High & Dry by Sarah Skilton (review)

Senior Charlie Dixon is desperate to win back Ellie, the girl who dumped him, but he’s lately been distracted by the fact that he’s been framed for the LSD overdose of a school choir member, who is now hospitalized with severe hallucinations and a slim chance for full recovery. This isn’t the first time Charlie has been a target: his mother’s role as administrator of the high school’s turnaround restaffing, which chucked many locals out of their jobs, has resulted in life-threatening “accidents.” This time, though, the problem seems to be related to a missing flash drive that an oversexed ex, Bridget, and a whole lot of others want and suspect Charlie may be able to find. The result is a steamy mystery, with Charlie narrating in a Sam Spade–styled voice, and some subtly embedded jabs at an educational system that encourages larceny. Skilton pulls off some clever world building, creating a system at Palm Valley High that keeps bullying at bay by locking incoming students into a four-year activity—the kids are protected by upperclassmen within their groups and only allowed intra-activity contact by monitored pre-arrangement. Charlie’s ability to navigate the system is key to his investigation, and the high school social structure becomes nearly as involving as the flash-drive quandary. There’s a touch of Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now (BCCB 2/09) to Charlie’s depression-induced drinking, and his self-defeating efforts to win back his dream girl will evoke both censure and sympathy. School drama, romance, and mystery make a heady mashup and an involving quick pick.