Jolly Foul Play (A Murder Most Unladylike #4)

Gr 5-8--For the first time since the "Wells & Wong" series debut, sleuths Daisy and Hazel are back at Deepdean School with friends Beanie, Kitty, and Lavinia in 1935: their ninth-grade year. During the Guy Fawkes Day bonfire at school, the Detective Society encounters their newest case: Head Girl Elizabeth has been killed, and the only possible suspects are her five closest friends. As Hazel, Daisy, and their friends investigate, they discover that each suspect had her own potential motives for the murder. Elizabeth was holding secrets over her friends' heads, ranging from fairly innocuous (one student dyes her hair) to more serious (an eating disorder and a romantic relationship between two girls at a time when this would have been extremely taboo). As in prior installments in the series, Steven's storytelling and suspense-building are top-notch, though the killer's motive is not quite as compelling as other suspects'. The fast-changing nature of friendship between girls is a constant theme throughout; the gossipy secrets Elizabeth uses to blackmail other students and Daisy's insecurity when Hazel shows interest in a boy are prime examples. This realistic depiction of student life may make the 1935 setting a little more relatable for readers, while also providing appeal to an older audience than previous books. VERDICT An appropriately complex depiction of adolescent friendship gives this well-crafted mystery appeal beyond its genre alone.--Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC