You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

Welcome to Salt River High, a school campus verging on a warzone where the cliques with the most power are the ones who have scammed, stole, or bullied their way to the most money. It’s a scene of organized chaos, and it’s a wonder that there haven’t been more casualties. Not that there hasn’t been a death. That’s why Dalton Rev is here. He has a job to do, involving a dead body, wrapped in duct tape, and hanging from the goalposts of the football field. Dalton will have to use his private detective handbook as well as his own wits to navigate the dangerous politics of Salt River High so he can find the stolen money, diffuse a ruthless power grab, and figure out who really killed Wesley Payne, before he also gets done in.

You Killed Wesley Payne is a highly unusual but very thrilling detective novel. Forget Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes, I want to hear more from Dalton Rev! It’s hard not to be a little charmed by this fast talking, quirky kid who, despite always going where the money is, tries to hold true to his morals. As each new development in the case is revealed, and through a few well placed flashbacks, the reader comes to understand why Dalton is the way he is, and it really is fascinating to see. Everything about this novel is slightly exaggerated to the extent of being unrealistic, but I wouldn’t say that this is a bad thing at all; the tussles between the high school cliques, the corruption of the administration and law enforcement, and the somewhat odd and outrageous behavior of many of the minor characters would not normally take place in real life, but they’re part of what makes You Killed Wesley Payne such an interesting read. Despite the mixed up motives and multiple storylines, this novel remains cohesive, something I didn’t quite find in Beaudoin’s previous novel Fade to Blue. This brilliant, hilarious, and very unique story is sure to entertain readers and give them something to ponder about.

Fans of Fade to Blue, also by Sean Beaudoin, will not want to miss You Killed Wesley Payne, nor will readers who enjoyed Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from Blog Reach Solutions