SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

May 4, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor

Book Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

May 4, 2022 by Amanda MacGregor   Leave a Comment

Publisher’s description

Who killed Brooke Donovan? It’s the biggest mystery of the summer, and everyone in Castle Cove thinks it’s the wrong guy. Fans of One of Us Is Lying and Riverdale can’t miss this page-turning who-done-it that’s sure to be the next must read Young Adult thriller!

Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She’s not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they’re about to walk into.


Amanda’s thoughts

It’s not fair to say I’ve been in a reading slump, really. I’ve still been reading a lot. But I’ve also been skimming a lot. Or abandoning a lot. Or putting a book down because my brain would rather have me go vacuum obsessively or listen to a podcast or whatever. All that is to say that I started reading The Agathas and was TOTALLY invested. And, honestly, I don’t even usually enjoy mysteries. Not knowing who did a thing—the entire point of this story—bothers my anxiety. It gets in the way of my enjoying something, usually. It’s the reason I watch the same TV shows over and over—I feel better when I know what to expect. Brains, am I right? Anyway. I didn’t know who killed Brooke Donovan. I didn’t guess the right person. In fact, I guessed almost everyone but that person. Great writing, right? It’s unusual to not see something coming from a mile away.

The plot is adeptly captured up in that publisher’s description. You get the picture—it’s a whodunit. But I’m here to tell you why you should read it. It’s smart, it’s twisty, it’s layered, and it’s not predictable. Again, I fully thought that maybe 7 different people ABSOLUTELY were responsible for the crime until I learned who actually did it (and that person was not one of my 7 guesses). Also, this book starts off with a map. Books that start out with maps are just good. It’s a fact. In case it’s not clear, I highly recommend this engrossing read and already need to see what mystery Iris and Alice will tackle next. Great read.


Review copy (ARC) courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9780593431115
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publication date: 05/03/2022
Series: An Agathas Mystery #1
Age Range: 14 – 17 Years

Filed under: Book Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Book reviewsMysteriesThrillersWhodunitYA

About Amanda MacGregor

Amanda MacGregor works in an elementary library, loves dogs, and can be found on Twitter @CiteSomething.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2023

Book Review: Different for Boys by Patrick Ness with illustrations by Tea Bendix

by Amanda MacGregor

March 2023

Book Review: The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent by Ann Jacobus

by Amanda MacGregor

February 2023

Book Review: For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome

by Amanda MacGregor

February 2023

Book Review: She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

by Amanda MacGregor

February 2023

Book Review: Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal: This Book Is Banned – The Latest from Raj Haldar (With a Helpful Q&A for Spice)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early Mar 2023 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Love, Family, and Mental Health, a guest post by Rajani LaRocca

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Colorism, Internalized Racism, and the Power of Privilege: Malla Nunn Discusses "When the Ground Is Hard"

The Astonishing Achievements of M.T. Anderson, Recipient of the 2019 Margaret A. Edwards Award

February’s YA Debut Authors on Love and Inspiration

Teen Screams: YA Horror for Every Kind of Reader

Race, K-pop, and Magic: September's YA Debut Authors Tackle a Range of Topics

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023