The Dead Girls Detective Agency: A Young Adult Murder Mystery―Solve Your Own Murder and Escape Limbo Forever
Author(s): Suzy Cox (Author)
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Publication Date: September 18, 2012
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 368 pages
- ISBN-10: 0062020641
- ISBN-13: 9780062020642
Book Description
Veronica Mars meets The Lying Game, The Dead Girls Detective Agency follows Charlotte Feldman, a teenage girl who must solve the mystery of how and why she was murdered if she wants to escape purgatory. The basis for the new Snapchat series!
What would you do if you had to solve your own murder to get anywhere in death?
Maybe if I hadn't slept through my alarm, slammed into Kristin―my high school's reigning mean girl―or stepped in a puddle, destroying my mom's new suede DVF boots (which I borrowed without asking), I wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I wouldn't have been pushed in front of that arriving train. But I did, and I was.
When I came to, I was informed by a group of girls that I'm dead. And that because I died under mysterious circumstances, I can't pass straight over to the Other Side. But at least I'm not alone.
Meet the Dead Girls Detective Agency: Nancy, Lorna, and Tess―not to mention Edison, the really cute if slightly hostile dead boy. Apparently the only way out of this limbo is to figure out who killed me, or I'll have to spend eternity playing Nancy Drew. Considering I was fairly invisible in life, who could hate me enough to want me dead?
And what if my murderer is someone I never would have suspected?
- A Killer Whodunit: Charlotte has to solve her own murder to get out of purgatory. The only problem? She was a total nobody in life, so who would want her dead?
- Ghosts with Attitude: Welcome to the Hotel Attesa, a limbo for teens who died under mysterious circumstances. It comes with a new wardrobe (the one you died in, forever) and a new clique of dead girls to help crack the case.
- Slow Burn Romance: She’s supposed to be solving a murder, not crushing on Edison, the cute, sarcastic, and very-much-dead boy who might be more trouble than he’s worth.
- Urban Fantasy Setting: From the F-train platform where she died to the ghostly hotels of Manhattan, Charlotte’s investigation takes her all over a version of New York City she never knew existed.
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-The last thing Charlotte remembers before blacking out is standing on the platform waiting for New York City's F train. When she awakens, she learns that not only is she dead, but she is also in the Attesa Hotel, a pseudo purgatory for murdered teenagers. Before she can get her key to move through the Red Door to the next dimension, she must solve her own murder. Charlotte quickly comes to terms with her death and begins learning the "rules" from Nancy and Lorna. Calling themselves the Dead Girls Detective Agency, the girls begin ruling out potential suspects by porting to Charlotte's funeral and high school and possessing the living, including Charlotte's old boyfriend, David, and the cheerleaders who are currently pursuing him. As the girls, along with the mysterious dead boy Edison, work to solve the murder, Charlotte's heart is broken by David's new romances but is quickly mended as Edison proves to be a potential love interest. Readers will anticipate but welcome the story's satisfying ending. The characters' voices are virtually indistinguishable and the plot moves slowly. However, readers are likely to forgive these shortcomings along with a couple of plot inconsistencies in favor of a light, easy read sprinkled with fashion, mystery, and romance.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MDα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
One minute, 16-year-old Charlotte was waiting to get on the F train, and the next, she wakes up on the lobby floor of the Hotel Attesa—a kind of limbo for murdered teens! What’s a girl to do? Charlotte learns that she has to figure out who pushed her onto the tracks before she can get her key and go through the Red Door to the Other Side. There to help are other teen ghosts; methodical Nancy, fashion-obsessed Lorna, and hostile Tess, the self-named Dead Girls Detective Agency, introduce Charlotte to the ins and outs of the afterlife. Charlotte’s investigation leads to more questions than answers. Why is her former devoted boyfriend sucking face with the hottest, most popular girl in school? Who is leaving letters in his locker? All the clues add up to an entertaining romp in this story pitting teen Nancy Drews against mortal mean girls. For those who like their paranormal delivered with a wink and a smile, this one wraps up satisfyingly, with the door creaking ajar for future cases. Grades 8-12. --Lynn Rutan
Review
“…Engaging. Cox’s storytelling is well paced…Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this book.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“An entertaining romp” - Booklist
From the Back Cover
Pop quiz: What would you do if you had to solve your own murder to get anywhere in death?
Maybe if I hadn't slept through my alarm, slammed into Kristin—my high school's reigning mean
girl—or stepped in a puddle, destroying my mom's new suede DVF boots (which I borrowed without asking), I wouldn't have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I wouldn't have been pushed in front of that arriving train. But I did, and I was.
When I came to, I was informed by a group of girls that I'm dead. And that because I died under mysterious circumstances, I can't pass straight over to the Other Side. But at least I'm not alone. Meet the Dead Girls Detective Agency: Nancy, Lorna, and Tess—not to mention Edison, the really cute if slightly hostile dead boy. Apparently, the only way out of this limbo is to figure out who killed me, or I'll have to spend eternity playing Nancy Drew. Considering I was fairly invisible in life, who could hate me enough to want me dead? And what if my murderer is someone I never would have suspected?
About the Author
Suzy Cox is deputy editor of Cosmopolitan UK. She lives in London, but she loves New York.
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