One Killer Problem

Queer teen romance blossoms during a homicide investigation in this kindhearted whodunit from Winans (The Otherwoods). Sixteen-year-old Gigi Ricci knows that her math teacher, Mr. Ford, was murdered. The Cleveland police might believe he fell off a ladder while hanging a punny cat poster, but Mr. Ford disliked both cats and puns and wouldn’t have stayed late on a Friday to decorate. Furthermore, the school’s Mystery and Thriller Literary Scholars—comprising Gigi’s best friend Sean, and her secret crush, Mari—received an anonymous email summoning them to Mr. Ford’s room within moments of Gigi discovering the body. Mr. Ford was always supportive of Gigi, who catches a lot of flak regarding her financial precarity and her identity as a queer martial artist with IBS and “anger issues.” So, since no other adults seem interested in seeking justice for Mr. Ford, and Sean and Mari need more club members to merit a meeting space, Gigi agrees to sign up in exchange for the puzzle-savvy duo’s help in investigating his death. The campy central mystery is half-baked, but Gigi’s nuanced emotional arc and candid first-person-present narration buoy Winans’s inclusive, empowering tale. Most characters are queer and cue as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (June)