My Murder Year by Kate Larkindale – Review by Ayla Phipps

My Murder Year by Kate Larkindale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Devastation. Suspense. This is the first work I have read by the incredible Kate Larkindale, and honestly her skill left me devastated at so many points. Several chapters were read through nonstop tears as I devoured this mystery in hopes of a happy ending of some kind.
Anastasia Nonu goes by Stas, she is seventeen and lives with her mom, mama K (mom’s long-term partner) and Teddy, her little brother. She seemed to be finding acceptance in her life with things she couldn’t change while also finding moments for herself, such as going to her dads for a bimonthly visit but sneaking out to a party with her best friend. Irena Varushkin is her Russian ballerina mother, who teaches classes out of her studio behind their home. Tusi Nonu is her Samoan father that owns a theatre across town and is a contemporary dancer. While their love story started with sparks it ended in a fire that led to them splitting after five years when Stas was only four. With Mom and Mama K’s wedding days away, things were getting stressful. A great day asked out by the cute boy, Zane, at the party last weekend ends in devastation when Stas realizes her mother hadn’t come back inside yet from her “workout” in the studio. In search of her mother before K and Teddy returned home from scouts leads her to the scar of a lifetime and beyond. The only thing worse than finding her mother’s body, being told she would be taken from the only true family she had left by “blood” relatives she had never met or rarely seen. Her only light in all her darkness and grief is Zane but what’s his story?
Who is responsible for her mother’s murder? Her father sees her mom’s relationship is a sin, could he really be behind this? While the world is ours the diversity of the characters is beautiful to mentally picture. Stas is Russian mother and Samoan father, while she mostly takes after her father, she has her mother’s Russian bone structure with her father’s beautiful skin. Teddy is Mama K’s; she is Korean and used a Slavic sperm-donor, so he resembles her mom Irena also to be “their son”. While Teddy has his mother’s Korean features such as eyes and skin tone, he has the Slavic soft blonde hair and blue eyes. Their family truly sounds beautiful with such unique diversity within it. As mentioned above I did bawl like a baby in several parts and for several chapters as I have experienced the unrelenting grief of loss, not with my mother but my Irish twin brother. The author’s ability to capture so much pain and emotion leaves your heart rung out on the floor as you gasp for air and fight through each page hooked by the words and begging for answers to soothe the pain. I certainly will be keeping an eye out for more of Kate’s work, her talent is stunning and all-consuming.

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