Kiss Me Kill Me

January 21, 2008
Turning for the first time to YA, Henderson (the Sam Jones mysteries; Jane Austen's Guide to Dating
) kicks off her Scarlett Wakefield series with a mostly captivating mystery. Sixteen-year-old Scarlett is trapped in social obscurity at St. Tabitha's, an ultra-ritzy, all-girls' school in London. Used to spending her free time at gymnastics practice and watching movies with her only two friends, Scarlett is stunned when the school's poshest set invites her to one of their parties. She eagerly accepts, hoping to see her longtime crush, Dan McAndrew, the most golden of the boys from the neighboring school. But when she and Dan actually kiss, he drops dead at her feet—and her classmates brand Scarlett a murderer. Forced to flee to Wakefield Hall Collegiate, a private school in the English countryside where her aristocratic grandmother reigns as headmistress, Scarlett launches her own investigation to discover the cause of death and clear her name. The marriage of chick lit and murder can be awkward: Scarlett can barely breathe in Dan's presence, but Henderson can't let readers get invested in him lest the treatment of his death seem casual. However, this author knows just how to time even the smallest revelations for maximum drama, and her mini-sleuth has a natural glamour and intelligence that Nancy Drew can only dream of. The audience will be rivited. Ages 14-up.

March 1, 2008
Gr 8 Up-Seconds into her first kiss, Scarlett watches her dream guy, Dan, fall to the floor dead. Traumatized, she switches from one posh English girls' school to another, where a mysterious note forces her to question whether he died naturally or was murdered. Sharp, witty narration makes Scarlett's simple sleuthing a lark. Teens will find themselves enamored with Henderson's sassy British colloquialisms and the protagonist's pluck. Her gymnastics skills, which surface at key moments throughout the story, will inspire oohs and aahs as well. A cliff-hanger ending might frustrate readers looking for resolution, but like a complicated tumbling sequence, this lithe mystery has great momentum."Shelley Huntington, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2008
Fans of Libba Brays books will enjoy this contemporary British murder mystery featuring 16-year-old Scarlett Wakefield, an orphaned heiress who believes that her first kiss kills her longtime crush, Dan McAndrew. Although she is not charged with Dans death, Scarlett feels responsible, and her subsequent expulsion from her exclusive London private school doesnt help. Scarlett retreats to her grandmothers private girls school, where she tries to put herself back together and find out who, and what, really killed Dan. Henderson knows how to construct a murder mystery. Her pacing and exposition of clues are skillful, and intriguing secondary characters abound. The many Briticisms make sense in context and will not deter American readers. Scarlett is a talented gymnast, and her training episodes capture the sports excitement and the athletes constant striving for perfection. An abrupt ending will leave readers gasping with anticipation for a sequel that will hopefully pick up the fast-paced storys loose threads.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
After her first kiss results in the sudden death of the boy she kisses, sixteen-year-old Scarlett becomes determined to figure out the truth and restore her good name. She uses her talents for observation, humor, and gymnastics along the way. The ending feels largely unresolved, but the mystery features many twists that will keep readers guessing.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)