending from almost the very beginning so nothing was surprising to me. Also, not a huge fan of how the author ended some of the relationships.

This was fine I guess? It was a quick read with short chapters, but overall I found it really predictable and simultaneously completely unrealistic. It is YA, so trying not to be too harsh for its simplicity, but there are very similar YA mysteries out there that do it so much better.

About the author

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, and internationally bestselling author of many critically acclaimed books for readers of all ages, including the Alex & Eliza trilogy, Disney's Descendants novels, the Blue Bloods series, the Summer on East End series, and The Chronicles of Never After series.