You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook

 

Title & Author: You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook

Publication Date: March 5, 2019

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Format & Source: ARC e-book via Publisher

Where to Buy This Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

 

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Kim gets more than she bargained for when she is set up for murder. Perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying, E. Lockhart, and Gillian Flynn.

17-year-old Kim never expected to plot a murder. But that was before her boyfriend dumped her for another girl. Now, Kim’s stuck on a class trip to London with him and his new soulmate and she can’t help wishing he was a little bit dead, even if she’d never really do that.

But when Kim meets Nicki, a stranger on the plane who’s more than willing to listen to Kim’s woes, things start to look up. Nicki’s got a great sense of humor, and when she jokes about swapping murders, Kim plays along—that is, until Kim’s ex-boyfriend mysteriously dies.

Blackmailed by Nicki to fulfill her end of the deal, Kim will have to commit a murder or take the fall for one.

 

About the Author:

Eileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

 

Other Books By the Author:

 The Almost Truth, Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood, With Malice, & More

 

My Thoughts:

You Owe Me A Murder caught my attention from the first second I saw it. The title itself giving away that it would be a suspenseful story along with the author Eileen Cook, I knew this was a book I not only had to read but had to read ASAP. It’s safe to say I was not the least bit disappointed. I’ve read several other young adult novels by Eileen Cook and loved each of them, but her other mystery/suspenseful novel, With Malice, may have been my favorite until I read this one.

Kim is on a class trip to London where her recent ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend also happen to be. Kim meets a girl from London, Nicki, who she jokes around making a list of reasons why her ex deserves to die. Nicki says that she could kill Connor in exchange for Kim killing someone for her. Kim of course assumes this is a joke and along with the alcohol in her system agrees. It wasn’t too shocking when her ex dies in a way that no one suspects was an accident and from there the rabbit hole began. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen and was expecting something to play out a certain way, everything completely switched up with new information added to the storyline. I loved not knowing what to expect next and was shocked when everything came to light and the pieces came together at the end of the book. I never would have guessed or seen the ending coming and to me that is something so crucial in a mystery novel as I want to be surprised, shocked and overall just left with my mouth hanging open asking myself, “What?!’ when I finish reading that last page. You Owe Me A Murder delivered those reactions from start to finish though and it’s no wonder why it only took me 3 days to finish.

I honestly loved all the characters. While Kim wasn’t necessarily related for me, that didn’t take anything away from her or the book. She was smart and stuck to what she believed in regardless of the situations she was continuously put in. Both Nicki and Connor although he didn’t last long, were the perfect enemies. You felt the anger and dislike towards them when they showed their true characters. I loved Alex and the adorable romance that was mixed in with this mystery. It added some moments where I could relate to the characters and enjoyed seeing how it panned out.

Goodreads says You Owe Me A Murder is perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, and I do believe that is spot on. It delivers the twists and turns that we all love in a mystery novel and has moments when you have to stop for a second because you can’t believe everything you thought was right is now completely wrong and the mystery just dove even deeper. It’s such a great mystery and easy to get sucked in and not stop reading until you’re done. So if you’re a fan of Eileen Cook, One of Us Is Lying, or young adult mysteries, this is definitely a book you should add to your To-Read shelf.

 

My Rating: