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'Poisonous' reveals toxic teen Internet culture

In Allison Brennan's well-plotted Poisonous, the poison in question seeps through a town and decimates a family. It starts with a teenager's penchant for Internet bullying.

Poisonous

By Allison Brennan


Minotaur


368 pp. $25.99


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Reviewed by

Oline H. Cogdill

nolead ends In Allison Brennan's well-plotted Poisonous, the poison in question seeps through a town and decimates a family. It starts with a teenager's penchant for Internet bullying.

Ivy Lake's venom almost ruined the lives of several teenagers, possibly pushed the family of one teen to move, and, saddest of all, may have caused a bright, sensitive girl to commit suicide. Ivy's hatred also may have caused her own death - but whether she was accidently pushed, murdered, or committed suicide has never been clear.

This is the kind of cold case that intrigues television journalist Maxine "Max" Revere, whose criminal justice TV program, Maximum Exposure, has solved several cases. Max is especially drawn to the case after receiving a heartfelt letter from Ivy's 18-year-old mentally challenged stepbrother, Tommy Wallace. Tommy wants his family back. His stepmother, Paula Wallace, blames him for Ivy's death and has banned him from their home. Tommy believes that if Max can prove what happened to Ivy, his family will love him again.

Max and her assistant/bodyguard David Kane delve into the teen subculture and a network of jealous parents whose bad decisions and dislike of one another infect their children in ways the parents can't begin to fathom.

The prolific Brennan keeps the brisk action moving without resorting to gratuitous violence in her fourth outing with Max. She is no Nancy Grace, out for a quick sound bite, and Max's thoughtfulness elevates the series. One of the sheer pleasures in the series is her very conscience: She is an ethical television journalist who cares about the people she is covering and the truth she might uncover.

Max's professionalism contrasts with her often prickly personality. Max knows she is not the most likable person, and she is not likely to change. Max also refuses to judge Ivy's motives, knowing that she herself had some of those same mean-girl traits when she was a teenager. You might not want Max as a friend, but readers definitely want to spend time with this complicated, fascinating character, as Poisonous proves.

This review originally appeared in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Sun Sentinel.