Jill and the Killers

Gr 9 Up–Jill Estrada is still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of her police detective mother, almost a year ago. After taking a long break, she is determined to finally go back to school and reunite with her friends. But when she returns to find a new girl has replaced her in the group, she is desperate to regain her position among her pals. Knowing her friend group’s obsession with true crime, she attempts to recover their interest and trust by ordering a unique subscription box. The subscription service, called Box Killers, claims to offer a murder mystery tailored to the recipient. But when one of their friends goes missing and the subscription box contains evidence that appears to be linked to a series of real disappearances and deaths in town, the teens must work together to rescue their friend and solve the case before it’s too late. While the setup has potential, the clunky, unrealistic dialogue detracts from the pacing and the speech disability of one of the characters feels insensitively handled. The final product runs into some clichés and doesn’t quite hit its mark. Most of the main characters are Latinx and white.