'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Sunday 20 October 2013

Review: Cry Blue Murder

Cry Blue Murder is so easy to read, the pages slip beneath the fingers. Even though it starts with the disappearance of a teenage girl, it doesn’t feel creepy or frightening at all. That feeling builds ever so gently as the pages pass.

As I read, something didn’t feel quite right again and again until I started feeling cold. It took about 150 pages for the chill to become real and for dread to materialise. By then it was too late. I had to keep reading. I needed to know what was going on.

Although Cry Blue Murder is a true crime novel, Celia and Alice’s email banter gives light enjoyment. Their growing friendship is filled with humour and quirky tales amid frightening times. Witness documents, forensic reports, police statements and transcripts of suspect interviews add to a growing sense of confusion and helplessness and are constant reminders that this is not a game. Nothing adds up—until the last pages.

I was so glad I finished reading in broad daylight. The ending stayed with me for hours and echoed in my mind for days. Even though there is no graphic violence, I couldn’t get Cry Blue Murder out of my mind.

A gripping read.

Title: Cry Blue Murder
Authors: Kim Kane and Marion Roberts
Publisher: UQP, $19.95
Publication Date: April, 2013
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781921665578
For ages: 12+
Type: Young Adult