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Buy Online

Keep Your Friends Close

£9.99

Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down. Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and Punishment – a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. And it’s not long before entries in the book start to match up with murders of Jewel and Bone members. Anyone could be a suspect. Can Chloe get to the bottom of this twisted game before she’s next on the killer’s hit list?

Peek Inside

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ISBN: 9780241712788 Category: Young Adult Tags: Children's / Teenage fiction: Horror & ghost stories, chillers, Children's / Teenage fiction: School stories, Children's / Teenage fiction: Thrillers, Children's / Teenage personal & social issues: death & bereavement
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Description

From the bestselling author of BookTok sensation Win Lose Kill Die and ‘CEO of Plot Twists’ comes an explosive dark academia thriller, perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus, Holly Jackson and Mean Girls. Don’t miss out on the limited edition in-world sprayed edge!

‘A thriller author to watch!’ Karen M. McManus, international bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

‘An intensely readable dark academia thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson.’ The Guardian

Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down.

Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and Punishment – a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. And it’s not long before entries in the book start to match up with murders of Jewel and Bone members. Anyone could be a suspect.

Can Chloe get to the bottom of this twisted game before she’s next on the killer’s hit list . . . ?

PRAISE FOR KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE:
‘Bold, thrilling, and wickedly addictive. Your next obsession.’ Karen M. McManus, author of One of Us is Lying

‘An intricately crafted YA thriller that I cannot wait to read again.’ Bill Wood, author of Let’s Split Up

‘A taut and twisty read that takes no prisoners. This captivatingly murderous book will keep you up all night and leave you unsure who you can trust.’ Kathryn Foxfield, author of Good Girls Die First

‘Taut, vicious and edge-of-your-seat thrilling, the queen of YA slashers has created another darkly delicious tale. You won’t be able to put it down!’ Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

‘Chloe Roberts is an ambitious, brilliantly flawed protagonist who fights her way out of the darkest places.’ Sue Wallman, author of I Know You Did It

‘Twists, turns and heartstopping tension, Cynthia Murphy is a thriller author at the top of her game.’ Benjamin Dean, author of How to Die Famous

‘Delicious 90s Scream vibes, a vicious teen secret society and bodies piling up around every corner . . . This is Cynthia Murphy at her absolute best.’ Kat Ellis, author of Harrow Lake

‘Dark, viciously fun and dangerously addictive. Cynthia Murphy writes academia like it’s a blood sport – get ready to play.’ Josh Silver, author of HappyHead

‘Mean Girls meets The Secret History – the perfect blend of 90s nostalgia and twisty, compelling murder mystery.’ Laura Wood, author of The Agency for Scandal

‘An engrossing and cut-throat thriller where mean-girl antics, shifting alliances and a growing web of secrets keep the tension sky-high. Twisty and unputdownable.’ Channelle Desamours, author of Needy Little Things

Read a sample here

Additional information

Weight 0.267 kg
Dimensions 19.7 × 12.9 × 2.3 cm
Author

Murphy, Cynthia

Publisher

Penguin Books

Imprint

Penguin Books

Cover

Paperback

Pages

376

Language

English

Edition

Paperback original

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

Children – juvenile / Code: J

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Mar 10



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Athena recommends the book 'A Killer In Paradise' by Tom Hindle to be your next mystery read! 

'I devoured this book in two days. It has intriguing characters, a beautiful setting and lots of fun twists to keep you on your toes! I really love Hindle’s use of an enclosed circle of suspects, much like Agatha Christie's mystery novels; I find that this makes for a more gripping and intimate reading experience. This is a great book to read if you’re looking to for something which keeps you guessing to the end.'

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Mar 9



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House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Rozie Kelly to the store on 16th April at 6pm to discuss her book, Kingfisher, which has just been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2026. As well as a discussion on her book, there will also be a Q&A, plus the chance to get your books signed by Rozie. Rozie will be in conversation with Sara Hunt, publisher at Saraband.

Tickets and info can be found at the link in our bio 🖤

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Mar 8



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March 8th marks International Women’s Day! This is a day to celebrate the achievements of women and is a call for gender equality. At House of Books and Friends we have taken the opportunity to recommend books FOR women BY women that are available both in-store and online, in order to raise awareness for women’s issues, but also just to showcase talented women writers.♀️

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Mar 6



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With International Women's Day coming up, we thought we'd draw your attention to Virago, a publishing house which has been uplifting female authors for over 50 years! We stock plenty of their editions instore, swipe to read a little about them! 💜💜

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Mar 5



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House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Sheena Kalayil on Thursday 30th April at 6pm to discuss her book, ‘The Others’, recently longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Tickets and info available at the link in our bio 

About the book

Secrets, lies and love as the DDR collapses. 

It is 1989, and in a small Baltic city in East Germany, the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, three young people from vastly different backgrounds become friends. Armando is a factory worker from Mozambique, Lolita is a medical student from India, and Theo is an East Berliner who dreams of being a writer.

When Armando and Lolita make a grisly discovery, they find themselves caught up in the politics of Theo’s homeland more than ever before. While a quiet revolution sweeps through Eastern Europe, and the Berlin Wall teeters, the three find themselves entangled in a poignant love triangle which threatens their futures.

As the world order shifts, their three lives are bound together in a web of love, lies and fears, leaving each irrevocably changed.

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Mar 4



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Congratulations to all the publishers and authors who have made it on to the Women's Prize for Fiction! A special shoutout to three titles on the list:

Marcia Hutchinson, who hosted the launch of The Mercy Step here at HOBAF 💚
Rozie Kelly, who's title Kingfisher was one of our booksellers favourite books from 2025 🐦
Sheena Kalayil, published through Fly on the Wall Press, who may be visiting us very soon...👀


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