Title: Alibi
Authors: Annie Miles, John Byrne, Isabel Eckersley & Sorrel Provola
Publisher: Twist Literary
Publish Date: 2012
Genre: YA, Mystery
Pages: 100/Installment
Source: Publisher

Abigail Shelton is dead. Spring Valley's golden girl is found floating face-down in her boyfriend’s pool, hands bound behind her back, head bleeding, drugs and alcohol in her system. Her friends are the only suspects – and they all have reasons to want her dead. Everyone has an alibi, but no one is innocent.

ALIBI is a 4-part young adult e-book series. Each one-hundred page installment reveals the perspective of a different character: the secret love, the nemesis, the boyfriend, the best friend. As their tales unfold, we learn that Abby is not as perfect as everyone believes, but she’s not the only one with secrets to hide.

Mysteries are hard to come by in the realm of YA fiction. Yes, occasionally a mystery series will find its way onto the scene, but I’ll be brutally honest and say that they have a difficult time finding their way beyond the little niche. I was approached to review the Alibi series from Twist Literary and authors Annie Miles, John Byrne, Isabel Eckersley and Sorrel Provola, and I was intrigued, to say the least. In the true vein of mysteries and cloak-and-dagger mind play, the Alibi series leads you in one direction at the pace of a runaway train, then switches directions just in time to end the installment.

This series is, truthfully, unlike anything I’ve read. It is a four-part series of 100-page installments, each complete with its own unique vantage point. We’re given the arch-nemesis, the boyfriend, the best friend and the secret love, all of whom might just have a motive, but also have their own unique alibis. As the series progresses, we begin to watch the ties develop, linking the characters and installments together into the tricky web it spins. However, it’s not that easy. We aren’t simply given answers. The authors give the readers just enough to make assumptions, then leave you with a crushing cliffhanger that makes the next installment utterly necessary…like yesterday.

There is so much going for the Alibi series. We’re given a host of entitled and privileged characters each with their own façade, which we must decode in order to read into the story itself. We know that Abby was murdered, and we know that this whodunit mystery is going to shock us, but we don’t exactly know how. Alibi isn’t afraid to spin us into a dark web that’s both unsettling and riveting. It’s like watching car crash. You simply can’t look away. The true beauty of the novels is the fact that, despite having four different authors, four distinct perspectives, a full array of complex characters with their own seaprate pasts, we have a seamless transition from one installment to the next, and we are ultimately given a direction in the story.

Unlike similar mystery series (think Pretty Little Liars), we have all the drama, secrets, backstabbing and evasive mystery, but we find ultimate closure in the end. The mystery does get solved, and we do feel a sense of vindication. I want more just like this story though! I give it a 4.5 out of 5, and I highly recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy mysteries and something a bit out of the box.

I received this series from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Have you ever wondered what the next big thing in book publishing is? Well, a lot of book bloggers much like me do because, heck, we're all little nerdlets. Right? Right. The point, my friends, is that there is always something new and game-changing that just might be the next thing to shake up the market, and I'm introducing you to one such company that is right there on the cutting edge...meet Twist Literary!

1. What makes Twist Literary different?

The rise of e-publishing has created this incredible opportunity to get really creative with the storytelling construct, and Twist Literary was created in response to that. The digital format gives flexibility to do some crazy things that you couldn't easily pull off with a traditionally-published book; for example, having the major arc of a series unfold through multiple perspectives, like in our debut series ALIBI. Twist Literary will continue to try new and innovative things in its books - that much is guaranteed!

2. Who are the masterminds behind Twist Literary ?

In the grand tradition of masterminds, evil and otherwise, the founders like to keep our identities under wraps. We'd rather shine the spotlight on our authors! But we are both YA writers and avid lovers of well-written YA.

3. Describe Twist Literary  in five words, or less, please!

Edgy YA with a twist!

4. What can YA bloggers, readers and the like expect from Twist Literary?

Stories that are compelling and impeccably written. Our authors are quite simply am-ah-zing. You can also expect hot boys, intrigue, and kissing. LOTS of kissing.

5. What makes Twist Literary  a name to watch, and why should we keep our eye on you guys?

Twist has several new series in development, and each one brings a fresh angle to YA storytelling. You should keep your eye on us because you never know what we might do next, and we also might steal your chocolate when your'e not looking.

6. Is there anything else you'd like to tell the YA blogosphere?

We heart YA and we heart YA readers. We hope you love ALIBI as much as we do! Oh, and please come harass us on Twitter (@twistliterary) and Facebook.

Twist Literary's debut series, Alibi, is available for online booksellers everywhere. Each 100 page installment will keep you hooked and wanting more. To learn more about the series, click HERE!