Full Review

Eleanor Jones is new in town – but she’s used to that. Her young single mum moves them around a lot. This is her ninth school, so she’s an expert at blending in and avoiding drama. But this town is different. The boy she spoke to yesterday was stabbed, and she was the last person to text him. Cute Troy wants to know why. Talkative Alfie also wants to know what was going on. And Namita, her snotty new biology partner can’t help but get involved. Eleanor’s never needed friends. But now she seems to have some. And they’re all trying to figure out: who stabbed Angus? And why?

I loved this funny, small Aussie country town teen crime fiction novel. Very One of Us Is Lying vibes. Eleanor’s first person voice is great – a compelling mixture of snark, confidence and self-deprecation. Her motley crew of (mostly) nerdy friends are well drawn and endearing, and the friendship theme is heartwarming, with a touch of romance. 10/10, highly satisfying teen mystery.

Verdict: Funny and heartwarming Aussie crime

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Title: Eleanor Jones Is Not a Murderer

Author: Amy Doak

Cover: Still looking for those details! (I listened to the audiobook.)

First published: Penguin, 2023

Length: 288 pages

ISBN: 9781761342417

Awards: Winner – 2024 Davitt Award (Sisters in Crime Australia), Best Young Adult Crime Novel; longlisted for the 2024 CBCA Book of the Year, Older Readers category.

Other: Penguin Teachers’ Notes; Scholastic Teaching Notes

Genre: crime fiction; touch of romance

Representation: Namita Chandra is Indian-Australian; Alfie Ryan is Irish-Chinese-Australian.

Suitability: years 7-12.

>>> Click here for content warnings (potential minor spoilers)

violence (stabbings) – reported, not seen; skirmishes; threatened violence and a few very perilous situations; drugs and drug trafficking; motorbike accident; hospital scenes; mother who died of a terminal illness in the past; a wife with a terminal illness; accidental drunkenness (minor character); brief unwanted groping incident (groper gets instant comeuppance); a fire (in the past) social ostracism; very minor swearing

Themes: friendship; identity; judging others

Literary features/tropes: crime novel features, including detective(s), victims, suspects, motives, alibis, red herrings, clues, denouement/reveal. First person narrative. Lots of intertextuality, including Agatha Christie references – Eleanor is a big reader. Tropes: ‘found family’, one of my faves!; ‘new girl in town’.

Cover notes: Great cover! The locker conveys the high school setting, and the victim’s locker features in the plot.

Audio narrator: Lola Bond – some mispronunciation, but she did a good job: lots of energy, and she did the male voices well too.

NSW syllabus: good wide reading choice for all high school ages. As an Australian novel, it helps fulfil the requirement to read a range of texts by Australian authors. It would make a great addition to a crime fiction genre study.

If you like this, try: other YA crime novels, e.g. One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson or The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson. Other books with the ‘found family’ trope, e.g. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Other novels with the ‘new girl in town’ trope, e.g. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.

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