Deadly Little Sins by Kara Taylor

Anne has managed to stay mum on the murder of Wheatley alum Travis Shepherd all summer, but the disappearance of her favorite teacher is another matter. Of course, finding out what happened to Ms. Cross is tough considering Anne's been a. ousted from Wheatley, b. permanently grounded, and c. under constant parental supervision. All of that changes, though, when the Wheatley powers that be announce that they've decided not to expel Anne. 

Anne is well aware that her digging will need to be even more hush hush this time around. Unfortunately, another Wheatley teacher is found murdered and Anne realizes that her little investigation has once again turned deadly serious.

Sooo I'd hoped - and expected, based on Prep School Confidential and Wicked Little Secrets - that Deadly Little Sins would tie in more with the previous two. Instead, this third installment may have jumped the shark more than even I can bear. 

But wait, of course it ties in because it's Anne and it's Wheatley. Yes, that's true. But with the previous two, the mysteries are tied together by more than just the protagonist and the setting. There's a core group of suspects and baddies that have a very clear connection to both plots. Had that again been the case with this third title the plot would have been wholly more believable! And there is a bit of a link to the... issues of the previous two, but overall this one just feels like Wheatley is an unfortunate Sunnydale type magnet for crazies and killers. And Anne is the only one who notices. 

Less shark-y is the actual wrap up in Deadly Little Sins. Some might find Anne's potential career choice just a bit too convenient or twee but I thought it was quite fun. It is actually along the lines of what I'd expect Anne to do post high school. I can't say that I loved the open ending as much, though. I'm not sure if there are plans to take Anne further with future books (something I wouldn't be opposed to) but it felt a little too obvious that that was the hope or intention. It left me feeling like there was still something to be addressed where there really shouldn't have been.

So a meh, on the fence result with the trilogy tie up. Deadly Little Sins is fun for fun sake but not as fabulous as the previous two. 

Rating: 3/5