Devon Mackintosh hasn't recovered from the death of Hutch, the golden boy of Keaton and her unrequited love. Even solving his murder hasn't helped heal the scars it left on her or on their small school. Then Devon is attacked at a New Year's Eve party and no one believes that it was anything other than an accident. She's even being forced to meet with Dr. Jocelyn Hsu, a psychiatrist, who seems more interested in getting Devon to take some new experimental drug than listening to Devon's side of the story.

The only ones she can trust are her friends, Bodhi, Raven, and Cleo, and they're dealing with their own grief. Reed, Bodhi and Raven's grandfather, is dying. He gives Devon his journal before his death, and what it reveals could change Devon's and everyone in Keaton's lives forever, but is it a secret worth killing for? And does this journal have anything to do with her attack?

HERO COMPLEX by Margaux Froley is the second in the Keaton School mystery series. I really wish I would have read Escape Theory, the first in the series, before starting HERO COMPLEX. The plot in HERO COMPLEX doesn't directly hinge on the events of Escape Theory, but all the same characters are present and those events strongly impact motivation and actions in HERO COMPLEX. The story starts immediately, jumping right into Devon's attack, her growing sense of paranoia, and unease. The first few chapters were a little bit difficult to sort through because there are lots of names, lots of motivations, and a lot of interconnected characters not to mention catching up on the events in the first book.

After I got all the characters lined up in my mind and how they connected to each other, the pacing and the mystery picked up. HERO COMPLEX is a really quick read. There is so much going on and so many people involved. Character development is minimal (not shallow though), but as this is part of a series, I can see Devon's character and the relationships between her and her friends evolving over time. I really appreciate the restraint in this approach and allowing the slow evolution of character to arch over an entire series. This really allows the mystery to take center stage. The steps Devon and her friends take, what they do, and how they figure out the clues to the various puzzles in the book is what drives the story.

HERO COMPLEX by Margaux Froley is an fast-paced mystery with a large cast of characters, all of whom have hidden motivations and secrets. The wealthy and elitist world of the Keaton School provides a great backdrop for long-held secrets, greed, and power struggles. I definitely recommend reading Escape Theory before reading HERO COMPLEX, but this is a series that promises to deliver intriguing new mysteries with each new book.

Book Summary

70 years after Pearl Harbor drew the US into World War II, a sinister secret—remnants of covert research done by the Army—haunts the Keaton School.

Less than two months have passed since Devon Mackintosh uncovered the truth about the apparent suicide of Keaton’s golden boy and her unrequited love, Hutch. But solving Hutch’s murder has put all eyes on her in the small Keaton School community. When she is knocked unconscious on a New Year’s Eve cruise, it’s clear that her life is in danger, too. In the aftermath of the attack, Devon must attend a weekly meeting with Dr. Jocelyn Hsu, a shrink who refuses to believe Devon’s account of the “accident.”

With nowhere else to go, Devon turns to the only people she can trust: Hutch’s terminally ill grandfather, Reed, and his heirs, Bodhi and Raven. Before Reed dies, he gives Devon a mysterious journal from his youth, revealing a secret pact among three powerful families. In the face of very real threats, Devon fights to unearth the truth Reed’s enemies are still willing to kill for.