Being a big fan of Kim Kane’s book Pip: The Story of Olive and Marion Roberts’ Sunny Side Up, I was more than a little excited about this first collaborative venture for older readers. But nothing could have prepared me for Cry Blue Murder.

Celia and Alice find each other online just as their community is facing its worst nightmare: a serial killer preying on teenage girls in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern. As the horror and anxiety in the local community escalates (told through media, police and pathology reports), the pair find comfort and support through their emails, which bring some kind of sanity to their lives.

Or so I thought.

But I was fooled. This is a powerful and confronting book, one that forced me to question my assumptions and beliefs. Cry Blue Murder is an important cautionary and psychological tale that is highly recommended for ages 13 and up.

Athina Clarke