A House of Vipers - Hardcover

Jackson, Emma

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798217026982

Verlag: Delacorte Press, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

A new dark academia mystery that begins a year after a student’s mysterious disappearance when his brother finds clues that can help him and his friends solve their boarding school’s most elusive puzzle—and find his brother dead or alive.

It’s been a year and a half since Sutter Heyward’s brother, Lawson, disappeared from the secluded campus of Meddlehart Academy. Everyone has given up on finding him except for Sutter, who can’t shake the feeling that he’s out there somewhere and desperately needs help to make it home.

That is, until he and his friends uncover clues that Lawson was searching for their school’s rumored buried treasure the night he went missing . . . and there is a secret society on campus still trying to find it. They are the Order of the Vipers. Sutter and his friends don’t hesitate to join the hunt, but they quickly realize that becoming a Viper involves dangerous initiation rituals where the risk is often greater than the reward. 

With every clue and secret they uncover, Sutter knows they are one step closer to solving the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. But as he digs closer to the deadly truth, he will discover that some things were meant to stay buried.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Emma Jackson is the author of A House of Vipers. She wrote her first story at eight years old and knew immediately she wanted to be an author one day. Emma studied writing at the University of Oklahoma, where she focused on young adult fiction. When she is not writing her next story, she can be found spending time with friends and family, playing cozy video games, going on adventures with her husband, or reading on the couch with her orange tabby cat.

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One

Sutter

Everyone had their reasons for attending Meddlehart Academy.

There were many things that drew people to this place. For some, it was the snowcapped mountain peaks cocooning the campus. For most, it was the prestige bestowed upon Meddlehart graduates. For a few, perhaps it came down to the age-old mystery that haunted the grounds the promise of buried treasure yet to be found.

Sutter's reason was ever evolving. He only hoped it wouldn't change again this year.

It had been simple in the beginning: Sutter's father had attended Meddlehart for his high school years, as had every one of his uncles and grandfathers for generations. There wasn't a question as to whether Sutter and his older brother, Lawson, would attend Meddlehart as well. It was simply a fact.

Now, it was much more than that for Sutter. His parents couldn't have kept him from this campus if they tried.

But he wondered if his parents would change their minds, if they could turn back the clock. If they had only known what the future held, maybe they wouldn't have sent their two sons to this boarding school.

Sutter was fairly certain what his mother's choice would have been. As he and his parents approached the campus gates, he spared his mother a glance. Her lips were pursed the same way they'd been all day yesterday during the long drive up to the Colorado campus, her displeasure completely stifling.

His dad hardly seemed to notice, though. As usual, he was focused on his own feelings, his own priorities, rather than anyone else's. His mouth was turned down in a frown, but he still walked onto the campus with his chest puffed out with pride, like he owned the place. Even today, of all days. The day they placed a permanent memorial for his firstborn son in the campus courtyard.

Sutter shook his head. This wasn't how his first day back at Meddlehart was supposed to feel. He should have been waking up in his dorm room, getting breakfast with his friends, catching up on what had happened during their summer apart, preparing for his first classes of the semester. He should have felt the relief of finally being back here after surviving a slow, lonely, brutally hot summer with his parents at their house in Texas.

Instead, he felt a simmering anger in his gut, dread weighing down his shoulders. This shouldn't be happening. They shouldn't be doing this. Didn't anyone else see that? Why was everyone on board with memorializing someone who was still alive, for all they knew? They'd never found Lawson's body; they hadn't even found a trace of where he'd gone, and yet-

"Something wrong, champ?" Sutter's dad asked with a sidelong glance.

Sutter halted his thoughts, flexing one hand into a fist and then releasing it as he pondered what to say. Because everything was wrong, but if there was one thing Sutter had learned since Lawson's disappearance, it was he couldn't be honest with his father about that. Not without setting him off.

With his father's next step, Sutter spotted a glint of silver in his jacket pocket-a flask, something he probably thought no one would notice.

But Sutter certainly did.

"No," he said in response. "I'm fine. This just . . . doesn't feel right." And it truly didn't. The day was too bright, too cheerful for the occasion, the campus as beautiful as ever-a beacon of light in a sea of misery. Elegant redbrick buildings with immaculate white pillars flanking each wall surrounded the massive pond, commonly referred to as "the lake." White flowers lined the edges of the pathway that wound toward the south side of campus, to the courtyard. An academic fortress on the hillside, the hidden gem of West Fork, and the only place that felt like home to Sutter anymore.

His father gave a slight nod. "You're right, it doesn't. We wish Lawson was here, too. But try not to look so hostile, champ-there'll be press at the ceremony, cameras. We need to look like a united front. Can't have anyone seeing that surly look on your face and thinking you're not on board with this memorial. Understood?"

White-hot anger flashed through Sutter's chest-he wasn't on board with this memorial, but that clearly didn't matter to anyone else. His father was only concerned with the way they were perceived by the outside world. It was probably because of the rumors that had swirled at the time of Lawson's disappearance-rumors that Lawson had a bad relationship with his parents, which prompted him to run away.

Which . . . was entirely true. Lawson didn't get along with their dad. But Sutter doubted that Lawson would have left Meddlehart in the middle of a torrential downpour because of it.

Sutter reached for the chain around his neck, for the weight of the viper pendant. The same one Lawson had left behind in his room that night. Sutter had stolen it from one of the many boxes of Lawson's things the school shipped back after his disappearance. Their father insisted that Sutter leave Lawson's things alone, but he just wanted to have something-anything-that would make him feel closer to his brother. Something to give back to him when he finally came home.

I haven't stopped looking for you, Lawson, he thought. Even if the rest of the world has, I haven't.

Nothing infuriated Sutter more than this-that their own parents had given up on finding Lawson so soon. It was as if they'd accepted-no, decided-their older son was dead.

And no matter how it looked to the crowd and the cameras, there was no "united front" as far as Sutter was concerned. Their family wasn't a family anymore and hadn't been for the past year and a half.

"Heyward!"

Sutter turned at the sound of his last name, and there was Carter Sterling barreling down the pebble walkway from where the student houses sat atop the hill. Despite everything, Sutter grinned as his lifelong best friend bounded toward him and pulled him into a one-armed hug.

"I'm sorry, Sutter," Carter said quietly.

To his surprise, Sutter found he had a knot in his throat. Lawson had been missing for a long time, and his friends had expressed their condolences many times before . . . but somehow, having a friend who knew how painful this was-who knew what this memorial would do to him hit him hard, right in the chest.

His life felt unlucky in a lot of ways, but not in this one.

"It's good to see you, buddy," Sutter managed.

Carter let go and wiped off the sheen of sweat that had surfaced on his dark-brown skin. Even at this altitude, the late-summer air was too warm for the suits they were wearing. Then, as if just realizing Sutter's parents were there, Carter moved to hug them, too. Carter's father had met Sutter's when they were in high school at Meddlehart, and they'd remained friends all these years. Sutter had known Carter and his older brother, Scott, since they were in diapers.

Something about seeing Carter had broken the dam of tears his mother was holding back, because now she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. His dad's expression had taken a turn toward discomfort-he'd never been great at responding to tears.

"Hey, champ," Sutter's dad said. "Let's keep moving, or we'll be late."

Sutter turned wordlessly and led the way down the path, toward the courtyard. Carter fell into step beside him.

"Where are the others?" Sutter asked quietly.

"They'll meet us there. Grayson's late again. His dad screwed up the flights like last year. Fallon and Margot had to do their makeup and stuff-you know the drill," Carter said. He squeezed Sutter's shoulder. "But they're excited to see you."

Sutter sighed-yet another thing this memorial had robbed him of. Thanks to his parents, who had insisted he arrive on campus with them on the day of the ceremony-more of this "united front" nonsense-he was arriving two days after the rest of the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Delacorte Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 13: 9798217026982
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 336
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar