The Murder Notebooks: Dead Time

VOYA - Aarene Storms

Rose has lived with her unfriendly grandmother in a posh London neighborhood for nearly five years, since her mother and her stepfather went out for dinner and disappeared without a trace. She has been out of touch with her stepbrother, Joshua, most of that time, but recently he contacted her, saying that he is still looking for clues about the mysterious disappearance. Together, Rose and Joshua dig back into the old mystery, and discover that two recent murders witnessed by Rose might be linked to a larger conspiracy, which apparently will be revealed in another book. Are Rose and Joshua romantically attracted? Are the mysterious blue-butterfly tattoos a clue? Is Joshua's friend, Skeggsie, involved with the conspiracy, or is he a victim of it—or is he an innocent bystander? This novel is raises many questions and provides almost no answers at all, making it a frustrating read with very little action or character development. Lovers of murder mysteries will not appreciate the lack of clues or closure, and readers who enjoy conspiracy tales will not see hints of that plot line until very late in the book. This is not a necessary purchase. Reviewer: Aarene Storms

Children's Literature - Danielle Williams

Five years ago Rose lost her mother, her stepfather, her stepbrother and her familiar, happy life. Forced to live with her grandmother, who immediately shipped her off to boarding school, she finally has a chance at getting a bit of her lost life back when Josh, her stepbrother, begins to email her. But Rose's life is immediately pushed off kilter when she is witness to the murder of a classmate and then suspected of being responsible for the death of another classmate. Rose is swept up in a series of events that she does not understand and cannot find a way to avoid. But as Rose grows closer to Josh, she begins to realize that she might have a chance at getting a bit of her early life back as she and Josh work together to discover what happened to their parents. Cassidy presents a familiar tale of little girl lost, searching for her mother and something resembling the happy childhood that she lost. The only unusual thing about the novel is the setting, London, which will appeal to American girls. The novel is the first in the "Murder Notebooks" series and hopefully the following installments will provide a more intriguing mystery. Reviewer: Danielle Williams

School Library Journal

Gr 7–10—At 17, Rose Smith still wonders what happened to her mom and stepdad, who disappeared when she was 12. She lives in London with her grandmother, and her stepbrother, Joshua Jackson, has just come there to study and lives with an uncle. One evening, Rose runs into her tormenter, Ricky Harris, who insults her and is murdered minutes later. After the investigation is underway, Rose goes to meet a friend, but she has been killed as well. With two mysterious deaths and Rose's missing parents, the stage is set for a fast-paced mystery. With the help of Josh's friend, Skeggsie, a hacker wiz, the two murders are solved, and the outcome will keep readers guessing. But is there a connection between the murders and the disappearance of Rose and Josh's parents? Readers will have to wait for the next installment to find out. The mystery is easy to follow, and the thorny relationship between Rose and her critical, socialite grandmother and the renewed and supportive relationship between the teens are well drawn.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Kirkus Reviews

A bumpy series opener takes readers to modern London. After a disastrous year at boarding school, 17-year-old Rose Smith has transferred to a dodgy local high school in London. The disappearance of her mother and mother's boyfriend five years earlier has landed her with her posh grandmother, who forbids her to see the boyfriend's son, Joshua. Just as Rose and Joshua reconnect, Rose's classmates start turning up dead, and she can't resist the temptation to investigate on her own, even when it puts her in danger. Meanwhile, Joshua draws Rose closer in his own pursuit of the truth about their parents' disappearance, leading Rose to struggle with conflicting feelings that will resonate with readers of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. Rose's thorny personality--several characters tell her that she's hard to like--is only partially mitigated by stiff, third-person glimpses into her personality. In clipped sentences, this formulaic mystery supplies the usual panoply of suspects and red herrings. The plot is awkwardly elliptical; crucial historical details are withheld from readers until nearly halfway through the tale, and repeated allusions to a devastating betrayal at boarding school are never explained. As the first installment in the Murder Notebooks series, the tale leaves most questions still unanswered. For murder-mystery fans, there is enough suspense to keep the pages turning, but this story is not likely to convert teens to the genre. (Mystery. 12 & up)