Book Review: All Unquiet Things

I'll be honest, I picked this book up because the cover grabbed me.  Finding out it was a murder mystery only made me want to read it that much more, because a good chunk of YA murder mysteries tie in great insight to a teenager's first brush with the idea of mortality.

Anna Jarzab's All Unquiet Things focuses on the unsolvable mysteries left behind when someone dies.  However, with the help of a hidden diary, cell phone records, and a safe deposit key, the mysteries are all solved.  So it's a little disappointing.

Let's rewind.  The plot: A year ago, Carly was murdered.  An investigation leads to her uncle being found guilty of the murder.  In the present day, Audrey, Carly's cousin, seeks out the assistance of Neily, Carly's ex, to clear her father's name.  They explore the world of wealth, privilege, entitlement and drugs in order to find the truth.

All in all, it was a capable mystery.  It has the standard mystery elements: the obvious suspects, stereotypes, suspense, and a twist ending.  I just wish it had the oomph of The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci, a novel that uses an alleged murder mystery to highlight parent-teen relationships.  For me, All Unquiet Things only worked to tell a typical 'drugs are dangerous' story.

After reading this book, I immediately watched Brick, a 2005 film noir set in a modern day high school starring Joseph Gordon Levitt (SWOON).  This film incorporated all of the elements of All Unquiet Things, murder, deep love, secrets, drugs, etc.  Ultimately, the stories are very different, but I think that a teen who, provided s/he likes non-Hollywood movies, enjoys this novel, would like Brick.