Starred review from December 16, 2024
Journalist Harman debuts with a funny, fast-paced blend of domestic thriller and social satire. Former girl group singer Florence “Flo” Grimes, now a hot mess of a single mom, is painfully aware that she and her 10-year-old son, Dylan, are pariahs at his posh North London school, St. Angeles—and that’s before the frequently bullied boy becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his main tormentor. “The missing boy is ten-year-old Alfie Risby,” Flo narrates in the novel’s opening sentence, “and to be perfectly honest with you, he’s a little shit.” But her schadenfreude is tempered by mounting suspicion that Dylan, at minimum, knows more about the incident than he’s letting on. When cops show up to question Dylan, Flo has already sent him for an extended visit with her ex-husband, deciding the best way to clear his name will be to solve the mystery herself. Unfortunately, her skill set—which includes passably covering the Mariah Carey canon—seems woefully inadequate for sleuthing, which makes her new, fellow American friend Jenny Choi a godsend, given Jenny’s still-burning teen dream of being a PI. It’s not all diet gin-and-tonics and giggles for the pair, though—especially once their digging turns up dirty secrets about Alfie’s parents and St. Angeles itself. Harman’s winning protagonist, page-turning plot, and delightfully irreverent tone will have readers clamoring for a sequel. Agent: Alyssa Reuben, WME.