No One Else Can Have You

The grisly murder of homecoming queen Ruth Fried rocks Friendship, Wisconsin, population 688. Ruth's best friend, Kippy, isn't convinced the police have the right suspect and investigates, treading a dangerous path on which she finds that even seemingly trustworthy adults aren't worthy of her trust at all. Kippy's plight is absorbing to the very end of this creepy, compelling mystery.

A unique, compelling murder mystery with an absurd and finely tuned sense of humor. Kippy is an immediately ingratiating narrator with a memorable, contemporary voice. Her grief over her best friend, Ruth, is poignant and funny in its honesty: “My name is Kippy Bushman, and I am bereaved. Right now I’m bereaved on the toilet. Well, not like going to the bathroom or anything, more like using it as a chair.” As Kippy looks into Ruth’s murder, she also reads Ruth’s diary and finds surprising—sometimes shocking—confessions. These revelations lend a touching heartache and confusion to Kippy’s reflections on her friend’s life and their friendship, and add unexpected clues to her search. Kippy teams up with Ruth’s charming yet troubled older brother who, like Kippy, is convinced of the main suspect’s innocence. Their cooperation soon evolves into a winning but worryingly codependent romance. The well-realized setting is reminiscent of the movie Fargo, and the supporting characters are fittingly quirky. Kippy’s therapist father is intensely nice but easily flustered—and in way over his head as he tries to help Kippy grieve. Kippy’s neighbor is a socially challenged video-game addict but he and Kippy have a history of coping with loss together. And Kippy’s investigation pits her against funny, oddball antagonists, including the stubborn, dim-witted Sheriff Staake, and Kippy’s classmate, the overbearing, hyper-ambitious Libby Quinn.