Vik Arrieta

Dangerous Networks Vik Arrieta

When they are not studying for physics and math classes, Lucila and her friends Natacha, Anita, Piru and Clarita, meet on weekends to model outfits and conduct photo shoots of their fashion shows. Lucila, one of the few girls with her own computer, painstakingly edits the photos and shares them on Facebook for their classmates. A mysterious message posted on Lucila's Facebook page by a stranger is the prelude to a series of terrifying events: Who, she wonders, is Hunter? As the story of Dangerous Networks unfolds, Lucila's friends begin to disappear under a variety of strange circumstances. Lucila fears something horrible is happening to them. With the help of her classmate Tomi, Lucila begins a desperate search to find out what is going on.

In this debut novel Vik Arrieta addresses urgent social issues: the role of new technologies in the way we communicate and establish relationships, the risks involved in sharing our lives online, and the real threat of stalking and kidnapping. Arrieta was inspired to write the book by the case of Marita Verón, a young woman who was kidnapped in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina on April 3, 2002. Marita's mother, Susana Trimarco, received a tip that Marita may have been abducted. After getting little help from the police, Susana tried to track down her daughter, but to date, Marita has never been found. Dangerous Networks exposes a dark world of human trafficking and the potential dangers teenagers face through the misuse of social networks.

With a nimble and thought-provoking style, in prose that reflects the language of today's generation, Dangerous Networks is an action-packed story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.