Gordon Korman

Action-packed and full of unexpected twists, this new series from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for young fans of James Patterson and John Grisham. Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. In this idyllic place, every lawn is perfectly manicured and everyone has a pool and a tree house. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie—they know it's a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places. Eli has never left Serenity . . . Why would he ever want to? Then one day he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help him investigate further, and soon it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems in Serenity. The clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids realize they can trust no one—least of all their own parents.

Masterminds

Heaven Adore

A group of friends discover that something screwy is occurring in their small town, Surety, and that all the adults are hiding a big secret. Will they be able to solve the mystery and possibly escape from the clutches of their hands?

This book certainly keeps you on your toes and is a page turner! The whole storyline reminded me of "Under Their Skin" by Margaret Peterson Haddix in a lot of ways, which brought a nice touch. And the main character, Eli and his best friend, Randy were a lot like Cooper and Gordy in the "Code of Silence" trilogy by Tim Shoemaker. I love how it reminded me of other novels I've read!

Although the friends discover that there is something different about them (I truly cannot spoil that. It's the best part!), they all had their own personalities and quirks, which made the characters realistic. You felt their pain, sarcasm, fear, etc. That's one thing that makes a novel good in my opinion!

Due to a few intense scenes, mild name calling, and a little bit of crude humor, I'd recommend this book for those who are 12-years-old and older. The Lord's name is also used in vain (thankfully, only about 3 times) so I thought I'd just mention it for those who may not be comfortable reading that.

Overall, this was an excellent novel! I'm excited to read the other 2 books in the trilogy.

James McDaniel

Although I enjoyed the book I found it very hard to get into. It seemed like along time to get going and it really never captivated me. I will read the second book in the series to see if this is a series worth considering. 

Lynn Braden

Eli Frieden lives in Serenity, New Mexico, the most perfect town in the world. There is no crime, no poverty, and everyone is so nice. Eli doesn't see this as a problem until his best friend, Randy is sent away and leaves Eli a note, telling him that things in Serenity are not as perfect as they seem. It isn't long before Eli along with three of his friends begin to investigate things that just don't seem to fit about their town. What they discover leads them to attempt a most daring escape.

Masterminds has a tantalizing mystery as well as an interesting premise - a perfect town filled with secrets. Each chapter is told from the perspective of different characters, so as the mystery unfolds, we see the different reactions of each character as they start to realize that their lives have all been a huge lie. Overall, this is a very unique story that should have conspiracy theorists salivating.

Paula Plaza Ponte 

lauren

Danielle 

Emily Walker

A group of kids discover that their ideal crime-free community is connected to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known.

Masterminds

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