Gyilkos a vonal végén

Dial Em for Murder #1

by Marni Bates, Éva Chovanecz-Molnár (Translator)

Emmy álma egy öt regényre szóló kiadói szerződés, romantikus vacsora a legjobb barátjával (aki végre bevallja iránta érzett halhatatlan szerelmét) és sok-sok csokitorta. Happy End. Ehelyett valami őrült öregember a Starbucksban összevissza zagyvál neki a sosem látott apjáról, a zsebébe csúsztat egy hipermodern telefont, aztán… meghal. Ennél csak az sokkolóbb, hogy az ismeretlent megölték, és a valódi célpont Emmy volt. Felbukkan a halott férfi arrogáns unokája, aki állítja, hogy a nagyapja él (miért van az, hogy a szexi srácok mind taplók és/vagy zakkantak?), és ráveszi a lányt, hogy iratkozzon át az ő szuperbiztonságos elitiskolájába, amíg meg nem oldják a rejtélyt. Emmynek semmi kedve Sebastian sznob sulijába járni, de minél hamarabb derül ki az igazság, annál kisebb a veszélye, hogy megfojtja a srácot egy kanál vízben. Vagy megcsókolja. Mindkét lehetőség egyformán csábító…

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult Mystery, High School

346 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2016

About the author

Marni Bates' autobiography MARNI (part of HCI's Louder Than Words series) was on the New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age 2010 List. She then signed a five book deal with KTeen. Her first YA novel, AWKWARD, has been optioned by the Disney Channel as a made-for-TV movie and translated into several languages. Her latest YA novel DIAL EM FOR MURDER is with Merit Press.

In her free time she can be found reading romance novels, hiking, singing really loudly (and off-key) in public and watching copious amounts of television--strictly for artistic inspiration, of course.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself almost constantly annoyed with Emmy, she was so hyper-focused on finding her father that she refused to pay much attention to most of the other (sometimes rather alarming) things happening to and around her in this story. This is also only the beginning of a story that seems to be very complex and there is a distinct feeling of "To be continued.." about it. I give this three stars anyway because it is sometimes laugh out loud funny and Sebastian is a great character.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me a bit of The Inheritance Games, and I wasn’t really expecting that — I was expecting more of a straightforward mystery. The main character Emmy had a unique narrative voice, but the story was pretty convoluted and hard to follow and the secondary characters weren’t as flushed out as they could have been. The ending was VERY open and I’m not really a fan of that, so that detracted for me as well.

[Christine Peaches · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like I shouldn't be rating this book because I didn't understand the plot this book just confused me a lot.

[Ariadne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egyszerűen vérpezsdítő volt. Szeretem az írónő stílusát, de nem voltam biztos benne, hogy ezt a cselekményszálat nagyon erőltetni kellene. Tévedtem. Könnyed volt, izgalmas, teljes kikapcsolódást nyújtott. Sebastian-t pedig első perctől imádtam. Nem tudom, hogy ez mit árul el rólam, de na… esendő vagyok. :D
A teljes bejegyzés itt olvasható: https://ariadneolvasmanyai.blogspot.c...

[Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am really confused on where the mystery in this book was. It started off interesting, but as soon as she got to Emptor Academy I had completely forgotten that it was a mystery at all. I thought I was simply reading a story about a girl getting through high school while day dreaming about becoming a writer.

I WAS SO BORED.

Even during the climax I found myself thinking "I really don't care" or "How much is left of this book?" It was such a drag which really pains me to say.

There were ten pages left of the book and instead of finishing it I got up and went to get food. Not because I was really hungry, but I was bored. I didn't care how it ended. Truthfully, the ended just makes me hate the book more. I don't know if this is supposed to turn into a series, but if not Bates left one thing in particular unanswered that for a majority of the book seemed like it was going to play a role in how things tied up. But, it didn't.

This is not a book I would recommend. It was slow and completely lacked the mystery aspect to me for a book promising a mystery.

[RoseTea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually like Marni Bates but this book sucks. Plain and simple.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Emmy loves romance novels, so much, in fact, that she has been attempting to write her own. However, while working on her latest attempt at Starbucks, she is accosted by an old man with cryptic but dire warnings about danger, not only to her but to her father as well, a man who deserted her mother when she was pregnant. And if that isn’t bad enough, when she tries to leave, he tackles her to the ground and then dies on top of her. Before he does, however, he hides an expensive tablet in her pocket. Suddenly, Emmy finds herself the star of her own romance mystery and it really isn’t as much fun as writing one.

Dial Em for Murder is a YA romance mystery novel by author Marni Bates. There’s some action as well as, of course, romance although mainly in Emmy’s musings about the boy she is crushing on, but, although the murderer is eventually unmasked, in many ways, this book seems more a set-up for future novels than a standalone. We are introduced to a group of rather stock characters including her hacker female BFF, her male BFF/crush, the mysterious wealthy bad boy/possible ally, the seemingly ubiquitous mean girl, the big tough bodyguard/chauffer, etc. The mysteries behind the death of the old man (assuming he is actually dead) as well as who is after Emmy and who her dad really is are all solved in this book. However, we don’t learn who is behind it or why, only that whoever it is won’t stop until he gets what he wants and the murderer identified here is only the first of possibly many would-be assassins.

Overall, I found Dial Em for Murder a fun fast read. If the characters are somewhat clichéd, they are likable. And if the mystery seems often overshadowed by Emmy’s musings about whether her feelings for her crush will forever remain unrequited, there was enough action to keep the story from devolving into a simple teen romance and enough mystery to keep me turning pages. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light but fun YA mystery.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Merit Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[Ashley Reindeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 because I really liked the main character.

"Dial Em for Murder" starts off with 16 year old, romance novelist to be, Emmy Danvers working on her latest book at Starbucks. She's just about to grab her drink when an old man she's never met or seen before steals her drink. She does what anyone would do (like damn, Starbucks ain't cheap, I'd be raising hell) and confronts him. Only for this man to start blubbering on word vomiting phrases that make 0 sense. Emmy finally starts heading towards her table when this man literally LEAPS at her, knocks her down...and then dies on top of her. Yes, dies. Right there. With Emmy underneath him. From that moment on, Emmy's world unravels.

I won't give more away but the summary doesn't really match what happened. To me, the book focused most on trying to unlock a cell phone, not find out who in the world this man is and why he leapt at her. Literally the whole story up until the very last chapters is about this device. When it finally gets good and you think you're going to get some answers, you don't and then story ends right at the spot you've been waiting for throughout the whole book!

I was pissed. I was fully invested in watching this unfold and preparing myself for true badassery and a shocking twist...that never came.

There seems to have been a sequel but not in the USA. Hoping that comes soon because I need answers.

If you want a quick read, then definitely go for it. But to me, I was extremely disappointed. This one held so much promise but was just too all over the place.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a YA book with mystery/suspense. Emmy is sitting in a Starbucks working on writing a romance novel when an old man takes her coffee, says cryptic things to her, tackles her, and dies on top of her after slipping an expensive phone/tablet into her pocket. Things get crazier from there. I enjoyed the book. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened. Unfortunately, the book left lots of things hanging at the end. The mystery was never actually solved. I really hate books that end in cliff-hangers.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off so well in laying out an intriguing mystery of who her father was, why she was chosen to have the secret tablet, why someone was trying to kill her and what was going on, and then the book just ended and then I found out that the author never wrote a second book and that I will never get my questions answered. That is so frustrating.

I feel like you shouldn't write a book like there is a planned sequel unless you have some kind of outline for where the mystery is going and where it should end. I feel like she was just laying the groundwork for a big mystery and she figured she would work it out later and then later she couldn't figure out what the mystery would be and just gave up.

I liked this book up until I found out that it never resolves itself, so if you are comfortable with that then it is a good read. However, if you are like me and you want answers to your questions, then I wouldn't waste my time with this book.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me save you the time and tell you to not even pick it up. Hardly anything happens past her time in the coffee shop. Though to be fair I only pushed through 3/4 of the book before I gave up out of boredom.

So much of it is cliche. She has to be the grown up because her mom only dates jerks who are pretty hostile or creepy with her. The pretty queen bee at the academy hates her for no reason. She is in love with her best friend and it seems that he feels the same. Hell, there is even a part where the handsome rich jerk kisses her as a cover and to calm her down.

Also, Emmy is such an annoying character. There have been VERY few times when I wished that the main character had just died in the first 50 pages and ended the story. This is one of those very few times.

[Nicole Corazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not pick this up of you don't like cliff hangers, and I mean straight up, turn the page, where the heck did the story go? Did they really just stop right there? Cliff hanger.
And as far as I can tell, there will never be a second book. I really should have read the reviews, but at least it was a really fun quick read?

[Holly Jolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all... Love Marni Bates as an author. Her stories are relatable and fun!
I am conflicted on this one.
Even IF, this was a least favorite of her books of mine... a perpetual, unending cliffhanger?! Not cool. I'd still have to read to find out what happens next!

Ok so on one hand... the story felt unbelievable and rushed. The characters switched vibes so fast I got whiplash. Are they good? Are they bad? What's the alternative motive? Is there one? Honestly, I deal with those questions on the regular and having to deal with this much in my fiction was enough to stress my system. I read to escape most of that.
There were a few moments I had to go back and revisit because I felt like I was missing something.

ON THE OTHER HAND...
I read it. By the end I was not stopping for breaks or to put the book down. I almost got frostbite because I couldn't be bothered to put the blanket over my hands.
The plot was original, I thought, and interesting.
The characters have some depth.
Emmy's relationship with her mom hit home for me and I stuck around with her because I related deeply to that character and how she processed things.
Honestly, I was holding out hope for more backstory from the Emptor Academy students so that I could understand them and walk through these pages with their understanding of things and why they process like they do.

And now I guess we will never know.
Which sucks.
I could have seen this as a trilogy. Would have preferred it, actually.
Just to be able to have more info and be able to settle into this story. It was too tense for me, I never got comfortable in the story or with the people.

This will probably bother me, low key, for the rest of my life, not knowing how this ends.

[Olivia Bevan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no idea why I even finished this book because I wasn’t even intrigued by the mystery. First off the cover says “she wanted to write a mystery, not live it” which is cute. I like that. Except she doesn’t want to write mysteries SHE IS A ROMANCE WRITER! (Kinda, did she even do any writing? Not really). The idea was interesting, and I was excited to see where it went. But it went no where. The plot was boring and most of the time I wasn’t even sure what I was reading. The characters are sooo cliche and annoying. Emmy is super “witty” with her come backs (they aren’t witty) but then some times she’s shy? Sebastian is your typical bad boy. Her friend is a tech genius. Her roommate is nice to everyone. Idk what was happening here. I forgot it was a mystery and the reveal felt out of the blue. It didn’t even really wrap anything up! The idea was good but it just didn’t work the way it was written. Apparently there is a second book but I can only find it in Hungarian. Even if it was in English I would not waste my time.

[G Reads! · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up

I feel very conflicted about this book. On one hand, Bates wrote a fairly entertaining, compelling story that was quite fun to read. However, I can’t overlook the dismal “mystery” aspect of the book and the incomplete plotline. Had Bates written a sequel, I think that it would have cleared up a lot of aspects of Dial Em for Murder, but as it is, nothing was really explained or resolved.

If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read with a dash of mystery, Dial Em for Murder might be a great book. But, be warned that the book is left completely unresolved. It appears to me as though Bates planned to write a sequel, given that the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it was never published.

Overall, an interesting idea with a fun story (and a bit Truly Devious-esque) but lacking any kind of clear resolution.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I started this blog when I was primarily reading YA, over the last couple years, it's become much more of a adult romance blog. However, I am an eclectic reader, and I definitely wanted to read Marni Bates' newest YA novel, Dial Em for Murder, because I've always had a fun time reading her books. While it isn't extraordinary, Dial Em for Murder was exactly what I was hoping for.
What I Liked:

Emmy is the absolute star of this novel. I fell so in love with Emmy right from the start (which is pretty typical for a Marni Bates' novel).
Emmy is a 16-year old girl, and she wants to write a romance novel. Seriously, her love of romance novels just made me love Emmy all the more.
Marni Bates does such a wonderful job with characters and dialogue, which I just loved.
I also just loved how close Emmy was to her best friend. I never, ever get sick of stories were women have close friendships. And Emmy and her BFF (I can't remember her name at the moment), are close, and I love how they help each other out.
I was definitely intrigued to hear more about Emmy's father.
That ending was totally a cliff hanger, and will definitely having me read the next in the series.

What I Struggled With:

The actually mystery/suspense aspect of Dial Em for Murder wasn't amazing. It wasn't bad, but it was perfect either. It is the main thing that I think needed work, and it was a big one. That said, the amazing characters and dialogue did make up a lot, in my opinion.

Final Thoughts
Marni Bates always seems to write books write up my alley. I loved the humor, the characters and the dialogue in Dial Em for Murder, even though the suspense wasn't spot on.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook

[SFM · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing book to read. I liked the idea of the story that a writer living a story. I loved Emmy as a character, from her personality to how she spoke. I couldn't put the book down as it just had little twists and turns at every corner. I was left at the cliff-hanger end wanting more and I can't wait till the sequal comes out! I was also left wondering is Emmy's father going to turn out the bad character or are they both going to hunt down whatever or whoever they need to together? And is Emmy going to find out more about Sebastian's past?

[Jade Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dial Em for Murder really didn't hit the mark for me.

I was confused by the plot, the mystery wasn't mysterious and the big reveal wasn't interesting but that wasn't the worst of it.

The worst of it was Emmy as a whole. She was so obsessed with the boy she liked and her father that she seemed totally unfazed by everything else that was going on in the book and it just didn't ring true for me. I didn't like her voice and she was just a walking cliche.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book, but admittedly I skimmed the second half of the book.

[Obe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know, so much happened in just two days, 288 pages? Oh my god, it was good at first. It was a mystery with interesting characters, but it turned into something like a school/academic book that I forgot it was a mystery book. It went back to a mystery until the last 40 pages, and not only that, but the last 10 pages were so confusing, I thought I would find answers to my questions, but the author wanted an open ending ;) . I hope she decides to write another book that answers some questions and WITHOUT AN OPEN ENDING pls.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIAL EM FOR MURDER was fast, fun, snarky, and suspenseful. It is set up for a sequel. However, the publisher, F&W Media, sold its imprint Merit Press to Simon & Schuster shortly after author Marni Bates' release. The mystery now is whether Simon Pulse/S&S will reprint the Merit Press backlist as paperbacks, and, in the this case, published the sequel readers are waiting for.

I bought this book from Barnes & Noble.

[Bre]

I remember being really interested in reading this solely due to the title and tagline on the cover. It says, "She wanted to write a mystery, not live it." However, the character writes romance? This just didn't make any sense to me. Why write this and have the character be interested in a totally different genre!? Overall, I was not too impressed with the book.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dial em for murder starts out promising but soon loses it’s luster. Pretty much nothing happens for a majority of the book and characters are cliché and boring. Most of the questions aren’t answered and those that are seem a stretch. While the book maintains the air of a mystery enough to make you finish it, it doesn’t deliver on anything.

[Uzoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually when books end on a cliffhanger, I would've expected them to at least answer a few questions, but this book left all the questions unanswered, and it was a tad bit cheesy. And I really don't think there will be another book in the series.

[Jenncw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not terribly coherent

I’m not sure what this book was supposed to be: coming-of-age, murder mystery, tech thriller, spy thriller, boarding school romance/mystery. As a result, it didn’t do anything well. It also answered 0 questions.

[Dawn Liebherr · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, this didn't work. I have so many unanswered questions! All throughout I wondered why!! No answers, and I would not waste my time reading a sequel, because I don't believe it would make sense, either. Really disappointing!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It's fresh and very well-written. Like other reviewers mentioned, there were quite a few threads that went untied, presumably because the author had planned to write a sequel, which didn't come through. Or perhaps it's still in the works?

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emmy is a fun quirky heroine. The murder mystery kept me guessing. I thought Em's story was worthy of a series. Would enjoy reading of her future adventures

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!!

[aem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly entertaining but hate cliffhanger endings.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.