Genre: Mystery
Virgina loves to go visit her eccentric grandmother where she lives at “Castle Claude.” This is a building where all of her grandmother’s friends have apartments and common living spaces. They really enjoy playing the game “Killing Me Softly” where they stage fictional murders, act out the parts, and try to solve them as a group. Virginia and Felix (another neighbor’s grandson) even like to play the game with them. When the owner of the building dies, they are all nervous to see what will happen to their home and several relatives do come out of the woodwork for the reading of the will. However, it appears that the tenants will be protected and their home will stay the same, but the family member who stands to inherit the most (Claude’s sister) starts acting suspiciously and Virginia worries she may have found a loophole to evict everyone. Her and Felix have long suspected that she would love to sell the land to a developer. Before they can find out what is truly going on, a real body appears in a game of Killing Me Softly and Virginia and Felix decide it is up to them to solve the murder and save their grandparents’ home. Can they find out who is behind this surprising murder? What is Claude’s sister really up to when it comes to Castle Claude? Can they stop anyone else from getting hurt?
Fans of Agatha Christie and other old fashioned “whodunits” will enjoy this title as it has a very retro feel to it. Virginia and Felix are nice to their grandparents and do not feel embarrassed by their eccentricities. That does not mean they do not exhibit typical teenage behavior, however, as Virginia often fails to see eye to eye with her mother and there is definitely a teenage attraction between Felix and Viriginia. The character development is really key in a good whodunit and this one achieves that by allowing the residents to show who they are and how they fit into Castle Claude. They all end up lending a hand in solving the case. The ending is exciting and satisfying and readers will want to see more of the shenanigans that these residents get up to. Recommended for fans of mysteries without a lot of gore.
Young Adult Book Reviews 