What Have They Done to Liza McLean?

The latest novel by the author of the Eleanor Jones murder-mystery series is set in an elite boarding school that oozes tradition and old money. When scholarship kids Meg and Liza arrive at prestigious Douglas College, it’s quite a culture shock. Although Meg’s a straight-A student, her younger sister is a wild child and Meg finds herself retrieving her sister from the principal’s office far too often. There she meets Benedict Hargreaves the Fourth (aka Benny), who comes from a long lineage of Douglas alumni and is the only student allowed to reside off campus. Opposites immediately attract, despite both harbouring secrets.

When Meg’s wayward sister suddenly becomes studious and robotic after a wild night out, Meg is suspicious. She enlists the help of Benny, who’s highly adept at hacking the school computer system. When the two of them find the school gardener dead, they must untangle the threads between these mysteries.

Written in dual voices with alternating chapters by Meg and Benny, and with fascinating secondary characters, including Mack, Benny’s bestie who stylishly dresses all his friends, and Kitty De Vries, the bad-tempered heiress who leads Liza astray, this is a highly entertaining murder mystery that combines the elite boarding school trope with a slow-burn romance. Those who love crime mysteries and romance aged 12+ will devour this highly addictive story and be left wanting more. Meg and Benny are a delightful crime-busting duo and I hope this won’t be the last we’ll hear from them.