High school is the setting for netherworld tales Beyond the Bell

These three books may have similar covers with haunting images of dead girls, but their plots differ tremendously. Many adolescents like a creepy read as much as they like a scary movie. These books keep older teen readers rapidly turning the pages to solve the mysteries lurking behind untimely deaths.

ALL UNQUIET THINGS (A Novel). By Anna Jarzab. Random House. Ages 14 and up. 352 pages. $17.99.

Monica: Carly's murder rocks her high school's affluent social scene. When Carly's uncle is convicted of the crime, her cousin Audrey doesn't believe her father could be guilty. She enlists Neily, an antisocial outcast and Carly's first boyfriend, to solve the mystery. They discover a frightening undercover world full of drug lords and secrets.

At first, I thought Neily was too much of a Holden Caulfield wannabe. However, the deeper I got into the book, the more fascinating Neily's character became.

Hannah: Audrey and Carly were best friends as well as cousins. Audrey discovers Carly had been lying about drug use, a big problem in their school.

Monica: Carly started out as a good girl focused on academics. Her quest to be in the popular crowd changed her after her mother died of cancer.

Hannah: Even though Audrey's dad is an alcoholic and notorious for causing trouble, Audrey believes her father is innocent. As in most mysteries, the killer is unexpected, and so is the motive.

Monica: I was surprised by the ending and found this an entertaining read.

BEFORE I FALL. By Lauren Oliver. HarperCollins. Ages 14 and up. 470 pages. $17.99.

Hannah: Samantha is a high-school senior truly living out her last year of high school. She is pretty, popular and friends with the "right" people. She and her best friends go to parties every weekend and have the cutest boyfriends. In stereotypical popular mean-girl style, Sam and her three best friends are not nice to several students.

On the way back from a party one night, Sam and her friends are in a car crash. It's 12:39 a.m., and Sam dies.

Monica: But does she die? This is where the book gets confusing. For seven days, Sam awakes the next morning and relives the last day of her life. Each day she chooses to do something different to try to change the outcome.

Hannah: Sam thinks the goal is to save her own life; but when a girl that Sam and her best friends terrorize daily kills herself, Sam realizes that it's not all about her.

Monica: The message is powerful without being preachy and doesn't overshadow a strong plot. The Golden Rule philosophy creates an undercurrent as Sam relives her last day over and over.

Hannah: Although it may seem repetitive to explain the same day seven times, Sam changes each day, trying to change fate. The ending is confusing but fits the tone of the book. This one makes you think!

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES. By Carrie Ryan. Random House. Ages 14 and up. 416 pages. $17.99.

This futuristic thriller is written by a Charlotte author and Duke law-school graduate, Carrie Ryan. It is the sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. We missed the first book, but this one can be read as a stand-alone.

In Ryan's story, the world has gone through an apocalyptic change when a deadly virus alters mankind forever.

The Mudo, or the infected, are dead but roam the world zombie-like until they are beheaded. Pockets of civilization strain to keep the infected Mudo from breaching their borders, leaving what is left of the world in isolated communities.

Gabry's world turns upside-down when she and friends hop over the barrier for a look at a rusted roller coaster and amusement park. A new Mudo infects three of the friends, and those who return to town are punished severely.

Gabry escaped both infection and detection but must live with the guilt that some of her friends did not escape the lark unaffected. Catcher, a boy she has known forever and Gabry's first kiss moments before the Mudo came, is one who is left behind.

When Gabry returns to the amusement park to check on Catcher, she meets Elias, a mysterious young man who seems determined to protect her.

Gabry bounces between the two young men as she uncovers that her past is as complicated as the future facing her.

The plot is a bit complicated, but this series is worth investigating for science-fiction lovers.

Monica Young and Hannah McRae Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com.