Dear Killer

Ewell, Katherine. Dear Killer. 2014. 362p. ISBN 978-0-06-225780-2. Available as an ebook from Overdrive.

Kat is not your typical British high schooler. She doesn't stand out at all at school, but at home, only her mother and her know that she is in fact the Perfect Killer, someone trained from a young age to kill without leaving any clue. Kat's mother was the Perfect Killer before passing the mantle to her daughter. Unlike killers who kill for money or revenge, Kat kills because she can, because she's good at it, and because she enjoys it. Killing defines who she is. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong. People reach out to the perfect killer by leaving letters in secret places, and Kat wades through the letters, deciding who deserves to have their wish met. Her call sign is leaving the request letter behind, usually identifying the person who asked for the murder in the first place. Yet, letters keep coming.

Then her mother invites Alex, the inspector charged with investigating the Perfect Killer, into their home. Kat finds him both endearing and annoying, but still feels the need to prove that she is smarter than the police by providing them information about the killer while continuing her life of crime. Kat is soon surprised when she received a letter, asking her to kill one of her schoolmates, Maggie. Maggie has been harassed by Michael, who seems to be growing increasingly unhinged. Michael is clearly the author of the letter. Worried about hitting so close to home, Kat is nevertheless thrilled by the prospect. But when Michael gets a little too close to Maggie, Kat must make a difficult decision. Should she kill Michael, even though she doesn't have a letter asking for his death, or should she wait at the risk of him killing Maggie for her? With the police searching for clues, and with time running out, Kat's game of cat and mouse is about to take a dangerous turn.

Fans of murder mysteries will enjoy reading Kat's adventures, trying to figure out how she will deal with Michael and Maggie while avoiding discovery by the police. Not for the faint of heart, this book demonstrate that moral nihilism is all relative.