Death Prefers Blondes

by Caleb Roehrig

Overview

Death Prefers Blondes is a high-stakes YA thriller featuring a rebel heiress and butt-kicking, jewel-thieving drag queens from Caleb Roehrig, author of a BuzzFeed Best YA Novel, Last Seen Leaving.

Teenage socialite Margo Manning leads a dangerous double life. By day, she dodges the paparazzi while soaking up California sunshine. By night, however, she dodges security cameras and armed guards, pulling off high-stakes cat burglaries with a team of flamboyant young men. In and out of disguise, she’s in all the headlines.

But then Margo’s personal life takes a sudden, dark turn, and a job to end all jobs lands her crew in deadly peril. Overnight, everything she’s ever counted on is put at risk. Backs against the wall, the resourceful thieves must draw on their special skills to survive. But can one rebel heiress and four kickboxing drag queens withstand the slings and arrows of truly outrageous fortune? Or will a mounting sea of troubles end them—for good?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250233622
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	07/14/2020
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Caleb Roehrig is the author of White Rabbit and Last Seen Leaving, which was called one of the Best YA Novels of 2016 by Buzzfeed.com. Caleb lives with his husband in Chicago.

Editorial Reviews

02/25/2019

In this action-packed thriller, heiress and party girl “Mad Margo” Manning seems to have it all—clothes, parties, fast cars, and loyal friends. What she doesn’t have is the attention of her father, Harland, who spends time between running his businesses and dealing with a mysterious ailment. Margo attempts to rectify this by organizing heists to steal goods for hire with a team of her best friends, all in drag (code names include Liesl Von Tramp and Dior Galore). She knows how irate Harland would be if she ever got caught. When Harland suddenly dies from mysterious ailments, Margo takes it upon herself to figure out what happened. Using her skills as an art and jewel thief, as well as the expensive, state-of-the-art equipment that only an heiress can afford, Margo and her crew follow the evidence to catch a killer. With a knack for infusing tongue-in-cheek humor into darker subject matters, Roehrig (White Rabbit) effectively creates a likable thief whose actions seem justifiable. Margo’s crew is equally likable, each contending with their own issues, making them relatable despite their less-than-legal hobby. With a nod to Hamlet, Roehrig’s five-act structure keeps the dramatic tension high with cinematic break-in sequences that render this tale ripe for adaptation. Ages 13–up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Seventeen Magazine's Best YA Books of 2019 So Far
Cosmopolitan Magazine's YA Novels You'll Be Obsessed with in 2019
Buzzfeed YA Novels That You Need To Read During Pride Month
A Popsugar.com Best YA Novel of 2019
Paste Magazine Best Young Adult Novel of 2019

"Death Prefers Blondes delivers on its promise of a glitzy teen thriller, and I was feeling the fantasy."—NPR.org

"Roehrig has given us not just one queer James Bond, but five, each with a unique relationship and pride in their own queerness. And that's not to mention the heists, fights, flirting, drag queens and death defying leaps. Both an outrageous page turned and a treatise on the joy of the queer family."—LC Rosen, author of Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)

"Roehrig creates a vibrant Los Angeles setting, where Manning and her friends are able to flawlessly (for the most part) pull off clever heists, go to fabulous drag shows, and explore their sexualities fully and without much worry or judgment. He’s a great, fun writer who delivers with excellent pop culture references, a biting sense of humor, and a feel for emotional resonance."—Entertainment Weekly

"Margo Manning is a cute blonde heiress who spends her days doing... heiress-y things in California. At night, she's a burglar with four drag queens. NEED I SAY ANYTHING MORE?"—Cosmo

"Balancing Oceans 11–level heists, corporate espionage, and gender and sexual identity politics isn't easy, but Roehrig manages it with aplomb, skillfully threading in Hamlet references to boot. Clever, thrilling, and a wildly good time.—Booklist Magazine, starred review

From the Publisher

02/01/2019

Gr 10 Up—Margo Manning is a privileged socialite by day, and a heist mastermind by night. With her team of four gorgeous drag queens, Margo expertly steals art and jewels from seemingly impenetrable museums and vaults. What started out as a fun way to cure her boredom and rebel, soon became a way of helping the people she loves with the money that they make. Margo and her team are content to continue their heists, funding school tuitions, rehab, and clinics, until they steal priceless czarist jewels from the wrong person. Shortly after that night, where Margo barely escapes with her life, her father dies under mysterious circumstances. Margo is suddenly thrown into a dangerous world of Russian criminals, murderous CEOs, and international intrigue. Roehrig's heist novel is a lengthy and somewhat slow read. However, the cast of characters brings life to the story as they flip, punch, shoot, and kick butt in full drag! Full of steamy LGBTQ and heterosexual romance, this is an enjoyable read, perfect for graduates of Ally Carter's "Heist Society" series. VERDICT A fun action-filled heist story recommended for purchase for large YA collections.—Ariel Birdoff, New York Public Library

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