The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
A year ago, high school it-girl Alice Ogilve disappeared in the wake of a nasty break-up with her boyfriend, Steve.
At the time it was considered a very suspicious disappearance. The whole town of Castle Cove was put on alert. A massive search began for her as it was feared that Alice may have been a victim of something terrible.
Like one of her idols, Dame Agatha Christie, Alice ultimately returned home, but she wasn’t talking. She never told anyone where she had been, what had happened to her, or really why she had left in the first place.
Now once popular Alice is a social outcast, watching from the sidelines as her ex-best friend, Brooke Donovan, dates her ex-boyfriend Steve. Ugh, what a mess.
After a party, Brooke and Steve are seen arguing and Brooke storms off into the night. None of her friends go after her.
The next day it is reported that Brooke never made it home. She’s disappeared. Has she pulled an Alice Oglive, or is something more sinister at work?
Once again the town of Castle Cove is in an uproar. Another young girl missing. Everyone has opinions. Unfortunately, Brooke doesn’t remain missing for long. She’s been killed.
After being notified, Brooke’s wealthy grandmother swoops in, offering a hefty reward to anyone able to determine what happened to Brooke.
Alice pairs up with her teen tutor, Iris Adams, along with a small group of her misfit friends, to try to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Brooke’s tragic death. Alice isn’t in it for the money, but Iris certainly wouldn’t turn it away.
Steve is taken into custody, the police feel he’s the guy, but Alice knows that isn’t true. She knows Steve couldn’t kill someone. In order to prove his innocence and secure the reward money, they need to find the real killer, thus an investigation begins.
The Agathas is such a solid and fun YA Mystery. I love when teens turn into full-fledged amateur investigators and this fit that bill perfectly.
The friend group that ultimately assembles itself around Alice was so sweet. She went from being the super popular girl, to an outcast, to finally finding a new place.
As far as the mystery portion goes, I thought it was really well done. The investigation was great. The girls were huge fans of mystery and true crime novels and television shows, so they incorporated a lot of what they had learned from those into their investigation.
The vibe of this reminded me a bit of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and I was loving every minute of it. If you enjoyed that one, you should absolutely check this one out.
Also, I loved how this one ended. I am hoping, as determined from the closing paragraphs, that Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson aren’t finished with this set of characters yet.
There are more mysteries to solve in Castle Cove.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Delacorte, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I loved this and can’t wait for more from this author duo!
