Kill Joy. Holly Jackson. 2021. 130 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: For this murder mystery game you will be playing the role of Celia Bourne.
Premise/plot: Kill Joy is a prequel to Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. (I didn't know this when I started it). Six teens gather together for a murder mystery party with a 1920s theme. It is narrated by Pippa Fitz-Amobi. She enjoys dressing up, following the (fake) clues, and solving the (fake) murder.
My thoughts: I read this one because I needed a K title for my Alphabet Soup challenge. I wasn't paying the closest attention to the fact that it was a novella and a prequel novella at that. I think prequels written several years after book one (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder) are mainly read by those who've already read the big book, the main book. It is written for fans of the book, the series. There is less characterization, perhaps.
This one is weak on characterization (mind you, I think if I'd read book one first, I wouldn't have this complaint), and it's also weak on story. It is literally just six teenagers hanging out together and play-acting a murder mystery. It isn't that suspenseful. There are no twists and turns. It's fairly ho-hum and meh.
That being said, I do want to read the series now simply because I think there's promise there in that direction.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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