Mirkat Always Reading

Seventeen-year-old Pippa Fitz-Amobi submits a proposal for her senior capstone project: the effect of social media on a murder investigation. Five years before, Andi Bell disappeared. Though her body was never found, her boyfriend, Salil "Sal" Singh soon became the only suspect (confession text + ostensible suicide). Because the case was local, the project acceptance comes with the stipulation that Pip will not contact the Bell or the Singh family. She agrees to the stipulation and immediately makes a bee-line to the Singh house, to interview Sal's younger brother Ravi.

Despite the way Pippa has framed her project, her real motive is to clear Sal's name. She has never believed he could have committed murder, and aspects of the case never made sense to her. Her ambitious goal is to discover what really happened.

I won't reveal much more about the plot, so as to avoid spoilers. Pippa is a fun though sometimes frustrating protagonist, as she violates some of the "DON'T BE STUPID" warnings we readers tend to try to shout-think at book characters in books like this. Putting themselves into dangerous situations without backup; not confiding in trusted adults or others who could possibly help when receiving threats to "back off." That kind of thing. However, on balance I was hooked and enjoyed the unraveling. The book had twists I did not anticipate. Audio includes a full cast (project included recorded interviews).