Kill Joy: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Novella
Fun and fast-paced prequel to popular mystery series.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Kill Joy is a short (117 pages) prequel to Holly Jackson's bestselling A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. Seventeen-year-old Pip Fitz-Amobi and her friends have been invited to a murder mystery party and each of them has been assigned a character to play and asked to dress as if it were 1924. They'll only have three hours to look for clues and challenge one another's alibis before they have to decide who murdered millionaire Reginald Remy. Teens use strong language (lots of "f--k"), and one teen tells another to "suck my d--k." Guests at the party drink red wine and beer and a girl remembers sharing four drunken kisses with another boy at the party. Other than references to a murder and a suicide five years ago, violence in the novella is confined to the fictional murders (one with lots of fake blood) that are part of the murder party storyline. There may not be a real murder to solve, but Pip is still determined to be the one who discovers the identity of Remy's killer. As a bonus for first-time readers, Kill Joy includes Part 1 of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: Book 1 and the first four chapters of Jackson's thriller, Five Survive.
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What's the Story?
KILL JOY begins with an invitation. Pip Fitz-Amobi and her friends have been invited to celebrate the 74th birthday of Reginald Remy at his private island off the coast of Scotland. The island is actually the home of her friend Connor Reynolds, and the celebration will be a murder mystery party. Each of the teens is given an identity for the party and asked to dress the part in 1920s costume. Pip will be Celia Bourne, Reginald's orphaned niece who works as a governess. Ant Lowe is Robert "Bobby" Remy, Reginald's eldest son. Zach Chen is Ralph, the youngest son and Lauren Gibson will play Ralph's wife, Lizzie. Connor is Humphrey Todd, the butler and Cara Wara is Dora Key, the cook. It's not long after they arrive that they discover Reginald has been stabbed to death. Enter Connor's older brother Jaime as Scotland Yard Inspector Howard Whey, who's arrived to lead the investigation into the murder. As the group searches for clues to the murder in the Billiard Room and Library and exchange and disprove alibis, secrets are also revealed: Who's a thief, who's a spy, who has a gambling addiction, and who's been written out of the will?
Is It Any Good?
This short prequel should delight fans of the series and offer new readers a quick introduction to the series hero, teen sleuth Pip Fitz-Amobi. The sheer number of characters, alibis, and plot twists in Kill Joy could make it tough for some readers to keep track of who's doing what to whom and why.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the murder mystery party in the one in Kill Joy. How would you stage such a party? Do you think it would be fun?
Why is perseverance something every good detective needs?
Pip says that solving murders might not be that different from doing homework. Do you agree? In what way are they similar?
Book Details
- Author: Holly Jackson
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Friendship, Great Girl Role Models, High School
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Publication date: February 28, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 208
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: March 2, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
-
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Book 1
Teen detective "unsolves" murder in riveting thriller.
-
Nothing More to Tell
Teen investigates cold-case murder in terrific page-turner.
-
The Agathas, Book 1
Classic mysteries help two teen detectives solve a murder.
For kids who love mysteries and thrillers
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