The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club
Gloria Chao. Mira, $18.99 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-7783-8721-3
YA author Chao (Ex Marks the Spot) makes her adult debut with this fast and funny murder mystery. Kat Hu is madly in love with Tucker Jones. So is Olivia McCarthy. Both women think Tucker is about to propose to them, and he does—to each, separately, without letting one know about the other. Then there’s Elle Henderson, who recently met Tucker on Tinder. When the three women find out about one another, they commiserate and hatch a plot to trash Tucker’s condo. During their raid, however, they stumble upon Tucker’s dead body, and realize they could be blamed for killing him. When handsome detective Adrian Birch finds Kat cleaning up their mess, she becomes a suspect, and the trio bands together to find the real killer and clear her name. They soon find out Tucker was embezzling money from a long list of acquaintances, so there’s no shortage of people who might want him dead. Chao’s heroines—particularly the idiom-obsessed Kat—make for lovable sleuths, and the author throws plenty of effective plot twists in their path. Cozy fans will devour this breezy, bloodstained ode to female friendship. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)
Details
Reviewed on: 04/11/2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller