Framed for the murder of her best friend, a young girl joins a super-secret society of teenage assassins to avoid a lifetime behind bars–and discovers her own true self–in this mesmerizing debut novel.
Seventeen-year-old Signal Deere has raised eyebrows for years as an unhappy Goth misfit from the trailer park. When she’s convicted of her best friend Rose’s brutal murder, she’s designated a Class A–the most dangerous and manipulative criminal profile. To avoid prison, Signal signs on for a secret program for 18-and-under Class As and is whisked off to an abandoned sleep-away camp, where she and seven bunkmates will train as assassins. Yet even in the Teen Killers Club, Signal doesn’t fit in. She’s squeamish around blood. She’s kind and empathetic. And her optimistic attitude is threatening to turn a group of ragtag maniacs into a team of close-knit friends. Maybe that’s because Signal’s not really a killer. She was framed for Rose’s murder and only joined the program to escape, track down Rose’s real killer, and clear her name. But Signal never planned on the sinister technologies that keep the campers confined. She never planned on the mysterious man in the woods determined to pick them off one by one. And she certainly never planned on falling in love. Signal’s strategy is coming apart at the seams as the true killer prepares to strike again in Teen Killers Club.
I’m not sure what this says about me, but a camp that trains teens to be assassins had me requesting this before even reading the whole description.
The action begins almost immediately as Signal and another teen are introduced to the other campers. For convicted murderers who have the most dangerous and manipulative criminal profiles, most of them seem so…nice. Having been framed for a murder and lacking even a hint of a killer instinct, Signal is absolutely a fish out of water and is pretty helpless with the assigned tasks. Speaking of tasks, the first one is how to dispose of a body without it being detected – and that’s when I was all in. Bizarre? Absolutely. But a practical skill for assassins.
I’d expected the teens to be sent out on missions pretty early in the story, but they don’t happen until the last part of the book. The rest of the time is spent on training, trying to recover Signal’s sketchy memories of the murder she was accused of, strange happenings around camp, and a prominent love triangle. I’m generally not a fan of this trope and honestly didn’t see the need for it, but that’s just me and a personal preference. Other reviewers seemed to enjoy it.
With an action-packed, brisk ending, don’t look away or you’ll miss some things. I suspended my disbelief with the big reveal as some of it seemed to come out of left field, but I was also frustrated because many questions are left unanswered, particularly one central character’s backstory. It’s set up perfectly for a sequel, but nothing in the title indicates one is in the works.
Dark, cultish, action-packed, and morally gray, Teen Killers Club is an engrossing read – just maybe not the best selection for more squeamish readers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
Squeamish doesn’t bother me. YA isn’t my usual read. Strange that it’s set up for a sequel but might not have one. Glad you enjoyed it.
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I’m really hoping for a sequel with this one, Staci – too many unanswered questions, but still a great read with an interesting premise.
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Interesting. I’m not squeamish and I don’t mind love triangles, but questions left unanswered would really bother me. Sounds like a uniquely and deviously delightful read ❤️
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Deviously delightful – a perfect description, Tessa! I’m really hoping those questions are answered with a sequel.
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I’m not squeamish at all, Teri, but the love triangle and the “out of the blue” reveal make me hesitate to try it. Otherwise it sounds like a good read. 🙂
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I’m not a big fan of love triangles, but they’re pretty popular in YA. If there were hints about something in the story, I get it, but unless I missed them, this came as a surprise to me.
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I don’t know why but your review has put me off this, Teri. I think it is the love triangle.
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I’m not a fan – just personal preference – but you can’t avoid them in YA. They’re pretty popular.
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Yes, I know, I had to bring in a little in Through the Nethergate. The hardest part of the whole book for me to write.
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The book description hooked me, too. Good review. It does sound like an entertaining book even though some plot threads aren’t tied up by the end.
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Thanks, Priscilla! I could see you really enjoying the assignment on where/how to hide the body, lol.
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Thanks for the review, Teri
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You’re very welcome, John.
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Training part in book can be interesting, filler, and overstretching all at the same time. Only in few books it works well. I don’t like love triangles as well. But looks it turned out good and enjoyable read. Amazing review, Teri!
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Thanks, Yesha! The training did stretch on for a bit, but some other things were going on as well. I was ready for them to be in the field. But overall, definitely an enjoyable read.
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Thanks for the review, Teri. You’re supposed to be resting!
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No time to rest, Jill – but it sure would be nice.
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I’ve said it before; I love the premise of this book, but man that title turns me off!! That aside, I think I’ll add it to my pile though. Like you, killer assassin teens really tickles my fancy 🙂
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Yeah, I’m not really crazy about the title or the cover, but the premise grabbed me.
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