A Study in Shifters, by Majanka Verstraete (Monster House)
This murder mystery
set in a high school for shape shifters falls squarely within the “School for
Supernaturals” category, so if Harry-Potter-with-wereteens
is your cup of tea, this book is for you. Even more so, Marisol Holmes is the
heir to the jaguar clan, which holds the throne among shifters, and she’s the
descendent of the legendary detective. At the beginning of the story, she’s
still reeling from what she refers to as “The Big Betrayal,” in which her
much-loved cousin died, and also in which she trusted the wrong charismatic,
manipulative, devilishly handsome suitor. To make matters worse, she’s unable
to shift into her jaguar form and is desperate to keep that failure a secret.
Now Marisol must earn
her place in the law enforcement Conclave again by solving the murder of a high
school student from a rival, leopard clan. On the surface, it looks very much
as if the jaguar clan (and therefore Marisol’s mother, the Queen) are going to
be ousted as a result of their role in the murder. Marisol suspects the
evidence is a setup, planted for political reasons. Now all she has to do is
find out who really did it, while dealing with her snake shifter supervisor and
the haunting memories of her past. Has Mannix, the suitor who lured her into the
plot that killed her cousin, returned and if so, for what purpose? (I found it
no coincidence that Mannix and Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’s arch-nemesis, begin
with M.) Then there’s Roan, fellow jaguar shifter and intimate pen pal, who’s
mysteriously disappeared after attending the same high school Marisol is
investigating.
A Study in Shifters fits neatly into the magical high school and
teen detective murder mysteries categories. It’s similar enough to stories of
both types to be immediately accessible – the students even make reference to Harry Potter. Yet the elements of the
shifter clans and their politics and abilities offer fresh, original material,
and the mystery unfolds in unexpected ways that kept me turning the pages. I
loved Marisol’s “inner jaguar” and her perfectly depicted teenager uncertainties.
Marisol is faced with not only solving the mystery but coming to terms with her
own nature and choices. For me, that makes for an immensely satisfying story. I
look forward to more from this author.
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