The Girl Is Murder
by Kathryn Miller Haines
Fifteen-year-old Iris Anderson is dealing with a lot of life
changing events. It is 1942 in New York City and her father, “Pops”, has returned from
Pearl Harbor with only one leg, Her
mother has committed suicide and she and Pops have moved from the Upper East Side
to the Lower East Side because of their finances. Iris had to give up her private school and
enroll in the public high school, with boys! She has lost touch with her old
friends and has no one to talk to about her grief. Pops was in the Navy and usually gone, so Iris
and her mother were very close, and he has no idea how to parent a teenage
daughter. Pops has a private detective
agency but he can no longer do the strenuous physical work that it requires due
to his war injury. When Iris overhears a client cancelling his business unless
Pops can show him that he is making progress on his case, and she realizes that
Pops can’t pay the rent, she decides to take action. She snoops through his files and follows a
suspect to gets pictures with her Brownie camera that will help her dad keep his
client. Iris expects her dad to be
pleased with her but that is not the case. Pops is less than thrilled to find
out that his daughter has put herself in danger and he forbids her to continue.
When one of her classmates goes missing and Pops is investigating, Iris knows
that, no matter what, she must help her dad.
The Girl Is Murder has an atmospheric setting and the
author draws the reader into 1942 with the war raging, food rationing, zoot
suits and period slang. The ending is unexpected. This teenage noir is
reminiscent of Nancy Drew but Iris, unlike Nancy, sneaks around to do her
detecting. Iris is a typical teen who is
a fish out of water in her new environment. She thinks about boys, worries
about fitting in and making friends but she is smart and resourceful. This book will appeal to teens as well as
adults and anyone who likes mysteries and historical fiction. In the back of the book there is a glossary
explaining the slang and also a question and answer section with the author.
Iris continues her adventures in The Girl Is Trouble.
Teen Historical Mystery
Grade 10-Adult
Recommended Read-a-Likes:
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Ten Cents A Dance by Christine Fletcher