HEARTBREAK HOMES

Three teens from different walks of life find themselves entangled in a locked-room murder mystery.

It starts with a back-to-school party at Malcolm Bradley’s showroom mansion in Heartwood Homes, a failed housing development dubbed Heartbreak Homes after it financially ruined many in the community. Among the party’s attendees are Frankie, whose best friend, Jessa, has recently started dating Mal and hanging out with the popular kids; Martin, whose father lost everything in the bad real estate deal and who used to be part of the in crowd but now is sitting outside looking in, wanting to reconnect with old friends; and Cara, the de facto leader of a group of four unhoused girls who are squatters hoping to steal from the privileged kids in attendance. The party ends with Mal’s being found murdered inside a locked room, with Jessa lying unconscious on the floor nearby. With a first-person narrative that alternates among the viewpoints of Frankie, Martin, and Cara, this whodunit is less about the mystery of who killed Mal and more of a character-driven story focusing on the three protagonists and their rich, complex life stories that eventually converge as they get closer and closer to the murderer. The story also features a sympathetic take on different kinds of families and addresses topics such as justice and accountability. Cara and Frankie are lesbian and develop a romantic relationship. Most main characters are cued white; Jessa has brown skin.

A thoughtful, character-driven puzzle.