Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers’ Favorite
It’s been four years since I discovered the excellent writing of Yvonne Eve Walus when I read her book, Serial Wives. Though not her first novel, it was her first mystery murder featuring New Zealand policewoman, Zero Zimmerman. I loved both the story and the protagonist, so I was delighted to find Zero is back in The Wrong Girl, and what a terrific read Walus has for fans like me. The setting for this novel is a boarding school for the daughters of wealthy parents. Following a staff drowning, the suicide of a male student in the nearby boys’ school, and now what might be either a suicide or the attempted murder of a popular female pupil, Zero, a “human lie-detector”, has her work cut out for her.
Through Zero, Yvonne Eve Walus leads readers down varying and chilling paths of possibilities as she tries to discover the truth behind these deadly occurrences. But don’t feel bad if the sleuth in you doesn’t discover who and why these unfortunate events have happened: Walus is as highly skilled in keeping us guessing as Zero is in tracking down the truth! While I love Walus’ complex plots, the other things she brings to her stories make me want to stand up and applaud. In The Wrong Girl, Walus addresses current polarizing topics like gender issues. She delves deeply and thoughtfully into parenting problems, and she understands teenage crushes, jealousies, and angst. It’s fascinating how well she explores the roller-coaster of emotions teenagers face while Zero and other adults in the novel parallel the same insecurities when it comes to romance and love. How does she weave all that raw humanity into such a well-plotted novel? That’s what you will find out and enjoy when you read The Wrong Girl. Bravo, Yvonne Eve Walus!
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