A Murder is Going Down (Kate Emery, A&U Children’s)

Kate Emery (My Family and Other Suspects, The Not So Chosen One) returns with a mystery within a mystery in A Murder is Going Down, while remaining true to her award-winning brand of funny and quirky young adult novels. Marianne, a woman in her 40s dressed in a power suit, and Heidi, a socially awkward 16-year-old with a librarian chic style, are stuck in an elevator. While Marianne hyperventilates and struggles with her claustrophobia, Heidi tries to distract her with a story about the time her sister-in-law got trapped in a lift. That story is also, coincidentally, about the time Heidi’s brother, Felix, was murdered. Told in alternating chapters ‘Now’ and ‘Then’, Heidi recounts how Felix died and how she was left to solve the mystery alongside her sister-in-law’s younger brother, as well as her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend, who are now dating. The novel has just enough romantic tension to balance the grisly crime, while Heidi’s friendship drama and family complications keep the murder plot grounded. Emery’s suburban Australian setting strikes a refreshingly different note to the slick backdrops of her American counterparts Karen M McManus and E Lockhart. The red herrings mixed with legitimate clues will keep young sleuths hooked and make this modern-day Agatha Christie, with amusingly snarky teenage characters, a hit with cosy crime readers aged 12 and up. 

Books+Publishing reviewer: Annie Waters sells books, writes about books and podcasts about books. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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