Catch Your Death vacillates between three co-protagonists – outspoken rebel Devi, the stoic, practical Jayne, and well-meaning pacifist Lizzie – as they converge on the snowed-in Vanforte mansion, as well as jumping back and forth in the timeline as a beleaguered detective attempts to solve the mystery of the Vanforte murder.
While Devi is ostensibly the lead out of the three (she’s the one who, having got lost on her way to her grandmother’s like a snarky Red Riding Hood, arrives as a true interloper to the Vanforte group) it’s pleasing that Guron gives all three of its young female leads agency, individual voices, and engaging character arcs amidst the sleuthing.
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Guron, rather than relying upon the machinations of her earlier work – a Christie-esque, boarding school-set whodunnit – has moved sub-genres, allowing for elements of the thriller genre to blend into the tale. Ostensibly Catch Your Death is still a murder mystery, but one that isn’t afraid to both deliver game-changing twists and spend time with their ramifications (the parallels to a particular mystery film series, no spoilers, are of note).
It’s hard to speak of Catch Your Death‘s trove of clues and red herrings, mysterious characters and startling moments, without spoiling any of the twists and turns that Guron layers throughout her story, and perhaps that’s for the best.
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The reader is best left going into Catch Your Death as unaware as can be, for doing so means they can enjoy one of the season’s best mystery offerings and the latest hit from Guron, who is well on her way to securing her place in the mystery author firmament.
Catch Your Death is out now from Usborne Publishing.
