A review by bookishlibrarian
The Agathas by Liz Lawson, Kathleen Glasgow
3.0
Alice is a rich but neglected teen, fond of Agatha Christie novels, who is now ostracized after having disappeared for a few days last summer. Iris is her tutor, from the wrong side of the tracks and hiding a secret of her own. When Alice's former best friend is found dead and her ex the main suspect, the two team up to try and figure out what happened.
The beginning of the book gave off major Veronica Mars vibes, with the ostracized former popular girl turned sleuth, and I really wish the book dug more into Alice's story and the class dynamics. The mystery was fairly predictable (I guessed pretty early, and the duo hone in on one suspect extensively to the point you know it has to be someone else). I enjoyed the dynamics between the two leads--with the addition of Iris's Zoner friends, the most. I also liked the slow teasing out of the story of Alice's own disappearance (Iris's secret is more obviously telegraphed). An enjoyable start to a series, but not sure I loved it enough to continue, but I'm also not the target audience!
The beginning of the book gave off major Veronica Mars vibes, with the ostracized former popular girl turned sleuth, and I really wish the book dug more into Alice's story and the class dynamics. The mystery was fairly predictable (I guessed pretty early, and the duo hone in on one suspect extensively to the point you know it has to be someone else). I enjoyed the dynamics between the two leads--with the addition of Iris's Zoner friends, the most. I also liked the slow teasing out of the story of Alice's own disappearance (Iris's secret is more obviously telegraphed). An enjoyable start to a series, but not sure I loved it enough to continue, but I'm also not the target audience!