The Finalists
(Sprache: Englisch)
The competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly in the latest thriller from USA Today bestselling author David Bell.
On a beautiful spring day, six college students with nothing in common besides a desperate...
On a beautiful spring day, six college students with nothing in common besides a desperate...
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The competitive selection process for a prized college scholarship turns deadly in the latest thriller from USA Today bestselling author David Bell.On a beautiful spring day, six college students with nothing in common besides a desperate inability to pay for school gather to compete for the prestigious Hyde Fellowship.
Milo The front-runner
Natalia The brain
James The rule follower
Sydney The athlete
Duffy The cowboy
Emily The social justice warrior
The six of them must surrender their devices when they enter Hyde House, an aging Victorian structure that sits in a secluded part of campus.
Once inside, the doors lock behind them. The students are not allowed to leave until they spend eight hours with a college administrator who will do almost anything to keep the school afloat, and Nicholas Hyde, the privileged and notoriously irresponsible heir to the Hyde family fortune. If the students leave before time is up, they ll be immediately disqualified.
But when one of the six finalists drops dead, the other students fear they re being picked off one by one. With a violent protest raging outside, and no way to escape, the survivors viciously turn on each other.
The Finalists is a chilling and profound look at the lengths both students and colleges will go to survive in a resource-starved academic world.
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1THE HOUSE SITS ON the far eastern edge of campus, nestled in the woods among the sycamores, the maples, and the white oaks, all older than the college. Older than Kentucky itself. To reach it by car, one must turn left off the main road that circles campus and onto Ezekiel Hyde Lane, a narrow, winding strip of asphalt that cuts through the trees, enters the clearing, and ends in the small parking lot on the side of Hyde House. On foot, the house can be reached by way of the numerous paths that cut through the trees and give the campus its natural beauty.
I step out of my car and look back up the road I just traveled, and it's easy to believe the world doesn't exist even though the rest of campus is just a third of a mile away. Standing on the Hyde House grounds can feel like standing in another century, which is exactly the way Ezekiel Hyde, the founder of the college and its first president, wanted it to stay.
The sun is bright, and its rays hit the windows of Hyde House, reflecting the light, capturing the morning glow.
Is it weird to say the sight of that house still lifts my spirits?
It's eight fifteen, and I'm early. Which is good. I want to be here before the students. More than anything, I want to be here before Ezekiel Hyde's great-great-great-great-grandson, Nicholas, arrives.
I climb the portico steps to the Neo-Federal structure. Up close the brick is more weathered than I realized. I reach for the brass knob, which is tarnished. The heavy black door needs to be repainted. For years, the college's board of trustees has wanted to renovate the house, but the money is never there. The college has a list of projects that never get done.
I pull on the knob and, not surprisingly, find the door locked.
I step off the right side of the portico, my shoes sinking
... mehr
into the soft soil, and press my face against the window. I've been in Hyde House many times for college events and know the layout well. I'm staring into the music room, the space where Major Hyde, his family, and subsequent generations of Hydes came to listen to recitals on the piano. The piano originally moved to the house by Major Hyde fell into disrepair and was sold in the 1990s, but a music stand remains along with a bust of Major Hyde's favorite composer, Wagner.
The sun warms the back of my neck. I wait on the lawn in front of the house. In the distance, the campus is quiet on a Saturday morning in April. The students sleep off the night before. Purple hyacinths bloom in the flower beds, and I catch their overwhelming scent. A robin chirps in a nearby tree.
I want to call Rachel, apologize for our fight earlier. Money. We only fight about money. We have to decide whether to get new windows or a new roof, and we disagree about which is the higher priority. Our household is like the college-there's never enough money to go around.
But before I can hit the call button, the phone rings.
"Shoot," I say, then answer. "Hello?"
"Hey, Troy. It's Grace."
"Hey, Grace." I try to keep my voice buoyant and not let any irritation show, even though my boss-the president of the college-is calling to check up on me. But she's not just my boss-she's my friend. She and Rachel belong to the same book club, and just last weekend Grace and her husband, Doug, came over to our house for drinks. "How are you on this fine morning?"
"Is he there?" she asks. She cuts to the chase. Today is about business. On another day, we would talk about our kids-Grace's oldest son, Michael, is in the same grade as my oldest daughter, Rebecca-but I know Grace has other things on her mind.
"If by 'he' you mean Nicholas Hyde, then no, he isn't here yet. No one is."
"Damn it. When
The sun warms the back of my neck. I wait on the lawn in front of the house. In the distance, the campus is quiet on a Saturday morning in April. The students sleep off the night before. Purple hyacinths bloom in the flower beds, and I catch their overwhelming scent. A robin chirps in a nearby tree.
I want to call Rachel, apologize for our fight earlier. Money. We only fight about money. We have to decide whether to get new windows or a new roof, and we disagree about which is the higher priority. Our household is like the college-there's never enough money to go around.
But before I can hit the call button, the phone rings.
"Shoot," I say, then answer. "Hello?"
"Hey, Troy. It's Grace."
"Hey, Grace." I try to keep my voice buoyant and not let any irritation show, even though my boss-the president of the college-is calling to check up on me. But she's not just my boss-she's my friend. She and Rachel belong to the same book club, and just last weekend Grace and her husband, Doug, came over to our house for drinks. "How are you on this fine morning?"
"Is he there?" she asks. She cuts to the chase. Today is about business. On another day, we would talk about our kids-Grace's oldest son, Michael, is in the same grade as my oldest daughter, Rebecca-but I know Grace has other things on her mind.
"If by 'he' you mean Nicholas Hyde, then no, he isn't here yet. No one is."
"Damn it. When
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von David Bell
David Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author whose work has been translated into multiple languages. He s currently a professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: David Bell
- 2022, 400 Seiten, Maße: 13,7 x 20,8 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: Berkley
- ISBN-10: 0593198700
- ISBN-13: 9780593198704
- Erscheinungsdatum: 23.07.2022
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Praise for The Finalists"I raced through The Finalists, which is not only a first-rate thriller but an insightful commentary on the challenges facing higher education. The Finalists is proof positive that David Bell is one of the best thriller writers working today." Alma Katsu, author of Red Widow
Expertly plotted Bell pays homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, skillfully transitioning into the locked-room mystery while simultaneously giving the novel his own spin. The Finalists makes the grade with solid suspense. Shelf Awareness
"There are enough red herrings in The Finalists to satisfy any Agatha Christie fan." BookTrib
David Bell s The Finalists unique premise and engaging execution is sure to grip the reader from the first chapter. Deep South Magazine
The Finalists shows the cut-throat world of higher education in a microcosm. Issues such as racism, agism, sexism all roil among the six students, the administrator, and the founders. No one is truly innocent, even the victims. Bell manages to push it all character motivations, social issues, and the lock-room mystery to the bursting point. The Criminal Element
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