“YOU OWE Me a Murderer” is a horror/thriller novel written by author Eileen Cook. The fantasy follows a 17-year-old high school girl named Kim. After being dumped by her beloved ex-boyfriend, she’s left confused and somewhat heartbroken. While in the stage of trying to get a hold of herself, she slowly realizes she’s gotten herself stuck on a field trip to London that both her ex-lover and the girl she despises are attending as well. Although already being caught up in a traumatizing situation, she’s also set up to plot a murder. 

Once befriending an unfamiliar girl by the name of Nicki during the 3-hour delay of their flight, things start to switch up for the teenager. At first, Nicki seems to be a harmless and innocent girl from Britain. She is the type of person who appears to listen to Kim and her current struggles in addition to being a comic. Even though the stranger tends to make a person smile nonstop, a dark secret slips between her fingertips. As she makes wicked jokes, Kim joins along, not having a single clue of what Nicki truly is truly capable of. While becoming close to Nicki, Kim’s former partner suddenly vanishes from sight.

This journey descends into disastrous circumstances in which Kim abruptly finds she lacks knowledge of. Right off the bat, what struck me about Cook’s writing style is that it is one in which many young people can find a relation to. She uses a very informal style of writing, one that is akin to my own. Not only that, but she has a good understanding of the conditions teens find themselves in. Cook uses that knowledge to write something that captivates young people. Her audience for this book is clear, and her strong suit is making that audience find relation with her work. 

As soon as I ended the first chapter, I, of course, dove right onto the next one. I was immensely charmed by the style of writing and how much the main character reminded me of myself. While reading parts of the story, I quickly noticed some small details that fascinated me. There were bits of humor that made me feel as if I wasn’t even reading such a chilling tale. I felt as if I was just reading a quirky, coming of age book. 

In spite of the fact that there were certainly other items that captured my attention, the writer honestly captured how teens these days would have acted if they were placed into the protagonist’s shoes. I most definitely imagined myself in Kim’s position and compared it to how my attitude, actions, and reactions would be based on what she has gotten herself into. I really was delighted by how relatable Kim is. 

Throughout the second and third chapters, there were certain sections an anguished teen could connect with. Since Kim had dealt with being forced to see the guy she used to call hers with someone she considers an enemy, and I genuinely felt empathy for her. The situations in this book had some very real-life situations and that could be very effective in attracting many different people. At the same time, Cook adds an interesting, far-fetched situation into the book that makes it unique. She combines aspects of both reality and fantasy to create an interesting story you don’t read very often. It is explicit that Cook is also a fan of horror and thriller genres of writing, and anyone else who is also a fan would find interest in her take of the genre.