Back in Black (novel)

Back in Black

Author	Zoey Dean
Country	United States
Language	Japanese
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Little Brown
Publication date	1 September 2005
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	304 pp
ISBN
OCLC	58729776
LC Class	PZ7.D3473 Bac 2005
Preceded by	Tall Cool One
Followed by	Some Like It Hot

Back in Black is the fifth novel in the A-List series by Zoey Dean. It was released in 2005 through Megan Tingley Publishers.

The A-List crew, consisting of Sam, Anna, Dee, Parker, Adam, and Cammie decide to forgo the Spring Break school sponsored trip to Washington D.C. in favor of heading over to Las Vegas instead. Anna misses Ben, who is away at school, and she impulsively invites him to join her and their friends in Vegas too. She also mentions the trip to her best friend from New York, Cyn Baltres, who is impressed with the way Anna has reinvented herself.

Parker Pinelli is worried because he is secretly poor and doesn't have enough money to cover the expenses for their luxurious get away but refuses to confide in any of his friends, fearing they'll kick him off the A-list if they knew the truth. He tries to gamble but is unsuccessful as the Las Vegas laws forbid minors from collecting any winnings so he hooks up with a series of wealthier and older women to cover his costs. No one in the group notices and figure Parker is just a lady killer and decide to kick off their break with a "tacky showgirl outfit contest". The girls eagerly participate although Cammie sneaks away to an undisclosed location which causes Adam to worry that she is cheating on him.

At dinner, the group is joined by none other by Cyn and her boyfriend Scott Spencer, a handsome intellectual Anna secretly had a crush on before coming to L.A. The crew decides to visit a hypnotist, although Dee bows out in favor of trying to help the sinners of Las Vegas reform. Dee's friends are a little bit worried for her as this goes beyond her normal interests in New Age or spiritual fads. Dee has Ruby Hummingbird, Sam's new half sister, on the mind and she frequently calls Poppy in a worry, claiming that she and Ruby Hummingbird have a spiritual connection. Dee begins to hear voices and believes it is Ruby Hummingbird trying to contact her.

Meanwhile, at the hypnotist, Sam is the only one of her friends who doesn't get hypnotized and she watches in shock as everyone's secrets are revealed: Adam admits that sometimes he finds other girls attractive, Cammie admits that she feels Adam can be boring sometimes, and Anna admits her secret crush on Scott. None of them remember what they said and eagerly buy a recording of the show. Sam tries to convince the others not to watch but fails and now everyone is angry with everyone: Adam and Cammie begin to argue about their relationship and Cyn refuses to speak to Anna. However, all is forgotten when Dee suffers a mental breakdown and the crew rush to the hospital to see her.