One Killer Problem

One Killer Problem

Justine Pucella Winans

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

A darkly funny and thoroughly queer mystery thriller with a touch of camp, for fans of Kara Thomas and Kit Frick by way of Only Murders in the Building. When Gianna “Gigi” Ricci lands in detention again, she doesn’t expect the glorified study hall to be her alibi. But when she and her friends receive a mysterious email directing them to her favorite teacher, Mr. Ford’s room, they find him lying in a pool of blood. But calling the math teacher’s death an accident doesn’t add up, and Gigi needs all the help she can get to find the truth. Luckily, she’s friends with her high school’s “mystery club,” and so with her best friend, Sean, and longtime crush, Mari, Gigi sets out to solve a murder. But it turns out, murderers are extremely unwilling to be caught, and the deeper Gigi gets in this mystery, the more dangerous things become. Between fending off a murderer, continual flare-ups of her IBS, and her archnemesis turning flirtatious . . . making it out of junior year is going to be one killer problem. With a wry, hilarious voice and a main character who is the walking definition of a disaster bi, this book is an ode to cozy mysteries, queer found families, and fighting for the people you love, no matter what.


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  • pesto
    Jan 06, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

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  • booksgamesvinyl
    Jan 03, 2025
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  • Apr 06, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    This was cute and campy. Not really my style of of book, but I was able to listen to it on more than double speed and I finished it in just a couple hours, which is exactly how I’d like to consume this if I’m going to. A quick and easy YA thriller with all kinds of representation. Most of the representation was casual and fun (especially Gigi’s nonbinary mom), but some felt a bit forced just so that every character could have their contribution to representation. 

    Gigi is a struggling student with a lifetime worth of training in jiu jitsu from her mother and a temper that has led to violence in school on more than one occasion. When she finds her favorite teacher, Mr. Ford, dead in his classroom after her latest detention, she decides to investigate with her best friends, who just so happen to be the only members of the Mystery and Thriller Literary Society. They get lots of threats along the way, suspecting the leader of a cheating ring <spoiler>who turns out to be Gigi’s brother</spoiler> until they realize that the murderer and the essayist must be different people, leading to a violent conclusion with two of the most popular kids in school. 

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