The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie

by Jaclyn Moriarty

[clementine]

I definitely had this book in my head as somehow a lot less good than the first two in the series, but it's really not. I think it's just that I love Lydia/Emily/Cassie so much that having a book that focuses on another character is a bit jarring, but it really is a good book.

I think Bindy is one of Moriarty's most successful characters. At first, she's so cringeworthy - she thinks the world of herself, but she's so clearly awful and embarrassing. By the end of the book, it's not as if she's become someone different, but she has gone through a believable amount of transformation and learned a lot about herself and her peers. This is a really strong example of realistic but tangible character development in a YA novel, which seems rarer and rarer these days.

One of the most delightful things about this series is the way things are pulled in from the earlier books - for example, the brief mentions of Matthew Dunlop from The Year of Secret Assignments (as well as Charlie being Emily's boyfriend), Liz from Feeling Sorry For Celia being one of Bindy's group members, etc.

I think the mystery is really effective - since I've read it so many times I knew what clues to look out for, but it's not done obviously at all. In fact, it's not even clear if it IS a mystery or if it's just Bindy's FAD members overreacting.

Such a good series. I'm excited to read The Ghosts of Ashbury high again, since it's the only one I haven't read more than once!