No One Else Can Have You

October 21, 2013
Sixteen-year-old Kippy Bushman lives in Friendship, Wis., population 688—about half of whom seem to make an appearance in this thriller/murder mystery. When Kippy’s best friend, Ruth, is brutally murdered, the town is certain that Ruth’s football star boyfriend is the culprit. But Kippy—who has been given Ruth’s revealing and unflattering diary—and Ruth’s recently discharged brother, Davey, aren’t so sure. They team up to find the real killer in an idiosyncratic and sometimes puzzling whodunit. Hale’s over-the-top characters will make readers both cringe and chuckle, including painfully awkward Kippy herself, who is like a prettier version of the dorky, clueless Sue Heck on The Middle. Hale doesn’t let readers forget they’re in a quirky, small Midwestern town, don’tcha know, and the colloquialisms wear after a while. But the mystery behind Ruth’s death (and behind Ruth herself, whose hard and soft edges come through in her diary) are enough to hold interest. A sweetly amusing romance between Kippy and Davey is another nice touch, and the last few pages are nail-biters, you betcha. A Full Fathom Five property. Ages 14–up.

February 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-The tricky trifecta of murder mystery, dark humor, and satire doesn't quite pay out in this novel. The murder is that of Ruth Fried, protagonist Kippy's best friend, though the two have little in common by junior year of high school: Ruth is a local party girl, sexing up not only the local town vandal but also a middle-aged lawyer. When Ruth turns up violently murdered, strung up in a cornfield, the slow-witted sheriff locks up Colt, the boyfriend. Nobody knows about Ruth's other exploits except Kippy, who is given Ruth's journal, full of nearly indecipherable handwriting and lots of "sex stuff" that the deceased's mom has asked Kippy to censor. The dark humor revolves around Kippy's awkward and naive interactions with the world-she's been a bit off-kilter since her mother's death during her early childhood and still marches to a different drum. Kippy and Ruth's older brother, a soldier suffering from PTSD, are determined to find out who really killed Ruth. Small-town Wisconsin is satirized: the culture of potluck and bratwurst, saccharine niceness, and a Ruth Fried Foundation Brigade that wants Colt's head on a platter. The plots trails a bit through Kippy's investigation, and readers may find themselves in a walk, not a run, to finish Hale's story.-Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2013
Murder has hit Friendship, Wis., (population once 689, now 688) hard; Kippy Bushman hits back harder to find the murderer in this Fargo-like debut. The 16-year-old is still grieving her mother, who died years ago, when BFF Ruth Fried is found killed in a local cornfield. The grisly details are immediately offset by small-town quirkiness and a thick Wisconsin accent, don'tcha know. While the community's long list of scorned female teens and the father of one of those teens, inept Sheriff Staake, are ready to indict the high school's resident scoundrel, Kippy has other theories. When Ruth's mother gives her Ruth's journal "to redact the sex parts," Kippy learns more about Ruth's clandestine escapades, as well as Ruth's sometimes-disparaging remarks toward her. The only person who shares Kippy's desire for the truth and who understood Ruth's difficult personality is Davey, Ruth's older brother, who's returned from active military duty, dishonorably discharged and without a finger. As Kippy goes undercover, her wry humor helps her cope with her touchy-feely, middle school-guidance-counselor father (whose pamphlets and self-help groups don't seem to cover serial killers), her feelings for Davey, her complicated relationship with Ruth and some harrowing situations that leave the heart pounding. The small town's big secrets provide enough red herrings to keep readers guessing. Can a murder mystery be funny? You betcha! (Mystery. 14 & up)

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