Thoughts before reading:
I know it's a terrible picture, but I couldn't find anything better. It's getting harder to find images for these later books.
Only 8 more mysteries to go!
The basics:
It's take-your-daughter-to-work day, and all the BSC girls get to go to work with their moms. Stacey has a good time at Bellair's with hers, and she's impressed by how much her mom does in a day. While there, Stacey's even approached about modeling for Bellair's upcoming Fashion Week event. Despite her bad experience last time, she's excited to try again, and her mom gives permission.
At orientation, the only person Stacey knows is Cokie, who enjoys telling her all the gossip about everyone else. She doesn't take Cokie too seriously, but sure enough, pretty quickly Stacey's turned off by the behavior of the other models. They smoke, gossip constantly, don't eat, and are extremely competitive. There is one girl she admires at least, Sydney, who seems really professional and doesn't do any of these things.
After the first show, one of the models, Harmony Skye, who everyone was complaining about getting special treatment, gets sick after drinking some tea. Her mom insists that she was poisoned. Stacey tells the BSC about it, and they decide they have a mystery on their hands. Right away they suspect Roger Bellair, son of the store's owner, because he's dating Sydney.
At the second shoot, several of the girls' outfits are cut up. Claudia starts to suspect Dylan Trueheart, Cokie's agent, because he's always lurking around. Over the next few days, the "pranks" continue... there's a threatening message left on a mirror, film gets ruined, someone gets locked in an elevator, Harmony falls off the cat walk, and someone else gets a terrible rash from tampered with foundation. There's also disturbing notes left around for various girls: beauty kills, pretty is as pretty does, until pretty dies. All of this makes Stacey want to quit, but she decides to stick it out, and doesn't tell her mom about any of it.
During a shoot on the roof of Bellair's, Stacey and Harmony lean on a railing that gives way, but thankfully they only fall to another section of the roof, about a foot lower.
Once Harmony is named "Princess Bellair", but seems disappointed about it, Stacey figures out that she's behind everything that's been happening. Harmony is sick of modeling, but her mom won't let her quit, so she'd been trying to convince her that modeling was too dangerous. Along with the rest of the BSC, Stacey hides in the bathroom to catch her in action, writing messages on the mirrors. Stacey confronts her, and she admits everything. Together they go to her mom to discuss her quitting.
Stacey looks forward to returning to her normal life, and does not want to model again.
Side plot: Abby catches Buddy and Lindsay trying to smoke. Kristy's younger siblings then plan a Stoneybrook smoke-out, trying to get everyone to give up smoking for one day. Watson and Aunt Cecelia, both smokers, sneak some anyway.
Timeline:
It's April.
Misc. thoughts:
*This book mentions something about Stacey having had a bad experience modeling before, but she never has in the books. Is this a reference to the original tv show? I definitely didn't think that was canon. If not it must be an error, unless I'm completely forgetting something important, which at this point, is not impossible...
*Kristy, predictably, is annoyed that Stacey will be working another job.
*Mal complains about young girls looking up to models... she's not really one to talk though.
*Mary Anne and Mal sign up to work at the Bellair's childcare center during Fashion Week. Stacey suggested it to them; she worked there in #87.
*Ghostwritten by Ellen Miles
Books mentioned:
None
My rating:
2 stars. Can't Stoneybrook ever have an event like this without sabotage? This felt like a rehash of the cooking contest plot, which was interesting the first time either. Plus it was really obvious the whole book that Harmony was behind everything.
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