YA or STFU

Death by Bikini and Death by Latte, by Linda Gerber

Gerber, Linda (2008 and 2008). Death by Bikini and Death by Latte. NY: Puffin

Death by Bikini and Death by Latte are the first two books in what I’m calling the “Death by” series by Linda Gerber. And, yes, in book one someone really dies due to a bikini malfunction and in book two someone is really killed by a latte. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk series. The novels are mysteries, the first of which is set on a tropical vacation island where the protagonist, sixteen-year-old Aphra Connelly, lives with her resort-owning father. When, in the first novel, Aphra discovers a body on the beach, she gets involved in a mystery that seems to have a limited number of suspects–the few people on the island during the resort’s off-season–and that may or may not involve her estranged mother.

The second novel follows logically from the first (though explaining this relationship would spoil the ending of the first novel) and relies on the same narrative style and organization. Basically, these novels take place over a short period of time, but rely on short paragraphs featuring detailed descriptions of the action to move themselves along. At the heart of the series is Aphra’s relationship with her mother, a rogue (maybe) CIA agent who abandoned her family following the discovery of a mole in the organization. While I’m not a big fan of the way the novels allow action to take precedence over what I consider to be necessary explication, I do enjoy the little surprises and twists that emerge along the way. The third novel, Death by Denim is supposed to be out in May, and I’ll look for it at the library.