Ahead of the Game, a young adult mystery.
Cover art by Aimee Dan
Fifteen-year-old Summer thought taking the SAT for her mother’s oncologist’s daughter in exchange for medical care would be a one‑time thing. Or maybe a sometime thing if other wealthy parents paid enough for her services so she could help with her family’s mounting medical bills. But then, she gets roped into doing it for varsity quarterback Auggie.
Only this time the proctor drops dead mid-test, and the detective in charge discovers Summer is not who she pretends to be. But then he makes her an unexpected offer. She can avoid juvenile detention if she goes undercover at her high school to root out the source of a popular new street drug, Vitamin A+. To her surprise, Auggie insists on becoming her investigative partner so she won’t have to face drug dealers alone.
Summer plunges into the world of designer street drugs, a world she had no idea existed under her very nose. She discovers that money and privilege are inextricably linked with the burgeoning drug problem. Each new SAT client’s child uses Vitamin A+, providing both clues and leverage to further her investigation. She digs deeper as her friends fall prey to the Vitamin A+ epidemic, and the detective threatens to reveal her SAT test cheating unless she produces results. The police soon become the least of her concerns when death threats roll in as Summer and Auggie close in on the truth.
Ahead of the Game is a young adult mystery best described as Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett meets All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban and would appeal to fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes and readers of Diana Peterfreund’s Clue series.