Buzzkill by Beth Fantasky

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Publication date: 2014
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 360
My rating: 3.5 stars
Ages: 14+

When Millie discovers the head football coach with his head bashed in, she decides she wants to be the one to find out who did it. This could be the article she needs for the school newspaper. But when every sign points to her dad as the murderer, she becomes obsessed. With the help of her two friends and the mysterious Chase, she's tracking down the murderer--and uncovering things she doesn't want to know.

Millie is the "anti-Nancy Drew." She's ungraceful, uncoordinated, and unstylish. But she's an interesting character because of those flaws. Fantaskey doesn't try to hide the parallels (or lack of) between Nancy and Millie. Everything from the yellow of the cover, to talking about Nancy Drew and how she would solve this murder gives the reader a sense of nostalgia. Then there is the fact that they both have two friends, and a boyfriend (well, kind of, on Millie's side).

It was a nice mystery with interesting characters. Not quite Veronica Mars, but still fun and clever, with handsome guys. There are a lot of false leads, breaking in, and competition. Unlike some YA mysteries, I wasn't ten steps ahead of Millie the entire time. There also wasn't any sex or language. It's a great book for a wide range of ages, especially mystery lovers.

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