I read this book several times when I was in middle school. Lois Duncan was a constant for me. In fact, I blame her and Christopher Pike for my current obsession with scary movies and Dateline. Those books were total escapism for pre-teen me. This is the first of the Duncan books I've re-read as an adult. What I remembered is that a group of kids accidentally kills their English teacher. What I didn't remember were the little touches of horror that Duncan weaves in, such as Mr. Griffin's wife being pregnant. It's a fascinating glimpse into the actions of a messed up kid, a study on peer pressure, and even makes a statement on public education. Sure, it's a little dated. (Did we really talk like that in the 80's?) But overall, this is a great novel of suspense that deserves to be read by today's teens, and for many generations to come.
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