The Dead Girls Detective Agency

Review on blog: http://tumblinginbooks.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-dead-girls-detective-agency-by-s...

Two words: FREAKING. AWESOME.

TOTALLY.

Charlotte was taking the F train home from school(there was a lot of pushing through the crowd to get in the train involved) and the next thing she knows, she turned up dead in a ghost hotel for teenagers(there's one for adult ghosts but they never went there). Everybody thought her death was accidental but if so, she wouldn't turn up dead in the Attesa Hotel. And so, the Detective Dead Girls Agency which are Nancy, Lorna, and not-so-helpful Tess and Charlotte went out to find out who's Charlotte's murderer and get her the Key to open the Big Red Door to go to The Other Side.

Nancy, in all Her Royal show more Geekiness is, of course, the head of The Detective Dead Girls Agency. Lorna, was this dead fashionista, Tess played the bitchy dead girl and Charlotte, Charlotte alive or dead was still the same except of course, dead. When she was alive, she has a perfect boyfriend named David, a best friend named Ali and that's pretty much it. She wasn't a socialist but she's definitely not a total recluse. And of course, let's not forget the hot, dark and brooding and trouble, Edison.

It was SO EASY to get hooked on The Dead Girls Detective Agency from the very start. Suzy Cox did a perfect job in capturing a teenage's voice. It was also light and funny from the very start. TDGDA has a twist of contemporary in its paranormal scenery. It's also very refreshing to read a standalone paranormal book rather than a series one. If I have to read one more dystopian, sci-fi or paranormal book that will get me craving for the next one that's not coming out in like, another year, I feel like tearing my hair off my head. -.-

The journey in finding Charlotte's murderer is entertaining in itself. Nancy and Lorna's amateur detective skill got me laughing from time to time. With Edison in Charlotte's way, Charlotte sometimes went from Nancy's rule follower style and Edison's rule breaker style.

Light, funny and entertaining, The Dead Girls Detective Agency will captivate you from the beginning of the book until the end. A definite page turner! And one that I won't forget soon! :D show less

Review originally posted on my blog http://hobbitsies.net/2012/09/the-dead-girls-detective-agency-by-suzy-cox/

The Dead Girls Detective Agency by Suzy Cox was an enjoyable read with plenty of humorous moments, although it had its fair share of depressing moments as well. Because, you know, there’s nothing really funny about being pushed in front of a subway train.

While The Dead Girls Detective Agency wasn’t brimming with depth, I really enjoyed reading it and I found myself sneaking pages in while at work. The concept of The Dead Girls Detective Agency is really interesting – I can’t imagine having to solve the mystery of my own murder.

I did like the characters. They were a tad stereotypical, but I thought they all worked with show more the story. Even though Charlotte was kind of self-absorbed and annoying, I feel like I would totally be annoying if I were dead and stuck watching everyone live their lives while I had to solve my own freaking murder. I would totally be annoying. Lots of whining would happen. So I understood Charlotte and her annoyingness at times actually served as a way for me to relate to her, in a way.

The other girls Charlotte was stuck with definitely felt a bit flat to me, but I didn’t really feel like it hindered the story. They all served a purpose, so even though they were all different teenage stereotypes, I wasn’t annoyed by any of the girls’ presences because it moved the story along.

Basically, if you’re look for a quick and enjoyable read with an interesting concept, I recommend giving The Dead Girls Detective Agency a shot. I really liked how Suzy Cox built up this whole new afterlife that I haven’t seen before and I will be reading more from her! show less

it was enjoyable in the sense that these girls team up to help newbie ghosts, and the murderer was totally a surprise. I was thinking maybe Kristen or David or Ali or even Tess and Edison did it, but Library Girl? No way.

I disliked David's part in it. Why did the author think it was a good idea for him to cry and write that "beautiful" eulogy if he was going to be screwing 3 girls after 3 days of his "soulmate"'s death?

And really, nobody sees a girl being pushed under the F Train in a crowded train station? Good God, those with stalkers or enemies beware, DO NOT go to crowded places alone!!

i will admit i usually like things for older teens but this book was actually really good, i hope there is a sequel.

I won this book through the Good Reads First Reads program.

Imagine you're going about your everyday business as a high school student. You've a boyfriend, a decent plan for life ahead of you, good family and friends. One minute you're coming home from school, the next minute you're under the subway and dead. Well, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray..."

[b:The Dead Girls Detective Agency|13493304|The Dead Girls Detective Agency|Suzy Cox|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335203080s/13493304.jpg|19034284] begins with that death, something that could easily be chalked up to a slip of the foot but turns out to be something far more sinister. Murder. So, in order for Charlotte to move on she's got to solve her own show more murder - with the help of a few other dead teenagers in similar straits.

For me, [b:The Dead Girls Detective Agency|13493304|The Dead Girls Detective Agency|Suzy Cox|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335203080s/13493304.jpg|19034284] was a pretty solid three. It was entertaining enough to keep me reading and enjoying the ride, but glib enough for me to be wincing now and again as one too many references were made to current or past trends. It would have been served by being a bit more mature, following trends in YA fiction, but as it was? It was still a fun, if predictable and groan worthy read. It would speak to the younger YA crowd, maybe middle school rather than high?

The book wasn't bad, and had some rather good moments tossed into the mix. In particular, the reasoning behind why certain characters chose to - or not to - go through the Big Red Door to whatever is beyond. Similarly, the concept was amusing and there were a few good questions posited to make a series a distinct possibility. The world is entertaining, and a bit more depth would make it even better ride. If you feel like a silly read to snack to, or a book to maybe get a middle school girl reading? This would be a decent bet. show less

Charlotte Feldman has a lot going on. She's got a great boyfriend, can easily bum some of her mom's fancy clothes and is very resourceful. Charlotte feels she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when she awakens after falling onto the subway tracks after school one day. Surrounded by several ghost girls, Charlotte must come to grips with the fact that she's stuck in limbo unless she helps the other residents at the Hotel Attesa figure out who killed her and why. With more than one nod to Ghostbusters, Cox has written a very cute, quick read relating to the high school experience in quite a different way. I liked Charlotte's character a lot and Nancy, Lorna and Tess rounded out the characters with each of their own idiosyncrasies.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A dramatic mystery with an unusual plot.

Opening Sentence: Pop quiz: What would you do if you had to solve your own murder to get anywhere in death?

The Review:

In this humorous chick lit, Charlotte is an ordinary girl with an ordinary boyfriend. Except when she wakes up dead in a hotel surrounded by two girls who claim to be dead as well. More than a little freaked out and overwhelmed, Charlotte goes through her first couple days in a daze, not quite believing what she hears but following orders anyway. Then, finally, something snaps, and Charlotte remembers the shove on her back as she stood waiting for the T train. Now she’s on the hunt for her murderer–and they might be closer than show more she thinks.

This book=brain cell killer. This is pure girly fluff that has no meaning behind it. The plot was dull. The characters were stereotypical. The writing… The writing was actually all right. It was witty and smooth. But unfortunately everything else overwhelmed the good writing.

Mysteries used to be my favorite genre (this was before dystopians became popular). This book is a classic mystery, but it falls short of the “good” standard. Charlotte herself is an okay character. But her interactions with the other characters (except Edison) were boring. She did nothing unexpected or unique. Now her relationship with Edison (love interest and bad boy extraordinaire) is well developed.

There’s this line that is so cliche that it annoys me when any author uses it. “But she/he’s different.” Usually I think this is a lazy excuse to make the characters like each other. But in this book, we actually see Edison’s surprised reactions to things Charlotte says or does (that are very witty whenever she’s around him.) Their relationship development is apparent, not hidden or sudden to the audience. It makes the book a little more bearable with a nice romance.

Now. Everything else. The Nancy Drew and co. were cute, but there was no depth to them. Nancy is the nerd of the group. I kept getting her personality confused with Lorna, who is the “preppy girl” in the beginning of the book. It isn’t until the middlish-going-on-end of the book that their personalities became clear and connected with their actions. But when I could distinguish their personalities apart, they became stereotypical. The only parts that didn’t correlate with their personalities was how they died. One died by accident when her house got burnt down by a hit squad who were targeting her parents. Interesting, right? But that is only mentioned once in the book. The only unique thing to this person and it’s only mentioned once. This annoyed me, but more details could be uncovered in the next installment.

Tess was also a stereotypical character. Miss Prissy and her glare of doom was simple and easily figured out. She was probably the most (besides Edison) complex character in the book. She has motives and rules to dictate her actions. But those reactions were predictable once you figured out her personality.

This book was not a pleasant read. I found it boring and very predictable. Hopefully the next book will have a better plot and the characters will become more complex.

Notable Scene:

He was on his feet now, clapping his hands on his jeans, putting back up the barricade, looking annoyed again. “I’ve got better things to do than sit around riverbanks with newbies, you know?”

“Oh, I’m well aware of that,” I said. “But I thought you were going to teach me about the dark arts of ghosting, instead of
standing around talking like a sorority girl all night.”

He started at me. For far longer than I can honestly say I was comfortable with.

“Drop dead, Ghostgirl.”

“Edison, as you know only too well, I already did.” I held his gaze. This time he was the first to look away.

FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of The Dead Girls Detective Agency. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

This was a cute but interesting read. I didn't guess who done it, because I think it had an interesting twist that you wouldn't necessarily see coming.

The only thing I grumbled at was Charlotte's reaction to the living. I don't think she had a right to be mad....

But the detective agency was interesting, their rules for the living vs the dead and what they could do were fun to read. all in all, I enjoyed it.