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Candidates #1
Who We Are
I knew my life was going to change after summer, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened.
My boring existence suddenly got complicated and weird.
And then it got dangerous.
I even thought I might die.
But it wasn’t just about me; the whole town got turned upside down.
And it all began when I saw something weird.
No, it started before then.
---
For 17-year-old Calliope Laws, everything is changing. Not only is her best friend leaving for college, but when she injures herself right before a big audition, instead of being crushed…she’s relieved.
The life everyone expects of her is one she no longer wants.
But how can she admit this? And how can she convince everyone, including herself, that she can do something else?
To pass the time until her foot heals and she figures things out, Callie takes a job at Montrose High. She’s prepared for an extended snooze-fest – she’s swapped the hamster wheel of dance training for the humdrum of the school office – but Callie is wrong. It quickly becomes obvious that something weird is going on at Montrose High, but what, exactly?
She digs deeper, and finds some disturbing information, but meanwhile Callie’s own life is imploding. She doesn't know what to do or who to turn to, but after two students collapse, she knows she has to do something.
Callie is determined to uncover the truth, but will this put her own life in danger?
"...absorbing and engaging."
"well-written, nuanced characters..."
Divergent meets Riverdale.
If you like believable characters, plot twists and psychological themes, you’ll love The Candidates, a suspenseful small-town mystery series with intrigue, a will-they-won't-they love triangle, and more. The Candidates series has it all. Part 1: Who We Are and Part II: What They Want. Dive in today.
Note – Who We Are was originally published (version 1) under the name Exposure Point.
My boring existence suddenly got complicated and weird.
And then it got dangerous.
I even thought I might die.
But it wasn’t just about me; the whole town got turned upside down.
And it all began when I saw something weird.
No, it started before then.
---
For 17-year-old Calliope Laws, everything is changing. Not only is her best friend leaving for college, but when she injures herself right before a big audition, instead of being crushed…she’s relieved.
The life everyone expects of her is one she no longer wants.
But how can she admit this? And how can she convince everyone, including herself, that she can do something else?
To pass the time until her foot heals and she figures things out, Callie takes a job at Montrose High. She’s prepared for an extended snooze-fest – she’s swapped the hamster wheel of dance training for the humdrum of the school office – but Callie is wrong. It quickly becomes obvious that something weird is going on at Montrose High, but what, exactly?
She digs deeper, and finds some disturbing information, but meanwhile Callie’s own life is imploding. She doesn't know what to do or who to turn to, but after two students collapse, she knows she has to do something.
Callie is determined to uncover the truth, but will this put her own life in danger?
"...absorbing and engaging."
"well-written, nuanced characters..."
Divergent meets Riverdale.
If you like believable characters, plot twists and psychological themes, you’ll love The Candidates, a suspenseful small-town mystery series with intrigue, a will-they-won't-they love triangle, and more. The Candidates series has it all. Part 1: Who We Are and Part II: What They Want. Dive in today.
Note – Who We Are was originally published (version 1) under the name Exposure Point.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2020
15 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
M.D. Archer
18 books14 followersLover of complicated people, mysterious things, and unexpected endings.
M. D. Archer writes character-driven mysteries with strong psychological themes. She has a Ph.D. in psychology but quit the angst of the academic world for the rollercoaster of writing. She, unfortunately, didn't leave the angst behind but it was still the right choice. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and when not writing can be found either rollerskating, watching TV, or worrying about something.
Check out her books below.
The S & S Investigations Series: A charming mystery series set in New Zealand. Join best friends Paige and Sophie as they use their psychology skills to solve mysteries.
The Body In My Building - The first in a humorous murder mystery series.
Recently retired cat burglar Gemma is trying to go legit, but when she finds a dead body in her new building, she realizes this might be harder than she thought.
The Unravel:
Soul Harper has something to hide and Detective Nico Davis has something to prove. The unravel is inevitable.
Psychological suspense and a murder mystery.
Follow her on twitter (@mda_008) or email her at mdaauthor@gmail.com.
For mystery thrillers with a supernatural twist check out Margot Dylan.
Happy reading!
M. D. Archer writes character-driven mysteries with strong psychological themes. She has a Ph.D. in psychology but quit the angst of the academic world for the rollercoaster of writing. She, unfortunately, didn't leave the angst behind but it was still the right choice. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and when not writing can be found either rollerskating, watching TV, or worrying about something.
Check out her books below.
The S & S Investigations Series: A charming mystery series set in New Zealand. Join best friends Paige and Sophie as they use their psychology skills to solve mysteries.
The Body In My Building - The first in a humorous murder mystery series.
Recently retired cat burglar Gemma is trying to go legit, but when she finds a dead body in her new building, she realizes this might be harder than she thought.
The Unravel:
Soul Harper has something to hide and Detective Nico Davis has something to prove. The unravel is inevitable.
Psychological suspense and a murder mystery.
Follow her on twitter (@mda_008) or email her at mdaauthor@gmail.com.
For mystery thrillers with a supernatural twist check out Margot Dylan.
Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 29, 2021
Teenage drama/mystery. Callie is sure there is something strange going on in the high school health centre. Teenagers playing amateur detectives is always fun. This is set up for the second one in the series.
September 29, 2021
3 ½ stars. Teenage drama/mystery. A few good twists.
June 18, 2020
This is book one of The Candidates series and follows the main character Callie (Calliope) Laws as summer ends and her best friend and next door neighbour Isaac, leaves for college and she has to return to school. But not as a student, but as an administrative assistant in the Montrose High school office. Her future has long been set as that of her mother’s dreams, a dancer, but this is something she has been lately realising, is not her dream anymore. She has injured her foot, whether this was deliberately or an accident, she isn’t sure. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something. She has to wear a moonboot and her mother and dance instructor are keen to get her back training for her audition for a dance school. She hasn’t raised the courage to tell her mom never mind even her best friend that she doesn’t feel the intense urge to do dance as a career anymore.
Her new job is not exactly all consuming and to keep her mind occupied, she looks out the window a lot. She sees strange things happen outside the health centre opposite. A hiker’s body had recently been found in the National Park nearby and now there was another teen missing, but she could swear she had just seen him outside, as another man got a Taser to his body. When she tries to discuss it days later, she is told the teen died days before she saw him, so she must have imagined it! She has to take letters and items across to the health centre and has a run in with its weird manager, Logan Kerry, who she is sure she has just caught drinking on the job.
An interesting tale of high school behaviour pushed to the extreme, mixed in with an organisation with a sick plot to test their product on. Looks like the next book in the series will be revealing a lot about who is really behind all of this and why. I look forward to reading it soon. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Her new job is not exactly all consuming and to keep her mind occupied, she looks out the window a lot. She sees strange things happen outside the health centre opposite. A hiker’s body had recently been found in the National Park nearby and now there was another teen missing, but she could swear she had just seen him outside, as another man got a Taser to his body. When she tries to discuss it days later, she is told the teen died days before she saw him, so she must have imagined it! She has to take letters and items across to the health centre and has a run in with its weird manager, Logan Kerry, who she is sure she has just caught drinking on the job.
An interesting tale of high school behaviour pushed to the extreme, mixed in with an organisation with a sick plot to test their product on. Looks like the next book in the series will be revealing a lot about who is really behind all of this and why. I look forward to reading it soon. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2020
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for a frank review. Seventeen year old Callie is working in the school admin office whilst waiting for an injury to heal so she can resume dance training. She starts to notice strange goings on in the health centre opposite and strange behaviour amongst the students. A very well written book that keeps a good pace up to the end with some very strong and well thought out characters. A good mystery you can get your teeth into that holds the interest from the first chapter. Excellent book, highly recommended.
June 3, 2020
I received Exposure Point as an ARC from the author. From the first the first paragraph I was hooked. I was right there with Isaac and Callie (Calliope) as they spent Isaac's last day together, before he leaves for school. As I read the story, I felt I was watching the story through Callie's eyes, as if I was there with her. I loved the Bachelor reference because it made it feel like the story was currently happening. I could not put the book down. My heart was racing with every discovery they made. I can not wait to read the next story, I need to know what happens to the other students.
July 26, 2020
Callie and Isaac were best friends and he was headed off to college but she had to hang back because she had hurt her foot. Now she had a job at the high school.and there was something sinister going on. Callie found herself wrapped up in a web of lies, death, deception and danger that she didn’t know where or who to turn to. Her world seemed to be falling apart as the interesting and intriguing story unfolds. But, will there be another book to follow up? I hope so.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 22, 2021
I received Exposure Point as an ARC from the author. From the first the first paragraph I was hooked. I was right there with Isaac and Callie (Calliope) as they spent Isaac's last day together, before he leaves for school. As I read the story, I felt I was watching the story through Callie's eyes, as if I was there with her. I loved the Bachelor reference because it made it feel like the story was currently happening. I could not put the book down. My heart was racing with every discovery they made. I can not wait to read the next story, I need to know what happens to the other students.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews