THREE DROPS OF BLOOD

Aspiring young actress Kate’s tedious filing job becomes more dramatic than she bargained for when she witnesses a double homicide.

Kate Williams, a freckled, plus-size White girl, didn’t always dream of being an actress, but after a fluke audition lands her a co-starring role on Dirty Pretty Teens, she knows it’s what she was born to do. A controversy that leads to the show’s cancelation collides with her parents’ discovery of her plans to skip college, forcing her to take a job filing papers at her best friend Rowan Chen’s dad’s law firm to prove herself. She works in the dungeon—the secure room where high-profile clients’ confidential files are stored—and tries to avoid awkward encounters with Rowan’s brother, Ty, whose heart she broke. When Kate is the only witness to an incident in a neighboring office that leaves two men dead, but no one is willing to believe her, she must convince them or watch a killer go free. This Rear Window adaptation features a fresh main character with realistic and relatable interpersonal issues that lend charisma to what is a sometimes overly detailed text and a contrived plot that takes a while to get going and ends rather abruptly. Readers will understand and appreciate Kate’s struggle to be taken seriously and how it conflicts with her need for guidance and support. Secondary characters are a mixed bag in terms of how well developed they are.

A slightly uneven but snarky, high-energy thriller with abundant wit.