MURDER ON A SUMMER BREAK

Two feminist detective best friends are back to solve a string of killings at an influencer festival.

Kerry and Annie achieved minor notoriety following the events of 2023’s Murder on a School Night. Annie named them the “Tampon Two” after they found the perpetrator of a series of murders involving period products in their small English village of Barbourough. In the year since, both girls have landed internships: Kerry at the local newspaper and Annie at the Ministry of Justice in London. Annie is desperate for more fame, however. She wants to be like the feminist influencer they both admire, Winona Philips: “Smart! Political! Worshipped by all!” Although Annie so far has only two followers on the popular ReelLife platform, the girls are attending the local Festival of Fame, during which influencers will have the chance to connect with their fans. Soon, however, sexist “prankfluencer” Timmy Eaton is found dead with a condom covering his face (“proving that it really does fit all sizes. #Ad”), though the inept local police characterize it as an accident. The absurd, over-the-top scenarios elevate this mystery into an effective, scathing indictment of influencer culture. As Kerry and Annie begin their investigation in earnest, two more influencer murders take place. Clever plot twists abound, and zany influencer antics keep the story entertaining. Most characters read white.

A clever, laugh-out-loud parody offering spot-on social commentary.