Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

Author: Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson
Publisher: Delacourte Press
Publication Date: May 2022

Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into. 

The Agathas is a YA mystery featuring Alice and Iris.  Both girls team up to figure out who killed Brooke.  The suspect list is long and the police seem to be on the wrong path.  Forming a tentative friendship may be the key to solving the mystery.  

I thought this was a fairly engaging mystery.  While I did figure out the murderer fairly early on in the book, I enjoyed watching Iris and Alice figure out the clues.  I was also happy I was right in who did it, I just didn't know the how.  What I enjoyed more was the friendship that grew between Iris and Alice.  Alice just wants to be wanted and Iris needs to learn how to open her heart and trust someone else.  There was no romance; which was a nice change.  The other characters who help out with the sleuthing were a nice addition to the book.  It looks like this is the first book in a series. I look forward to reading more stories with these characters. I do recommend this one.

One note, I did appreciate the author's note at the end that addressed a couple of sensitive topics in the book. It was an important addition, especially for young readers.