A Murder is Going Down

By Kate Emery

Review by Alison McCaffrey

Claustrophobic? Paranoid? Afraid of being stuck in a lift? Then hold on to something, because you’re going to feel all that and more while immersed in the story of Heidi and her extended, and rather unusual, family, and the murder that has haunted them for the past year. But then again, if you’re suffering while stuck in the lift that jolts to a standstill on the first page, maybe you can’t concentrate on Heidi’s long and complicated story…

Told in Now and Then timelines, A Murder is Going Down is the latest cosy crime novel from award-winning Australian author Kate Emery. The quirky characters and slowly unfolding plot will have you hooked early as Heidi tells the story of her brother’s murder, only to be constantly frustrated and entertained by the interruptions from Marianne, who is terrified that she’s stuck in a lift but also completely wrapped up in Heidi’s tale.

As the two women keep calm and sit still, Heidi recalls her story in technicolour detail, which seems to be an added irritant to Marianne. She just wants to know ‘Who did it?’ But that would ruin the story, wouldn’t it? You can’t tell which is the last piece of a puzzle before you get to it, because it could be any of them. Besides, the police don’t even know. So the story trickles out; a brother who wasn’t much of one at all, an eccentric aunt, a disabled former athlete sister-in-law, the odd brother that comes with her, and the ex-BFF and ex-boyfriend who are now a couple Heidi would rather forget exists yet seem to keep showing up anyway. At the centre of it all are the questions: not just who did it, but how did they do it? And how did they get away with it?

For fans of Amy Doak’s Eleanor Jones series and We Were Liars by e. lockhart, A Murder is Going Down is a fast-paced (even in a still elevator) YA mystery, brought to life by the incredible cast of characters. Without the passion of a romance, the etherealness of a fantasy, or the intensity of a sci-fi, this cosy crime is suitable for all teen readers who are keen to step up (or take the lift down) into this popular genre.

Teaching Resources

A & U Children 2025

Kate Emery

Other books by Kate Emery reviewed in StoryLinks:

My Family and Other Suspects