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Archivist's Choice
Untouchable
Kate Brian (2012)
Genre
Thriller / Mystery / Young Adult / Romance
Reading Time
12 Minutes
Key Themes
See below
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When her boyfriend is murdered at an elite boarding school, a girl's quest for truth unearths dark secrets, forbidden desires, and the chilling possibility that her new love might be the killer.
Synopsis
Reed's seemingly perfect life as a Billings Girl at Easton Academy shatters when her boyfriend, Thomas Pearson, is found dead. As the school grapples with the tragedy, Reed notices her fellow Billings Girls exhibiting increasingly strange behavior, from depression to drug use and uncharacteristic kindness. Amidst the chaos, Reed finds herself drawn to Josh, leading to a passionate affair during Thanksgiving break.
However, their budding romance is quickly overshadowed when Josh becomes the prime suspect in Thomas's murder. As Reed tries to clear his name, her own investigation uncovers disturbing secrets about her friends and the true circumstances surrounding Thomas's death, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about her 'untouchable' world.
Difficulty
Easy
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Suspenseful, Mysterious, Romantic, Dramatic
Plot Summary
The Aftermath of Thomas's Death
The novel opens after Thomas Pearson's death, Reed's boyfriend. His body was found in the woods near Easton Academy. While initially ruled an accident, the circumstances are unclear. Reed, a member of the elite 'Billings Girls' clique, is devastated. Her friends – Taylor, Kiran, Noelle, and Arianna – react in unsettling ways: Taylor becomes withdrawn and takes medication, Kiran drinks heavily, Noelle shows uncharacteristic kindness, and Arianna remains detached. The school community is shaken. Rumors circulate about what happened to Thomas, casting doubt on the perfect lives of Easton Academy's students, especially those connected to Thomas and the Billings Girls.
Unsettling Behavior and Lingering Questions
As weeks pass, Reed's grief grows alongside her observations of her friends. Taylor's reliance on medication and her fragile state worry Reed. Kiran's drinking increases, suggesting deeper problems she's avoiding. Noelle, usually sharp-tongued, is gentle with Reed, which seems odd. Arianna remains eerily composed, almost indifferent, which Reed finds disturbing given Arianna's close relationship with Thomas. These reactions, combined with the lack of answers about Thomas's death, make Reed suspect there's more to the story than what authorities or her friends are saying. She feels a growing unease within her own circle.
Thanksgiving Break and Unexpected Company
Thanksgiving break arrives, and most students leave Easton Academy. Reed and Josh, Thomas's best friend and Reed's longtime confidante, both stay on the deserted campus. This unexpected solitude brings them closer. The emotional intensity of their shared grief for Thomas begins to shift. They spend time comforting each other, and unspoken feelings they've had for each other, perhaps even before Thomas's death, surface. The empty campus provides a private setting for these emotions, leading to a passionate encounter.
The Hookup and the Confession
During Thanksgiving break, Reed and Josh's relationship moves from friendship and shared grief to physical and emotional intimacy. Their hookup is intense and unexpected, born from shared vulnerability and long-suppressed feelings. Reed feels exhilaration and guilt. She decides to be honest with her friends, the Billings Girls, about her new relationship with Josh. She believes they deserve to know as a close group. She expects a typical 'tell-all' session, maybe some teasing, but not the reaction she gets. This decision is a turning point, as her private life collides with the ongoing mystery.
Josh Becomes Suspect Number One
When Reed tells the Billings Girls about her relationship with Josh, she is met not with understanding but with a chilling accusation. Instead of being happy or surprised, the girls react with suspicion and hostility. Suddenly, Josh, Thomas's best friend and Reed's new boyfriend, is blamed for Thomas Pearson's murder. The girls suggest Josh, perhaps out of jealousy, killed Thomas to be with Reed. This shift shatters Reed's trust in her friends and puts her in a desperate situation. She must defend Josh against their accusations and the growing campus consensus.
The Crumbling Perfect Life
The accusation against Josh, led by the Billings Girls, shakes Reed's life. Her carefully built image and her sense of belonging in the elite clique begin to fall apart. The 'perfect life' she had as a Billings Girl, with privilege, popularity, and loyalty among friends, is now threatened by internal conflict and external suspicion. Reed finds herself isolated from the people she considered her closest allies, as they turn against Josh and, by extension, against her for defending him. This isolation forces Reed to re-evaluate her friendships and her world, realizing the fragile foundation of her 'untouchable' status.
Reed's Private Suspicions Deepen
While Reed strongly defends Josh, a seed of doubt grows in her mind, not about Josh, but about her friends. The more convinced everyone becomes of Josh's guilt, the more Reed's private suspicions point elsewhere. She re-examines her friends' strange behaviors after Thomas's death – Taylor's withdrawal, Kiran's drinking, Noelle's unusual kindness, and Arianna's coldness. She connects these observations with their strong accusations against Josh, wondering if their eagerness to blame him is a distraction. Reed realizes she's uncovering something she doesn't want to believe, something that implicates her own inner circle.
Uncovering Secrets and Lies
Driven by her suspicions, Reed investigates Thomas's life and the Billings Girls' dynamics more closely. She uncovers a hidden world of cheating, partying, and blackmail. It becomes clear Thomas was involved in something illicit, and members of the Billings Girls, or their associates, might have been involved or victimized. Reed pieces together information, discovering that Thomas had been blackmailing at least one of the girls, using their secrets against them. This revelation provides a strong motive for murder, shifting the focus from Josh to those within Reed's trusted circle. The 'untouchable' facade of the Billings Girls crumbles further.
Confrontation and Betrayal
With her new understanding of the blackmail scheme, Reed confronts the Billings Girls. The confrontation is tense, as years of friendship and shared secrets are tested. One by one, the girls' alibis and innocent appearances begin to crack. The truth about who Thomas was blackmailing, and why, comes out, revealing deep resentments, fears, and betrayals within the group. Reed faces the harsh reality that her closest friends were not only hiding information but might also be directly involved in Thomas's death, or at least in covering it up. The 'untouchable' bond of the Billings Girls is broken.
The Truth Revealed
Through her investigation and confrontation, Reed finally uncovers the truth behind Thomas Pearson's murder. The killer is one of the Billings Girls, desperate to stop Thomas from exposing their secrets through blackmail. The motive is clear, and the method of death is understood. This revelation devastates Reed. It forces her to confront the dark side of her seemingly perfect world and the true nature of her friendships. The 'untouchable' image of the Billings Girls is completely shattered. Reed is left to deal with the betrayal and the loss of her innocence, forever changed by the tragic events and the shocking truth.
Principal Figures
Reed
The Protagonist
Reed transforms from a naive, grief-stricken girlfriend into a courageous investigator who uncovers the dark secrets of her social circle, ultimately sacrificing her 'perfect' life for the truth.
Thomas Pearson
The Victim/Antagonist (posthumous)
Though dead, Thomas's character arc is revealed in reverse; he starts as the beloved victim and is gradually exposed as a calculating blackmailer whose actions led to his own demise.
Josh
The Supporting/Love Interest
Josh goes from grieving best friend to unexpected love interest, then unjustly accused suspect, highlighting the destructive power of suspicion and betrayal within the social hierarchy.
Taylor
The Supporting
Taylor's arc shows her descent into a medicated, fragile state, revealing the psychological burden of the secrets she carries and her inability to cope with the aftermath.
Kiran
The Supporting
Kiran's arc demonstrates her struggle to cope with the aftermath of Thomas's death and the group's secrets, progressively turning to self-destructive behavior as her emotional walls crumble.
Noelle
The Supporting
Noelle's arc involves a surprising shift in demeanor, moving from her usual persona to an uncharacteristic kindness that raises questions about her motives and involvement.
Arianna
The Supporting/Antagonist
Arianna's arc reveals the calculated nature beneath her composed exterior, as her efforts to maintain control and deflect suspicion unravel, exposing her deeper involvement.
Themes & Insights
The Illusion of Perfection
The novel explores how the seemingly perfect lives of the Billings Girls, with privilege, popularity, and an 'untouchable' status, are an illusion. Beneath the surface are secrets, blackmail, and moral compromises. Thomas's death shatters this facade, forcing the characters, especially Reed, to confront the truth about their friends and their constructed realities. The theme highlights the dangers of maintaining a flawless image and the destructive results when it cracks.
“The perfect life Reed has constructed as a Billings Girl begins to crumble.”
Betrayal and Trust
A central theme is the deep betrayal Reed experiences, first from Thomas's manipulative nature, and then, more devastatingly, from her closest friends. The Billings Girls, once a symbol of loyalty, turn against Josh and, implicitly, against Reed. This makes Reed question her friendships and the nature of trust within her elite social circle. The novel explores how betrayal can come from unexpected sources and the difficult choices one makes when loyalty is tested against the truth.
“Instead, Josh begins to look like suspect No. 1 in the murder of Thomas Pearson.”
The Corrupting Influence of Secrets
The narrative shows how secrets, especially those involving cheating, partying, and blackmail, corrupt individuals and relationships. The Billings Girls' attempts to hide their secrets lead to paranoia, suspicion, and ultimately, murder. The burden of these secrets appears in various ways – Taylor's medication, Kiran's drinking, Noelle's odd behavior, and Arianna's coldness. The novel suggests that while secrets might offer temporary protection, they ultimately destroy, leading to a greater downfall than exposure might have caused.
“Cheating, partying, blackmail, and now...murder? Can the Billings Girls remain untouchable?”
Justice vs. Loyalty
Reed faces a difficult choice between loyalty to her friends and seeking justice for Thomas and Josh. Initially, her loyalty to the Billings Girls is most important. But as she uncovers the truth, she must choose between protecting her friends and exposing the person responsible for Thomas's death. This theme explores the difficult choices people make when personal relationships conflict with moral duties, highlighting the courage needed to prioritize truth and justice, even if it means sacrificing cherished bonds and shattering one's world.
“Reed's private suspicions lead her somewhere she doesn't want to go.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
Red Herring
Misdirection to obscure the true culprit.
The novel heavily employs the red herring device, most notably by making Josh the primary suspect in Thomas's murder. After Reed reveals her relationship with Josh, the Billings Girls quickly turn on him, constructing a plausible motive (jealousy over Reed). This accusation effectively diverts attention from the true killer and the deeper secrets within the Billings Girls, leading Reed and the reader down a path of false assumption. This device builds suspense and allows the true culprit to remain hidden until the climax, intensifying the shock of the final reveal.
Unreliable Narrator (Subtle)
Reed's perception is clouded by grief and naiveté.
While Reed is the primary perspective, her narration is subtly unreliable, particularly in her initial assessment of her friends and the nature of her perfect life. Her grief for Thomas and her deep-seated trust in the Billings Girls initially prevent her from seeing the darker truths. Her perception of her friends' reactions (Taylor's fragility, Kiran's drinking, Noelle's kindness, Arianna's detachment) is colored by her emotional state and existing biases. This unreliability makes her eventual discoveries more impactful, as the reader experiences the shattering of her illusions alongside her, contributing to the novel's suspense and thematic exploration of illusion versus reality.
Blackmail
The central motive and catalyst for conflict.
Blackmail serves as the pivotal plot device that drives the entire mystery. Thomas Pearson's posthumously revealed role as a blackmailer, exploiting the secrets of the Billings Girls, provides the strongest motive for his murder. This device creates a tangled web of fear, resentment, and desperation among the characters, explaining their suspicious behaviors and their eagerness to deflect blame. It is the underlying mechanism that unravels the 'untouchable' facade of the Billings Girls, forcing their hidden transgressions into the open and ultimately leading to the identification of the killer.
Isolated Setting
The deserted campus heightens intimacy and tension.
The use of the deserted Easton Academy campus during Thanksgiving break serves as a crucial isolated setting. This isolation allows Reed and Josh to forge an intense, unexpected romantic connection without the scrutiny of their peers, making their subsequent public revelation even more impactful. More broadly, the seemingly idyllic and insular world of Easton Academy itself, where the Billings Girls operate, contributes to the sense of secrets being contained and protected, intensifying the shock when those secrets are violently exposed. The isolation amplifies both the romance and the suspense.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
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Key Questions (FAQ)
"Untouchable" is a young adult thriller and mystery novel centered around the death of Thomas Pearson, the boyfriend of protagonist Reed. As Reed and her friends at Easton Academy grapple with the murder, secrets, lies, and potential blackmail come to light, questioning if anyone is truly innocent.
