Cross Your Heart Hope to Die — Eileen Goudge

A high school tradition takes a deadly turn and a killer crushes the competition in the second suspense-filled thriller following Dying to Win.
 
Senior year isn't supposed to end like this -- with the death of a fellow student. Now, instead of fun times with good friends, there is fear and mourning. The girl who was to be crowned queen of the annual Peach Blossom Festival has been brutally murdered, leaving behind a trail of broken bonds and malicious rumors in her wake . . .
 
While the contest is being rescheduled, class computer whiz Hope Hubbard is determined to find the killer. No one is above suspicion. Not Hope's crush Jess Gardner, who was seen buying rope and a wrench before driving through town with the victim on the last night of her life. Not the ambitious reporter for the local tabloid, who could make her career writing about this case. And certainly not the three remaining Peach Blossom Queen contestants. Just how far would they go to get the full scholarship and Hollywood screen test that comes with winning the crown?
 
Hope must tread carefully, because someone caught her snooping around and has threatened her life if she doesn't stop. All she can do is rely on the loyalty of lifelong friends, all of whom have their own secrets to hide . . .