Book Notes: A Murder Mystery for Catholic Teens

Leslea Wahl reviews a Catholic mystery for teens that centers on the sensitive topic of copycat suicides.

to be or not to be murdered

SUMMARY

To Be or Not To Be ... Murdered
by Basia Kent Belroy

WHY IS FULTON HIGH SCHOOL HAVING A RASH OF COPYCAT SUICIDES?

While covering the stories for her school paper, 17-year-old Peyton Simons begins to doubt they are suicides.

Along with crushing on Justin, her Hamlet co-star in the school play, and trying to break up with her current boyfriend, Tyler, Peyton is intent on figuring out the mystery with the help of her great aunt's new boyfriend, a retired detective.

She's awfully close to the truth! Will she survive the answer?

Review

To Be or Not To Be…Murdered is a Catholic teen murder mystery. The spooky month of October seems like a great time to review a whodunit. When the author requested a review on CatholicMom, I jumped at the chance, since this seemed like my kind of story. While I love mysteries, I have to admit I wasn’t quite sure about a Christian murder mystery for teens. While this novel remains lighthearted, I think this novel’s plotline might make some readers a little uncomfortable, so I feel that it needs some explanation.

The Premise: A series of suicides at Peyton’s high school rock the student body, but when someone close to Peyton is the next victim in the string of apparent copycat suicides, she begins to suspect that something more sinister is going on

The Concern: Teen suicide has devastated many communities and families, so this plot point may bother some readers. If you have been touched by such a tragedy, this might not be the book for you. The author does do a good job of explaining the Church’s views on suicide, and the book’s light tone keeps the story from becoming sad and depressing.

The Praise: I really appreciated that when the main character struggles with her thoughts and emotions regarding the deaths at her school, she turns to a priest to seek answers. The author highlights sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to explain the Church’s stand on suicide. I also liked the fact that two of the characters were in Confirmation class together, and their faith was very important to them — teens living out their faith are always wonderful to find in teen literature.

The Mystery: The author did a nice job with the mystery. I enjoyed puzzling out the clues and overall was kept guessing until the end.

For me, this story worked. It is the kind of story I enjoy — a lighthearted mystery with elements of faith and romance. So, if you’re looking for a new mystery to solve, this might be one to check out.