Fake ID

Giles, Lamar. Fake ID. 2014. 303p. ISBN 0062121847. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Nick Pearson is new at school. In this Virginia high school, there are always plenty of new students due to the presence of a military base nearby. But unlike those new kids, Nick Pearson is not whom he says he is. His father was the numbers and book man for a criminal organization, and they are in hiding in the Witness Protection program until such time as he can testify in the criminal case against his former boss. So Nick isn’t really Nick.

On his first day Nick runs into Reya Cruz, and is immediately smitten. Unfortunately, Reya’s boyfriend, Zack, notices and decides to take Nick out in the locker room. The timely intervention of Eli, Reya’s brother, saves Nick from a pounding, but now Nick owes Eli one.

Eli runs the school newspaper, and despite his protests, Nick soon becomes involved. Eli shares with him that he’s on to something big. Whispertown appears to be some sort of conspiracy that involves highly placed players, including Nick’s own father.

So when Eli is found dead, suspicion falls on Nick, who was the last person to see him alive. Though the police rules it a suicide, Nick knows better. Was his father involved? What is Whispertown? How does Reya fit into this plot? Can Nick solve this mystery before he becomes the next victim?

If you enjoy this mystery, consider Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes and The Great Greene Heist.