A YA whodunnit set in an English boarding school. 

Between a crime fiction module at university, the thrillers I devoured on my year abroad and the occasional other book that has crossed my path; I have read a few mysteries, but I’ve never come across one aimed at or centred around teens in this way. It felt traditional in its style - I realised while reading there are similarities between the teens in This Book Kills and the older characters you often find in a Miss Marple for example, in that gossip is rife. This helps to create the red herrings that throw both the reader and the characters off finding the killer. I’ll be honest and say while I had suspected some of the twists that came towards the end, the killer was a complete surprise to me. 

I think Jess as the narrator was great; perhaps naïve in places - but she is a teen trying to solve a murder. We’re taken on the journey with her as she solves it but also while she’s trying to find her place in a school that has made her feel excluded because of class and race, and I think this discovery is what will make her relatable for younger readers.