Summary:
Ruth, Kippy's best friend (and local slut), has turned up dead. Kippy has been given Ruth's diary and is determined to find out who killed Ruth. Unfortunately, her little town of Friendship, Wisconsin, doesn't seem to be taking the case seriously. Mixed in the fact that Kippy has her own problems. Since her mother passed away, she's a little off. She's socially awkward, but really wants to figure out who the killer is. So, she goes about solving the crime in the only way she knows how, the Diane Sawyer way.
My thoughts:
Comparing this book to Pretty Little Liars was a little far fetched, unless of course you decide that every book that has a girl getting murdered and her friends going after the murderer is like Pretty Little Liars. Sara Shepard is amazing at building intrigue and suspense with a good amount of teenage drama mixed in. Hale is not there yet. While this book has its moments, it does not bring the suspense that a good mystery needs to have. The writing also has some fairly awkward parts that I believe were meant to bring out humor, but read more stilted than anything. On the other hand, when Hale really lets loose on the odd humor, it comes across as very funny. The highlights of this book are the rather dark sense of humor the author portrays. I'll keep a look out for Hale in the future, but if I'm mixed on another of her books then she may end up being a pass.
Ruth, Kippy's best friend (and local slut), has turned up dead. Kippy has been given Ruth's diary and is determined to find out who killed Ruth. Unfortunately, her little town of Friendship, Wisconsin, doesn't seem to be taking the case seriously. Mixed in the fact that Kippy has her own problems. Since her mother passed away, she's a little off. She's socially awkward, but really wants to figure out who the killer is. So, she goes about solving the crime in the only way she knows how, the Diane Sawyer way.
My thoughts:
Comparing this book to Pretty Little Liars was a little far fetched, unless of course you decide that every book that has a girl getting murdered and her friends going after the murderer is like Pretty Little Liars. Sara Shepard is amazing at building intrigue and suspense with a good amount of teenage drama mixed in. Hale is not there yet. While this book has its moments, it does not bring the suspense that a good mystery needs to have. The writing also has some fairly awkward parts that I believe were meant to bring out humor, but read more stilted than anything. On the other hand, when Hale really lets loose on the odd humor, it comes across as very funny. The highlights of this book are the rather dark sense of humor the author portrays. I'll keep a look out for Hale in the future, but if I'm mixed on another of her books then she may end up being a pass.
