The Year of the Gadfly

Do you know what it took for Socrates enemies to make him stop pursuing the truth? Hemlock.Storied fiercely competitive Mariana Academy was founded with a serious honor code; its reputation has been unsullied for decades. Now a long-dormant secret society Prisom''s Party threatens its placid halls with vigilante justice exposing students and teachers alike for even the most minor infraction. Iris Dupont a budding journalist whose only confidant is the chain-smoking specter of Edward R. Murrow feels sure she can break into the ranks of The Devils Advocate the Partys underground newspaper and there uncover the source of its blackmail schemes and vilifying rumors. Some involve the schools new science teacher who also seems to be investigating the Party. Others point to an albino student who left school abruptly 10 years before never to return. And everything connects to a rare book called Marvelous Species. But the truth comes with its own dangers and Iris is torn between her allegiances her reporter''s instinct and her own troubled past. The Year of the Gadfly is an exhilarating journey of double-crosses deeply buried secrets and the lifelong reverberations of losing someone you love. Following in the tradition of classic school novels such as A Separate Peace Prep and The Secret History it reminds us how these years haunt our lives forever.