Amy Devlin is one tough chick. She’s not “officially” a private investigator, but she still does what she can while working in the Beverly Hills’ Cold Case Division. By day she sorts through old case files and enters them into the computer, but by night (and during the day, too..shhh…don’t tell her boss!), she chases down leads and attempts to solve the mystery. Her newest mystery is that of a murder once a decade on a very special day. Each November 1st – All Saints Day – every 10 years, a sinner with the name of a saint is brutally murdered in the style of their namesake, and the connection has been missed…until now. Amy thinks she’s figured out the serial killer mystery of the millennium, but is the killer now coming after her? Will she be able to stop him or her before the next November 1st?
This fun and fast paced mystery is the second in the Amy Devlin series published by Oni Press, but readers don’t have to have read the first one to thoroughly enjoy this detective story. Amy is an awesome protagonist; she’s smart, sassy, and tough. Along the way she joins forces (albeit a little reluctantly) with screenwriter Jordan Kale who’s nosing around the Cold Case Division in order to write up an action packed movie, based on true events. But, when Kale gets wind of what Amy’s working on, she just can’t shake him, and she might just end up needing his help.
The story, written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis is super engaging and will definitely keep readers guessing until the very end. The end itself was a shocker – not at all expected! Meanwhile, the artwork by Dove McHargue with Kate Kasenow beautifully accompanies the story. Black and white with shades of grey and sepia – gritty and perfectly suited for this realistic and harrowing detective story. The panels are easy to follow and the story moves along at such a fast pace, readers won’t believe it when they’ve arrived at the unbelievable and cliff-hangerish end!
The story is pretty bleak – murder, mayhem, wrongfully accused, molestation, — the themes contained within might be better suited toward older teens and adults; Oni Press has it rated for older readers. This would be a perfect pick for readers who love strong female main characters, and even more so for readers who especially love true crime and detective stories.
All Saints Day: an Amy Devlin mystery
by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis
Art by Dove McHargue and Kate Kasenow
ISBN: 9781934964231
Oni Press, 2010
Publisher Age Rating: Older Audience (16 )
