Description
Nine students. Three blood sports. One deadly weekend.
It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S.
To her surprise Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin' - an invitation to spend the half-term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S.
Greer joins the other chosen students at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, and soon realises that they are at the mercy of their capricious host. Over the next three days, as the three blood sports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...
A twisty YA thriller for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Pretty Little Liars, We Were Liars, and The Hunger Games.
Shortlisted for the YA BOOK PRIZE 2018 and Winner of the Great Reads 'Most Read' 2018 Senior Award.
About the Author
M. A. Bennett is half Venetian and was born in Manchester and raised in the Yorkshire Dales. She is a history graduate of Oxford University and the University of Venice, where she studied Shakespeare's plays as a historical source. She also studied art and has since worked as an illustrator, an actress and a film reviewer. She also designed tour visuals for rock bands, including U2 and the Rolling Stones. Her first YA novel, S.T.A.G.S., was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the YA BOOK PRIZE 2018, won the Warwickshire Secondary Book Award 2019 and Gold in the Sussex Coast Schools Amazing Book Award 2019, both voted by students, and won the Great Reads 'Most Read' 2018 Senior Award. Follow her at @MABennettAuthor on Twitter and at @mabennettauthor on Instagram.
Reviews
MA Bennett reinvigorates the boarding-school thriller... This is a darkly compelling examination of the allure of privilege, and the unscrupulous means by which it preserves itself. * The Guardian *
A cracking debut psychological thriller set in an elite boarding school ruled by a set of six pupils known as the Medievals. Think Enid Blyton meets The Hunger Games! * Irish Sunday Independent *
Gossip Girl meets The Hunger Games * Bustle *
Bennett creates a chilling atmosphere on every page. She describes the gorgeous grounds of Longcross, the de Warlencourt home, in rich detail, but never allows readers to relax for long. A threatening servant or an explosion of gunfire always lurks around the corner. The book reads like a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or an Agatha Christie mystery for modern teens. * School Library Journal *
MA Bennett is brilliant at keeping the reader in suspense. * Book Murmuration *
Book Information
ISBN 9781471406768
Author M. A. Bennett
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Hot Key Books
Publisher Hot Key Books
Weight(grams) 238g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 19mm