Review: The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

Title: The Girl Is Murder
Author: Kathryn Miller Haines
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Publishing Date: July 19th 2011
Pages: 352
Genre: YA Historical Fiction, Mystery
Series: Girl is Murder #1
Source: Audiobook Goodreads Summary:

Iris Anderson is only 15, but she's quickly mastering the art of deception in this YA novel for fans of Veronica Mars.


It's the Fall of 1942 and Iris's world is rapidly changing. Her Pop is back from the war with a missing leg, limiting his ability to do the physically grueling part of his detective work. Iris is dying to help, especially when she discovers that one of Pop's cases involves a boy at her school. Now, instead of sitting at home watching Deanna Durbin movies, Iris is sneaking out of the house, double crossing her friends, and dancing at the Savoy till all hours of the night. There's certainly never a dull moment in the private eye business.

Review:
I was so excited when I came across this book. I love Historical Fiction and I love Mystery. The cover is eye catching, the title is interesting, and the synopsis pulled it all together to sound like a good read and it was a very good read.

The story is about a 15 year girl who just lost her mother, her father is home injured from the war, and her life was drastically changed. Iris is lost in her new world. She is having a very hard time finding her place this new world she now lives in, which contains public school, no money, and a father who she hardly knows. She quickly finds herself mixed up in a missing person’s report, attempting to help her father but only lands herself a in big mess. Before she knows it the only thing she is able to do is tell lies, and that’s not going so well either. It’s full of laughs, mystery, and growing up.

I really liked Iris. She came across clueless at times, but she is only 15 and has lived a very sheltered life up to this point. I enjoyed reading her adventure and all the trouble she ran into. She wants to make friends, get close to her father, and help people, but her intriguing mind seems to always land her in trouble. She tells her lies with the best intention and finds that getting into a mess is a lot easier than getting out of one. I was really drawn to her and felt a strong connection to her. I was rooting for her even when she was clearly screwing up.

I found all the characters likeable, Suze in particular really warmed my heart. She was the girl that pegged as trouble, but deep down she has a big heart and horrible home life. She was doing the best she could for herself and her friends. Loyalty and friendship really went a long way with her.

Something else I really found entertaining was the lingo that was used. I really felt I was in a different era. I loved hearing all the phrases and words used during time this book took place. I found myself giggling often the words, thoughts, and actions of the girls of this generation. It was a fun time traveling adventure for me.

I read a lot of mysteries, and can usually figure something out. This book had me going. I was clueless until the end and didn’t know who to trust or what the truth was. If you like mystery, this is a very clean, old fashioned, keep you guessing kind of mystery. I would definitely recommend it and I am so excited the next one is on its way!

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