What’s Murder Between Friends

Set in a town so small it doesn’t even have a police station, this murder mystery is narrated by self-confessed drama nerd Hallie, with the main characters (and suspects) her close-knit Year 12 drama class — all five of them. It begins when they are at school on a Saturday doing a scavenger hunt for their beloved drama teacher, when they suddenly come across her lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Everyone who was at the school that day is a suspect, including each of them. Another suspect is the hot football star and town bad boy, Adam Tolentino. Hallie is tasked with finding out what he knows – she befriends him, but becomes distracted by his dimples. Meanwhile, Hallie’s next door neighbour and best friend forever, Walter, is falling in love with her and he is not at all keen on Adam Tolentino. And this whole murder situation is very triggering for Dorothy, whose sister Victoria died by suicide two years earlier.

This is a dry-humoured crime thriller that not only has red herrings and false leads galore, but also show tunes, bad acting and romance. Anyone who enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is going to love it, and those who like theatre and musicals will enjoy the dramatic references. Meg Gatland-Veness writes characters so well you feel like you know them personally and the whodunit will keep you guessing until the very last sentence. Murderously good fun for ages 12+.