You can put this solution on YOUR website! Look at the slope between the first and second, and the second and the third. If they are in a straight line, the slopes will be equal.
-8-2/5-(-2)=-10/7=-1.43
9-(-8)/(-7-5)=17/-12. They aren't equal.=-1.42
As a check, look at the first and third.
(9-2)/(-7-(-2))=7/-5=-1.4
None of these is the same, although they are close. This isn't linear.
Here's a graph of the first and third points.