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  • Published: 9 September 2025
  • ISBN: 9780241763070
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 385
  • RRP: $24.00

The Ruling Class





The first book in an addictive YA thriller duology that’s Scandal meets A Good Girl Guide to Murder from the NUMBER ONE bestselling author of The Inheritance Games

A POWERFUL SISTER.

When Tess is sent to stay with her older sister, she has no idea that the famed Ivy Kendrick is the capital’s number one "fixer" – for powerful people looking to make a scandal disappear… for a price.

A DOUBLE LIFE.

No sooner does Tess enrol at the prestigious Hardwicke School than she unwittingly finds herself following in her sister’s footsteps – and rapidly becoming Hardwicke’s go-to high-school fixer.

A PRICE TO PAY.

Secrets pile up until the sisters’ worlds collide in a conspiracy that reaches from the halls of Hardwicke to the most powerful people in the country. Suddenly, there is much more on the line than just good grades... The odds are stacked against Tess, and the price for this fix might be more than she can pay.

  • Published: 9 September 2025
  • ISBN: 9780241763070
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 385
  • RRP: $24.00

About the author

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Jennifer Lynn Barnes has written more than a dozen acclaimed young adult novels. Jen is also a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012 and is currently a professor of psychology and professional writing at the University of Oklahoma. You can find her online at www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com or follow her on Twitter @jenlynnbarnes.

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