Devon Mackintosh hasn't recovered from the death of Hutch, the
golden boy of Keaton and her unrequited love. Even solving his
murder hasn't helped heal the scars it left on her or on their
small school. Then Devon is attacked at a New Year's Eve party
and no one believes that it was anything other than an
accident. She's even being forced to meet with Dr. Jocelyn Hsu,
a psychiatrist, who seems more interested in getting Devon to
take some new experimental drug than listening to Devon's side
of the story.
The only ones she can trust are her friends, Bodhi, Raven, and
Cleo, and they're dealing with their own grief. Reed, Bodhi and
Raven's grandfather, is dying. He gives Devon his journal
before his death, and what it reveals could change Devon's and
everyone in Keaton's lives forever, but is it a secret worth
killing for? And does this journal have anything to do with her
attack?
HERO COMPLEX by Margaux Froley is the second in the Keaton
School mystery series. I really wish I would have read
Escape Theory, the first in the series, before starting HERO
COMPLEX. The plot in HERO COMPLEX doesn't directly hinge on the
events of Escape Theory, but all the same characters are
present and those events strongly impact motivation and actions
in HERO COMPLEX. The story starts immediately, jumping right
into Devon's attack, her growing sense of paranoia, and unease.
The first few chapters were a little bit difficult to sort
through because there are
lots of names, lots of motivations, and a lot of interconnected
characters not to mention catching up on the events in the
first book.
After I got all the characters lined up in my mind and how they
connected to each other, the pacing and the mystery picked up.
HERO COMPLEX is a really quick read. There is so much going on
and so many people involved. Character development is minimal
(not shallow though), but as this is part of a series, I can
see Devon's character and the relationships between her and her
friends evolving over time. I really appreciate the restraint
in this approach and allowing the slow evolution of character
to arch over an entire series. This really allows the mystery
to take center stage. The steps Devon and her friends take,
what they do, and how they figure out the clues to the various
puzzles in the book is what drives the story.
HERO COMPLEX by Margaux Froley is an fast-paced mystery with a
large cast of characters, all of whom have hidden motivations
and secrets. The wealthy and elitist world of the Keaton
School provides a great backdrop for long-held secrets,
greed, and power struggles. I definitely recommend reading
Escape Theory before reading HERO COMPLEX, but this is a series
that promises to deliver intriguing new mysteries with each new
book.
70 years after Pearl Harbor drew the US into World War II, a
sinister secret—remnants of covert research done by the
Army—haunts the Keaton School.
Less than two months have passed since Devon Mackintosh
uncovered the truth about the apparent suicide of Keaton’s
golden boy and her unrequited love, Hutch. But solving
Hutch’s murder has put all eyes on her in the small Keaton
School community. When she is knocked unconscious on a New
Year’s Eve cruise, it’s clear that her life is in danger,
too. In the aftermath of the attack, Devon must attend a
weekly meeting with Dr. Jocelyn Hsu, a shrink who refuses to
believe Devon’s account of the “accident.”
With nowhere else to go, Devon turns to the only people she
can trust: Hutch’s terminally ill grandfather, Reed, and his
heirs, Bodhi and Raven. Before Reed dies, he gives Devon a
mysterious journal from his youth, revealing a secret pact
among three powerful families. In the face of very real
threats, Devon fights to unearth the truth Reed’s enemies
are still willing to kill for.
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