Dead Semester

Four students have disappeared from Hawthorne University in the last three years. Two were found dead. One was never found at all. The police insist the cases aren’t connected. The university insists there is no threat to students. Most people have stopped asking questions. Then another student vanishes. When senior Madison Cole disappears without a trace, you and your friends decide to investigate the case for your student-run true crime podcast, The Crimson File. What begins as a single episode quickly turns into something much bigger as anonymous tips, hidden connections, and long-buried secrets begin surfacing across campus. The deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that someone is lying. Maybe several people. As your audience grows and your investigation gains attention, you’ll interview witnesses, uncover clues, navigate friendships and rivalries, and chase leads through dorms, libraries, classrooms, and forgotten corners of campus. But the closer you get to the truth, the more dangerous the investigation becomes. Because if a serial killer really is operating at Hawthorne University, there’s a chance they’re listening to every episode. Dead Semester is a college mystery thriller about friendship, journalism, secrets, and the hunt for a killer hiding in plain sight. InnerSelf included