The Murder Game

February 15, 2021
Grades 9-12 On paper, Luke is your typical college-app striver--athlete, scholar, and activist. He's not like his roommate and best friend, Oscar, whose nose for trouble is as dangerous as his penchant for kissing girls. But they must lean on brains and luck when they unwittingly stumble into a murder scene at their boarding school. Together, they investigate the secret lives of students and teachers alike to track down the killer. Unfortunately, they're not exactly the most subtle, and their inquiries have attracted the attention of more than one person who'd like their past to stay hidden. Doyle strikes a good balance between a twisty whodunit and a lighter adventure story. The tone she sets never gets too grim, despite the story involving illicit affairs, secret identities, and hidden pasts. Complicating the tale is Luke's own traumatic experience as a kidnapping survivor, which creates a through line of the teen sleuth accepting and embracing his own inner strength. This is a solid, well-paced read for any lover of YA mystery.

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February 15, 2021
A murder in a boarding school leads a teen sleuth down a dangerous path. When Luke and his roommate, Oscar, snuck out of their dorm room after hours to hook up with two girls in the woods, they did not expect to get involved in a murder. Dean Heckler's young wife's body is found the morning after, near the place the teens were hanging out. Fear of being expelled prevents them from confessing their presence around the time of the murder--but when Oscar becomes a suspect, Luke starts his own investigation to prove his best friend's innocence. Fortunately, three years earlier Luke had escaped a kidnapping using survival skills learned from his former-POW grandfather, the same skills he now needs if he wants to find the true murderer and get out of this situation alive. This whodunit has enough twists and red herrings to make for an intriguing mystery if readers are prepared to suspend disbelief at how frequently adult characters act with implausible negligence. The book is also weighed down by a haze of misogyny when describing both girls at the school as well as the murdered woman, who remains a vapid, one-note seductress throughout. Luke's vague and perfunctory attempts at challenging his male friends in their sexist views are not enough to clear the chauvinist miasma. Main characters are White. A suspenseful mystery diminished by outdated gender stereotypes. (Mystery. 14-18)

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March 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Luke Chase and his best friend Oscar just wanted a night of teenage rebellion at their quiet, private boarding school. The plan was simple: sneak out of their dorm, meet their friends Kelsey and Pippa, and have a fun evening. When they hear adults near their hangout spot, the four teens think they're caught. Instead, they hear a murder. The victim, Mrs. Heckler, is the flirtatious wife of one of the deans, and when rumors fly that she was having an affair with a student, Oscar becomes the prime suspect. Luke knows Oscar is innocent, so he starts his own investigation to clear his friend's name. Doyle uses her past work writing cozy mysteries to create an intriguing whodunit with enough red herrings and plot twists to keep readers guessing until the big reveal. The teen characters are richly developed and complex, with interesting and suspicious motives. However, the adult characters are more stereotypical and some readers may find the interactions between the teens and adults implausible. In particular, the teachers are too informal and open with their students. While the resolution is tidy, the pacing is a bit rushed near the climax, and readers may be left wanting more. Readers who enjoyed Karen M. McManus's One of Us Is Lying, Dana Mele's People Like Us, and Chelsea Pitcher's This Lie Will Kill You will find this a satisfying read. Most main characters' races aren't stated, and there is some diversity in the supporting cast. VERDICT A character-driven murder mystery that will leave readers guessing until the big reveal.-Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask.

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