Murder for the Modern Girl does come on pretty strong with the ’20s slang; it can be a little heavy-handed, but it goes along hand in hand with Ruby’s personality. There aren’t many characters that could pull it off without being obnoxious, but Kulper made it work. The fantasy twist was interesting but did take me out of the story at times. Because everything else feels so real, the mindreading and face changing can feel extraneous. Despite this, the narrative is fast-paced, and the intensity stays high throughout most of the story. There are some terrifying villains here – both on the crazy end of the scale and the cool, collected psychopathic end, keeping the danger levels surprisingly high and feeling incredibly genuine.

My favourite part of Murder for the Modern Girl is the care with which these characters hold space for each other. Maggie is the sweetest heiress alive – even her thoughts are nothing but kind (and Ruby would know). Supportive and protective, their friendship is beautiful. When Ruby starts getting to know her mysterious chameleon man, they quickly fall into sync, like two vigilante crime fighters genetically designed to work together. They’re both holding back some pretty big secrets (and fears), and while there may have been ulterior motives at first, a sweet and intense relationship develops between them.