Secret Society

Secret Society

by Tom Dolby

2009

352 pages

Summary: Phoebe, Lauren, Nick and Patch are all students at the exclusive Chadwick School in Manhattan. While at a party one night, Phoebe, Lauren and Nick get a text message telling them to be at an exact location. They soon find themselves drugged, tattooed and initiated into the most prominent, successful and secret society in existence. While things seem great in the beginning with all the free stuff and parties, when two people are found dead, the trio begin to question the society. Patch, the budding videographer, feels left out, but decides to make the best of it by secretly filming the initiation. He’s unaware of the Society’s control and power, and his poking around has put him and his friends at risk. If he is not careful he might find himself next on the Society’s hit list.

Review: Secret Society is a fast-paced and engaging novel. While the characters were a little one-dimensional, I believe they will only get better as the series continues. The narrative is split between the four main characters, and while it might have inadvertently disconnected some readers from the story, it did serve to give a broader and perhaps more engaging reading experience, as I found myself rooting for all four of them. Dolby does an excellent job of setting the scene using many famous Manhattan landmarks and street names. He also does an excellent job of capturing the Upper East Side culture (there is obvious designer name dropping, but it decreases as the plot picks up). I found the premise fascinating, as this was my first secret society novel. I can’t wait for the sequel.

You might enjoy Secret Society if you like books with: a focus on fast paced plots and suspense instead of character development, a strong setting that serves as a another character, multi main characters, third person story-telling.

Other books by Tom Dolby: Trouble Boy, Six Form

If you liked Secret Society you might also enjoy: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E.Lockhart, Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri, Gossip Girls series

Additional Information: The Trust: A Secret Society Novel is set to be released Winter 2011

Non-fiction connection:
—Egypt : The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt by Ian Shaw
—Secret Societies: Cults, Conspiracies and Secret Societies by Arthur Goldwag

Author website found here.

Rating: W3/4 C2/4 P3/4 O3/4 PP3/4 CR4/4
Grade: JS