Swipe Right for Murder
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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 Derek Milman's Swipe Right for Murder was inspired by the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller North by Northwest. As Milman's story begins, a gay 17-year-old named Aidan Jamison hooks up and has sex with with an older stranger at a New York hotel. When the stranger ends up murdered, Aidan goes on the run, pursued by a mysterious gay terrorist group called the Swans, who want the "item" he took from the hotel room. There's a high body count in this novel (people are killed by guns, drones, arrows, and even a paperclip) and a fair amount of profanity ("f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "goddamn," "bitch"). Although Aidan's sexual encounters are not described much past kissing and a bit of undressing, the story never addresses the real-life dangers of teens using an app to look for sexual partners.
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What's the Story?
When 17-year-old Aidan Jamison signs onto DirtyPaws, a gay hookup app, he has no idea he's about to SWIPE RIGHT FOR MURDER. Aidan gets together and has sex with a man named Benoit, a fellow guest at the New York City hotel where he's staying, and it goes terribly wrong. When Aidan wakes up, he discovers that Benoit's not sleeping but has been shot dead. His only thought is to get out of the hotel room and hope no one discovers he's been there. Too late for that, as he answers Benoit's phone and finds himself talking to someone from a group called the Swans. The caller thinks Aidan is a Mr. Preston and that he has an "item" they want him to hand over. Aidan finds himself on the run, chased by the Swans, a gay terrorist group that's targeting and murdering anti-LGBTQ lawmakers and protesters. Contacted by the mysterious Mr. Preston, Aidan travels to the Adirondacks to meet him and finds himself in the midst of a drone attack by the Swans. And tangled up with the FBI, who may or may not be the good guys.
Is It Any Good?
Mistaken identity, attack drones, mysterious gay terrorists, and a teen hero haunted by his past make for a fast-paced often complicated but ultimately satisfying LGBTQ thriller. There's a lot going in Swipe Right for Murder. Sometimes it's hard to follow the twists and turns (will we ever find out why photos of Aidan were on Benoit's phone?) and a few things may be a bit over the top (murder by paper clip) or simply inexplicable (why, when he's being hotly pursued by men who want to kill him, does Aidan take time out to meet his family for dinner in a restaurant?). Still, it's an engaging page-turner that tackles serious issues of homophobia and domestic terrorism.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the morality of the terrorist group's cause in Swipe Right for Murder. Do you think violence is ever justified when trying to right an injustice?
How does reading a thriller compare with watching one on TV or at the movies?
Have you or any of your friends ever dated someone you met online? What kind of precautions should you take before going out with someone you haven't met in person?
Book Details
- Author: Derek Milman
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Adventures, Book Characters, Great Boy Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: JIMMY Patterson Books
- Publication date: August 6, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 31, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
-
North by Northwest
Witty Hitchcock thriller piles on suspense and innuendo.
-
Homeland
Tense hacker adventure tackles government spying on public.
-
The Doubt Factory
Eye-opening high-tech thriller endorses activism.
-
Neverworld Wake
Dark, gripping, time-shifting psychological thriller.
For kids who love thrillers and LGBTQ stories
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