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vacuum cleaner review Crashers humorous romantic mystery ebook

Penelope "Lo" Marin and her parents have moved from city to city because of her dad's work but seem to be in for the long haul in Ohio since her brother, Oren, died there the year before and her mother became listless and disconnected. Before her brother's death and all throughout her childhood, Lo has collected, and at times stolen, quirky objects that appeal to her, but the urge to take objects has increased. When she sees a butterfly pendant at the local flea market, she must have it, especially after she realizes it was one of the things stolen from the the home of a murdered girl known as Sapphire. She becomes obsessed with Sapphire and begins to uncover clues in the murder while collecting anything of Sapphire's she can get her hands on. She gets some grudging help from a guy named Flynt and her discoveries also bring her closer to understanding her brother's death.

So, there is a lot going on here, but it is all amazing. Lo herself has a lot going on. It is never really clear what is happening in her mind, but she seemed to have a hoarding addiction (lots of clocks, figurines, et cetera) and obsessive compulsive disorder (she had to arrange all of these objects multiple times a day until they were just right and then start all over the next day). It is clear she has a problem, one that she had help with briefly before rejecting it, and although it is serious, it also made her unique.

When she learns about Sapphire and then acquires some of her things, her compulsions begin to get worse, but it also leads her down a path to solving Sapphire's murder and making her matter. Along the way, she learns the ins and outs of the bad part of town, Neverland, from artist Flynt. Their time together creates a mutual attraction that mostly takes the backseat to solving Sapphire's murder. That really worked for me.

The fantastic part about The Butterfly Clues is that absolutely everything is connected, even when it seems unlikely. It is part thriller, part murder mystery, and an enthralling debut.

Recommended for young adult fans of mysteries and thrillers, as well as contemporary fiction. It does contain some violence and language.

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