This whole story revolves around Lee. Lee is a total ladies man, and is self described as “a real mean dude.” But he wears a baseball hat ALL THE TIME so I automatically think douchy high school kid. Not the point, because both Roxie and Ursula fall for him, and they make a bet for $50 that one of them will go out with Lee, and get him to give them his hat. This is even though Roxie already has a boyfriend (what he doesn’t know won’t kill him … or will it?)
Roxie is the short, boyish girl, so Ursula clearly has the upper hand since she is a tall, leggy, Norwegian goddess. Lee and Ursula start spending a lot of time together, ignoring little spazzy Roxie. But instead of giving in, Rox decides to cheat at Ursula’s game. She sneaks into Lee’s house one night to steal his hat, with the intention of wearing it and lying to Ursula. Cause nothing will go wrong with this plan.
The house is all dark when she breaks in, and she immediately finds a cold, wet body. Only … it’s a mop! I’ve read that one before, R. L. Is it really that hard to get a mop and a corpse confused? Will investigate. Anyways, she takes a bunch of pictures of his room to prove she was there. Because if you’re going to make out with some guy in his room, the first thing you’re going to want to do is photograph his room, obvs.
Lee comes home with a girl and starts slapping her around. Rox freaks and tried to flee, but flashes a picture of them on the way out. The next day, she finds out that Ursula … has sprained her back windsurfing! And some other random girl is found dead and beaten on the beach.
Roxie goes to get her film developed, but unfortunately it was only a shot of the ceiling. She tells her lawyer dad everything and they go to the police. I am so impressed. I think this is the first time in any book I’ve read that the police have been used for their actual purpose. Good on you, Roxie.
Lee then starts appearing everywhere, giving Roxie this crazed sick grin. Apparently, that’s his ‘sexy’ look. No wonder he picks up so many chicks. He follows Roxie around, saying things like ‘I saw you … walking this morning.’ Roxie is paranoid and thinks he’s tormenting her because she narc’ed on him to the cops. He’s not actually doing anything wrong, but Rox has this bad feeling about him. Things get nasty and an innocent turtle is killed.
Then, one day, walking home alone Lee comes upon her again and demands to walk her home, at least until his place which is on the way. She starts freaking out, until they pass by the house she B and E’d and saw the murder, to a house a few doors down. She had broken into the wrong house! When asked who lives at the murderer’s house, Lee said it was Terry’s best friend. Roxie immediately realizes that Lee wasn’t the murderer, but Terry.
Her immediate reaction is to start dating Lee, obviously. Terry gets really jealous and angry, also obviously. Terry seems to be leaving threatening messages on her phone. Everything comes to a head one day when Roxie is going out on Lee’s boat, for a relaxing day on the ocean. He opens her glove compartment and the pictures she took of the night of the murder fall out. His first reaction is “Hey, my room!” *Gasp* Lee is the for reals murderer.
Lee goes all squinty eyed and evil and says he has to kill her, since he fucked up. I’ll say. Anyways, he gets her on his boat, then stabs Terry in the throat with a screwdriver when he tries to save her. Ouch! Poor maligned Terry – being cheated on, accused of murder, then stabbed in the throat – this is not your week! Roxie manages to dive out of the boat, and Lee tries to run her over with his motor. I’m ashamed to admit I got a little bit into this part, and realized I was holding my breath while Roxie was underwater, trying to dodge the blades. What’s going to happen?
The police show up and make Lee surrender. Ursula had called them because she had realized that Terry’s best friend didn’t live in the murderer’s house, and if Lee had lied about that, there’s no telling what he’s capable of! Terry’s alright, just a little hole in the neck. Everything worked out in the end, unless you’re a turtle. Ursula finds Lee’s baseball cap in the sand and puts it on, claiming she won the bet. If I was Rox, I might punch her in the face at that point, except she was pretty happy to not have been chopped to bits by a motor blade. All in all, a satisfying ending.
This cover. I don’t know … for some reason it vaguely reminds me of Weekend at Bernie’s. The jovial expression, the rad eighties sunglasses. That’s what Bernie would look like as a skeleton I think.
Roxie is the short, boyish girl, so Ursula clearly has the upper hand since she is a tall, leggy, Norwegian goddess. Lee and Ursula start spending a lot of time together, ignoring little spazzy Roxie. But instead of giving in, Rox decides to cheat at Ursula’s game. She sneaks into Lee’s house one night to steal his hat, with the intention of wearing it and lying to Ursula. Cause nothing will go wrong with this plan.
The house is all dark when she breaks in, and she immediately finds a cold, wet body. Only … it’s a mop! I’ve read that one before, R. L. Is it really that hard to get a mop and a corpse confused? Will investigate. Anyways, she takes a bunch of pictures of his room to prove she was there. Because if you’re going to make out with some guy in his room, the first thing you’re going to want to do is photograph his room, obvs.
Lee comes home with a girl and starts slapping her around. Rox freaks and tried to flee, but flashes a picture of them on the way out. The next day, she finds out that Ursula … has sprained her back windsurfing! And some other random girl is found dead and beaten on the beach.
Roxie goes to get her film developed, but unfortunately it was only a shot of the ceiling. She tells her lawyer dad everything and they go to the police. I am so impressed. I think this is the first time in any book I’ve read that the police have been used for their actual purpose. Good on you, Roxie.
Lee then starts appearing everywhere, giving Roxie this crazed sick grin. Apparently, that’s his ‘sexy’ look. No wonder he picks up so many chicks. He follows Roxie around, saying things like ‘I saw you … walking this morning.’ Roxie is paranoid and thinks he’s tormenting her because she narc’ed on him to the cops. He’s not actually doing anything wrong, but Rox has this bad feeling about him. Things get nasty and an innocent turtle is killed.
Then, one day, walking home alone Lee comes upon her again and demands to walk her home, at least until his place which is on the way. She starts freaking out, until they pass by the house she B and E’d and saw the murder, to a house a few doors down. She had broken into the wrong house! When asked who lives at the murderer’s house, Lee said it was Terry’s best friend. Roxie immediately realizes that Lee wasn’t the murderer, but Terry.
Her immediate reaction is to start dating Lee, obviously. Terry gets really jealous and angry, also obviously. Terry seems to be leaving threatening messages on her phone. Everything comes to a head one day when Roxie is going out on Lee’s boat, for a relaxing day on the ocean. He opens her glove compartment and the pictures she took of the night of the murder fall out. His first reaction is “Hey, my room!” *Gasp* Lee is the for reals murderer.
Lee goes all squinty eyed and evil and says he has to kill her, since he fucked up. I’ll say. Anyways, he gets her on his boat, then stabs Terry in the throat with a screwdriver when he tries to save her. Ouch! Poor maligned Terry – being cheated on, accused of murder, then stabbed in the throat – this is not your week! Roxie manages to dive out of the boat, and Lee tries to run her over with his motor. I’m ashamed to admit I got a little bit into this part, and realized I was holding my breath while Roxie was underwater, trying to dodge the blades. What’s going to happen?
The police show up and make Lee surrender. Ursula had called them because she had realized that Terry’s best friend didn’t live in the murderer’s house, and if Lee had lied about that, there’s no telling what he’s capable of! Terry’s alright, just a little hole in the neck. Everything worked out in the end, unless you’re a turtle. Ursula finds Lee’s baseball cap in the sand and puts it on, claiming she won the bet. If I was Rox, I might punch her in the face at that point, except she was pretty happy to not have been chopped to bits by a motor blade. All in all, a satisfying ending.
This cover. I don’t know … for some reason it vaguely reminds me of Weekend at Bernie’s. The jovial expression, the rad eighties sunglasses. That’s what Bernie would look like as a skeleton I think.
1 comment:
Thats one of the worst and poinless cover I ever see.
I love when the prime suspect ends up being the real killer after made us though he wasnt. What a twist.
Post a Comment