Running Girl by Simon Mason

I discovered this series - Garvie Smith Mysteries -  when I read Hey, Sherlock!  Running Girl is the first book in this exciting trilogy.

Look at the front cover. The mystery clues are all there.

Dead body - A young girl, Chloe Dow,  is found murdered. She is an ex-girlfriend of Garvie Smith.

Shoes - She is wearing very distinctive coloured shoes. Garvie Smith, the young detective, seems to be the only person who questions why Chloe Dow would wear shoes like this. Chloe was known for her sense of fashion and these shoes, which are lime green and orange, do not match her running outfit or her sense of personal style.

Button - where did this come from? Detective Singh finds Chloe's former boyfriend. Alex, is missing a button on his jacket. A button was found in Chloe's garden on the night the body was found but Garvie knows the button did not come from Alex's jacket.

Porsche - Chloe's step dad reports seeing a black Porsche and this lead takes Garvie to the casino. It seems Chloe has been going there too and she seems to have made some dangerous friends but no one wants to talk to Garvie. The young girls who work at the Casino are fearful of their violent boss.

Suspects - creepy school caretaker with a mysterious possibly criminal background; Alex, Chloe's drug dealer and dysfunctional former boyfriend; teacher Mr MacArthur.

So who is Garvie Smith? He is a sixteen year old high school kid. He is a genius but school is the wrong fit for him. He spend more time out of school than actually in a classroom. His mother is beyond exasperated with him. She is threatening to take him back to Barbados.

If you enjoy television crime stories, especially ones with twists that you absolutely do not anticipate then this is the right book for you. Close to the end when you think this murder is solved and that you (as co-detective) had picked the right guy you'll discover everyone has the wrong guy wrong. Garvie has slowly been piecing this puzzle into a form that makes sense. I gasped when he revealed the truth.

Last week I picked up a copy of Running Girl by Simon Mason. I read a few pages while waiting for a friend in the middle of the day then later that night I began to read in earnest. At 1.40am I lifted my head - yes this book is THAT good! This book is for a Young Adult audience because there are references to smoking and drug use. I highly recommend this book for readers 14+.

Click each of these review quotes to read more plot details:

The Book Bag:  The whodunnit plot is incredibly intricate and beautifully worked out with clues and the application of logic. It's full of twists and turns and it is truly gripping.

Teen Reads: With all the right red herrings and colorful characters to rival Dashiell Hammett, Simon Mason’s YA murder thriller RUNNING GIRL is sure to hook and reel in even the less than interested. It moves too fast to let go of anyone’s attention and the pay off at the end is so insanely satisfying.