Cry Blue Murder

January 31, 2013

Thomas Harris meets John Marsden in this taut YA psychological thriller about friendship and trust in the changing social landscape. It follows the relationship between two teenage girls, Celia and Alice, who become old-style pen friends after meeting at an online tribute for a local girl recently taken by a serial killer. Their story unfolds through emails, supported by police evidence on the case—a neat and contemporary take on the epistolary novel that will especially please fans of realist horror and true crime. Interestingly, for a style demanding two distinct and authentic voices, the book has two authors—Kim Kane and Marion Roberts—who together deliver an emotionally believable and poignant portrait of innocence lost on the path to adulthood. An exploration of violence towards women feels especially timely in the wake of several high-profile cases highlighting the increasing role of social media as an outlet for public grief—one not without its darker sides. Though occasionally veering into stalker-thriller clichés, this cautionary suburban horror tale nonetheless delivers the chills as it emerges that they’re facing an evil nobody sees coming until it’s too late—enough to make you think twice about who you open the door to in future. (Read the interview here.)   

Meredith Lewin is a Sydney-based freelance proofreader and reviewer who has worked for a children’s publisher