Publishers Weekly
04/14/2014
Seventeen-year-old Kit is secretly London's dreaded "Perfect Killer," a nihilistic serial killer trained by her mother to carry out murder as part of a higher calling, choosing her victims from anonymous letters sent to her. As her body count grows, the police remain stymied—until Kit starts losing her focus. From making one murder personal to befriending a victim and outright flirting with the policeman unofficially assigned to the Perfect Killer case, it seems as though Kit's carefully constructed façade is finally crumbling. But she's still committed to carrying out one last assignment, heedless of the consequences. This tense page-turner was a finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest and represents Ewell's debut. She expertly captures Kit's dispassionate yet conflicted state of being, chronicling the chaotic swirl of emotions as the routine breaks down. However, Kit's point of view leads many other characters to feel less developed. The almost hypnotic nature of the storyline doesn't quite make up for moments of implausibility (including Kit's success and general modus operandi) and other plot holes in an otherwise solid thriller. Ages 13–up. Agent: Alice Martell, the Martell Agency. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
Ewell’s narrative presents a beautifully nuanced and entirely believable portrait of a young woman slowly cracking as she finds herself applying the consequences of her amorality to those she has befriended.” — ALA Booklist
“With thoughtful discussions on philosophy and human nature, as well as satisfyingly detailed and gory descriptions of murders, readers will find plenty to savor and discuss.” — ALA Booklist
“Underneath the dark sensationalism thus lurks a complex framing of moral questions that thoughtful teens will want to grapple with.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This unusual and absorbing debut looks at a serial killer through the eyes of the killer herself.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Shocking, mesmerizing, and very smart.” — Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series
ALA Booklist
Ewell’s narrative presents a beautifully nuanced and entirely believable portrait of a young woman slowly cracking as she finds herself applying the consequences of her amorality to those she has befriended.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Underneath the dark sensationalism thus lurks a complex framing of moral questions that thoughtful teens will want to grapple with.
Michael Grant
Shocking, mesmerizing, and very smart.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Underneath the dark sensationalism thus lurks a complex framing of moral questions that thoughtful teens will want to grapple with.
Kirkus Reviews
2014-01-15
This unusual and absorbing debut looks at a serial killer through the eyes of the killer herself. Seventeen-year-old Kit has been trained by her mother from an early age to kill by hand and leave no clues; she takes great pride in the name she's earned from the police: the Perfect Killer. She enjoys her high school philosophy class, where they discuss "moral nihilism," a code she feels she understands. She calls herself a serial killer, but she operates as an assassin, taking requests for murders from letters addressed to "Dear Killer" stashed in a shabby London restroom. It's all good, until classmate Michael asks the Perfect Killer to take out another, Maggie. Kit wrestles over which she ought to kill: Michael, who clearly deserves it but whose death has not been requested, or Maggie, who has become her only friend. Further complicating matters is her growing friendship with the detective assigned to her case. Although readers may disagree with Kit's take on morality, nevertheless they can watch her with fascination and even some sympathy as she commits her flawless crimes. Even as tension rises, Kit's moral struggle holds center stage and builds to her final choice. Unfortunately, though the book is nominally set in London, poor worldbuilding keeps readers from rooting themselves there; Kit's school, in particular, might as well be in Dubuque. Chilling and fascinating at the same time, despite flaws. (Suspense. 13-16)
