Thank you to Lauren Munoz, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an early advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is, what's now being termed, an "academia" whodunit. Meaning, it takes place on the campus of a prestigious criminology school and it involves solving a murder on that very campus. "Very Dangerous Things" is interesting because the characters in the book play a yearly game to solve a staged murderous whodunit except that, this year, it becomes a REAL murder mystery when one of the popular boys at school ends up poisoned in the greenhouse.

Overall, I enjoyed this book because it was more challenging to figure out the guilty person. I also love the Latinx representation. However, I don't think it really stands out in the academia murder world, either. There isn't anything "too special" or memorable about it. But, I would still recommend it to my students and others to read.

Very Dangerous Things, by Lauren Munoz, is an engrossing addition to the YA mystery genre. J. Everett High stages an annual murder mystery game each year for its criminology students to use their skills. Dulce Castillo, whose mother gave her the middle name Death after her favorite Dorothy Sayers character Lord Peter Death Wimsey, is determined to win the game against Sierra Fox’s, her best friend’s, team. Only this year, the person who is supposed to play the murder victim, Xavier Torres, who also happens to be Sierra’s ex-boyfriend, winds up really murdered. And there are a lot of people who would want to see him dead. Sounds twisted? It is, with lots of suspects, motives, and red herrings throughout. But that’s not the only mystery Dulce wants to solve. She wants to know the truth about the car accident that killed her mother. Dulce carries so much guilt that she played a part in the accident, and she wants to learn what really happened that night.

Each chapter starts with a suitable quote from one of Dorothy Sayer’s mysteries. I have not read any of Sayer’s books, but this book has piqued my interest about her main character. The author wrote this book mostly in the first person, with Dulce as the narrator, and the mystery unfolds through her point of view. I particularly liked when the author wrote in italics what Dulce was thinking or deducing from what she saw. The reader can follow along, solving the mystery with Dulce, even as she makes incorrect conclusions based on the evidence she has on hand, as the author has only given the reader the information that Dulce has. Dulce perseveres and uses her instincts; even when others concluded she solved the mystery she insists they have not found the true murderer. The reader gets to watch Dulce develop into someone who can relate better to her peers and start a budding romance with someone she thought was off limits. Most importantly, she learns to communicate with her father and eventually learn to let go of her guilt.

The characters in the book, of which there are many, are well developed and human, making mistakes, omitting evidence, even lying. In the end the reader gets to learn of the connection between them as the mystery unfolds, which makes for a compelling read that holds your attention to the very end.

I would highly recommend this book to those who like a well-executed mystery with interesting characters that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even though it is a YA book, it is enjoyable for any age group, including adults. I look forward to reading more from this author.

fun murder mystery with great plotting and fun characterization. the twist is kinda expected but worked fine. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Dulce Castillo’s middle name is Death. Literally. Because her mother so loved the Dorothy L. Sayers’ novels about Lord Peter Death Breton Wimsey, she wound up naming her child Dulce Death Castillo. So, you could say that Dulce was born to a life of crime. Or at least the solving of such matters.

As a young woman, she even started her own detective agency with her best friend Sierra Fox. The two of them, operating under the name Death & Fox, wound up solving all kinds of cases, missing pets and whatnot. However, while they were on one of their cases, secretly seducing and questioning some suspicious boys, Dulce’s mother wound up killed in a drunk driving accident. Dulce absorbed the guilt for this incident—because she lied about where she’d be, her mother must’ve been out and looking for her when the accident happened. Also, the incident smeared the family name and drove a wedge between Dulce and her best friend.

Years on, both young women (now enemies) are both attending the premier J. Everett School for Criminology. As the annual murder game approaches, Dulce and her bestie Emi are looking forward to showing up Sierra and her gaggle of sycophants by winning the game and the thirty-thousand dollar prize. The money will go to the planned summer trip abroad to visit locations tied to the Lord Wimsey mystery novels.

However, the game is interrupted when Sierra’s boyfriend Xavier Torrez is murdered for real. Sierra is the leading suspect, and with her in custody the police are uninterested in running down additional clues or issues. Desperate for action, Sierra reaches out to Dulce and Emi to prove her innocence. Dulce is initially and understandably reluctant, but soon gets involved. The list of suspects is actually quite long, including quiet wallflower Rose (whom Emi is oddly protective about), the cute transfer student Zane Lawrence, Xavier’s creepy brother Enzo, and others around the school.

In order to get to the truth, Dulce will have to butt heads with Dean Stan Whitaker, possibly corrupt Sheriff Calhoun, Sierra’s mother and town mayor Lily Fox, the coroner Dr. Bates, her favorite teacher Ms. Moss, and even her own father. But like Dorothy Sayers’ immortal creation, she will stop at nothing to learn the facts. Even if it puts her own life at risk. Along the way, she may even learn some painful and dangerous truths about her own mother’s death as well … Lauren Muñoz pens a love letter to Dorothy L. Sayers in the form of a YA murder mystery with Very Dangerous Things.

I’ve never actually read the Lord Wimsey novels, but Muñoz’s book is certainly presenting a compelling argument to fix this oversight. Each of the chapters begins with an epigraph taken from one of the books, offering a thematic or metaphoric link to what will follow. They are charming, witty, thoughtful … you know, right up my alley. The author of Very Dangerous Things is a Dorothy Sayers enthusiast and her first person narrator is as well (thanks to early indoctrination/introduction by her now deceased mother). However, if my experience is any indication, familiarity with those books is not necessary to enjoy this one.

Muñoz tells the story generally in the first person. Dulce is our point of view character, and the world is cleanly presented through her perspective. She’s not a perfect character by any stretch of the imagination. She makes errors, leaps of logic, and even completely incorrect reads of the available data. She’s not a professional and infallible detective but a human one who see evidence, tries to make sense of it, and then has to recant and try again. I appreciate that approach to the mystery genre.

However, there are some chapters presented in a removed third person voice (always flashback chapters, in fact), which Dulce might have learned about or pieced together later, or which might be authorial intrusion. Those chapters are intended to flesh out material that isn’t in the main storyline, giving the reader clues that may or may not mislead them into following the narrator’s own instinctive and intuitive leaps.

In fact, the author is quite clever at giving us enough information and context to mislead us. The final solution is right there from the get go, but our ability to see it is marred. For the characters, relationships get in the way, of course, and big emotions. And we get to ride along, trying to parse the truth from a plethora of blind avenues and wrong turns.

Nicotine poisoning is a big component in the book, and this feels like a wonderful throwback to the mystery novels of yore. We don’t see this particular method these days. That is one more clever touch by the author to lend this compelling contemporary narrative a touch of the classic whodunit. The author is not merely a Sayers fan but seems to be well versed in the history of crime and detection fiction.

Readers versed in the classics of the genre will recognize certain elements throughout. After a brief prologue that indicates both the crime and the eagerness of the narrators to get into the case (only to learn it’s not a game), we take a step back to meet the characters, get a feel for the suspects who will be involved in the investigation, encounter the crime along with a handful of clues, and then a general progression toward the solution to said crime. False testimony, incorrect recollections, ruined timelines, and other setbacks make the investigation all the more challenging. But Dulce will discover the identity of the guilty party by the end. No spoiler there; this is a murder mystery novel, after all …

However, as the author points out in her Acknowledgements, this is not simply a story aimed at the head. Accompanying the contemporary mystery plot is the mystery of Dulce’s own mother’s death and a romance plot that may be more than it seems. Dulce is not a people person (except for her ability to observe people and pick out the motivations behind their actions) and so she is ultimately blindsided by an attraction to her from someone she’s considered off limits. As well, her relationships with friends and foes alike are even more complicated, evolving and growing in real time with the plot’s progression. The result is a rich, layered story with as many moments of suspense that relate to how her relationships to people are changing as to how the mystery is unfolding.

The one-two punch of a compelling plot and compelling relationships makes the novel a terrific place to lose one’s self for a few hundred pages. It’s not a dull read thanks to the author’s attentiveness to the stuff of character, description, and suspense. This is the kind of book almost guaranteed to keep readers up past their bedtimes. It certainly did me.

In the final analysis, Very Dangerous Things is an enjoyable page turner, the kind of book that catches us between two different impulses. On the one hand, we want to cruise through the pages because we are eager to see the resolution. On the other hand, however, we want to take our time because the characters are so rich and intriguing. Muñoz constructs her characters with care and devotion and plots the hell out of this book. There are several twists I did not expect, and the book does a fine job of misdirection. Very Dangerous Things is a worthwhile read for mystery afficionados and romance enthusiasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of a school that had classes around murder mysteries. I'm not sure I'd quite call it dark academia but it was a fun read nonetheless.

I enjoy a good young adult read every now and again and this one was quite enjoyable. It's a mixture of dark academia and mystery. I felt like a full on Nancy Drew trying to solve the case alongside Dulce. The characters and their relationships were well developed. A very likable young adult mystery/thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Even as an adult, I’m a huge fan of YA thrillers. This book is well-written, with a unique premise.
I really liked the criminology school concept.
The mystery itself is twisted and multilayered—a fake murder that turns into a real one, with each character having a motive. The story blends mystery, drama, and teen romance. The final reveal managed to be shocking without feeling out of place.

Unfortunately, I had some issues with the pacing. It took a while for the story to grab my attention. The narrative switch between first-person and third-person perspectives was a bit confusing. Also, I disliked how the sidekick, Emi, gaslighted the main character, Dulce, several times throughout the story.

If you’re looking for a fun and light murder mystery, this book might be for you.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, NetGalley & the author for an advanced copy of this book. This book will be published in late July.

A boarding school thriller?? Say no more. This was such a great, suspensful read and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns. Looking for a new whodunnit? Look no futher!

This was a solid and entertaining read. I can definitely see why it's compared to the Truly Devious series and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out the villain and motives along the way. I very much appreciated how the story was wrapped up neatly at the end, with no glaring questions left while still laying the groundwork for more books in this universe in the future should the author decide to write more around these characters. And if that happens, I will happily return to J. Everett to read more!

All that being said, the characters were mostly well-fleshed out, with some exceptions of some side characters I think. The motive of the villain made sense and the planning of the crime was pretty unique to other thrillers I've read. I appreciated that some small clues were laid out very early on but not done so in a way to beat the readers over the head, which made it all the more satisfying in the big reveal at the end. I haven't read any of the Lord Wimsey books but I feel like the way Dulce solves this mystery would probably make golden age detectives very proud.

What if Veronica Mars and The Agathas went to a high school dedicated to budding criminologists?

This was such a fun mystery and made me wish I went to J. Everett High School. Dulce Death Castillo was such a fabulous character. She's tenacious and methodical using Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Wimsey as her muse. Like Dulce, the twists and turns had me making mistakes as to my guesses. I also loved the realistic dynamics with best friend Emi, complete with those pangs of jealousy when Emi befriends Rose, as well as the emnity with former best friend Sierra. The backstory about her mother's death and the corrupt sherrif made for an engrossing tale, though I wish the resolution for that story wasn't rushed at the end.

Lauren Muñoz carefully crafts a compelling mystery with characters that had me devouring this book. I hope that we get to see more of the Death and Fox agency.

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for providing the copy of Very Dangerous Things by Lauren Muñoz. What a spectacular book. I loved the teenagers playing detective in a murder mystery game. Until the game becomes real and Dulce starts to investigate. That’s where the fun really starts in this book. Not only is the writing great, I loved the three-dimensional characters and most are realistic, especially if you remember being in high school. There are so many red herrings and so many reveals you will think you’re reading your favorite mystery novel. Well this book is amazing so it might just become your favorite! 5 awesome stars.

Very Dangerous Things mashes up all my favorite things: murder, young adult romance, golden age detectives, and corrupt police.

Dolce and Emi attend a school that puts on a murder game every year. When the game victim turns up actually dead, they try to solve the mystery IRL. It's full of twists and turns, red herrings, conflicting loyalties and too-perfect alibis. Very Veronica Mars-esque, another all time fave.

I read in two sittings and I would love to see the Death and Fox Detective Agency solve more cases!

Read Suddenly A Murder, Muñoz's prior book. It's just as great!

📚: Every year at J.Everett high school the students play a murder mystery. One of students play the victim and the others have to solved the murder. Easy right? This year Xavier Torres is playing the victim and Dulce Castillo is determined to solve it. Fun, right ? What could go wrong? Well everything.Sierra Fox, Xavier’s ex girlfriend and Dulce’s ex-befriend found Xavier’s dead body.When the authorities open an investigation; it all points to Sierra. Sierra beg Dulce to clear her name and found the real killer. Will Dulce forget the past and found the killer?



💭: Reading this one was fun. I like how she changes the transition from YA to mystery and thrillers. To be honest, even though I know who did it, I still give it a 4. 50 star. I really don’t like the love interest.I kinda ships Dulce with her new best friend. (I forgot her name) I love the characters even the killer.lol (I don’t support the killer but it was kind of smart how they did it )
I cannot wait to read her first book, suddenly a murder.

Thank NetGalley and penguinteen for the arc

I've been on a mystery kick this year, and NetGalley offered this book about teen sleuths at a private high school for kids who are interested in mysteries and crime solving. The setting actually went a bit beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief, and I found it hard to imagine that there were enough people interested in attending this specialized high school in a small town. However, the mystery itself was nicely plotted, with the author laying down plenty of clues that all pointed to different suspects. While the clues themselves were very obvious, the fun was in watching the characters make sense of them and figure out which of the suspects was guilty. I also liked that the main character wasn't the most willing or capable detective, as that added in elements of character growth.

If only I could have attended a criminology high school—cool concept. Great YA mystery/thriller with plenty of red herrings and twists. Definitely kept me guessing! And I was intrigued by the uniqueness of the murder itself. I did not see that coming.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a gripping and suspenseful YA boarding school thriller that pulled me in from the very first chapter. Lauren Muñoz crafts a moody, almost gothic setting full of secrets, grief, and quiet danger—I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

The main character, Dulce, is vulnerable, introspective, and highly observant—someone who overanalyzes situations in a way that makes her feel real and deeply relatable. Her emotional journey adds genuine complexity to the story, especially as she confronts the lingering fallout of her past.

The mystery is engaging, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you invested without tipping into the unbelievable. The plot moves at a solid pace with just the right amount of tension, and I appreciated the emotional undercurrents woven throughout—this isn’t just about solving a murder; it’s about identity, trauma, and the lies we tell to protect ourselves.

While a couple of twists felt a bit too convenient, overall this is a well-constructed, emotionally layered thriller that hits all the right notes for fans of We Were Liars or One of Us is Next.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Young Readers Group for the eARC.

While I’m a huge fan of Sherlock-esk stories, I’ve never heard of Whimsey. But now I can see I would definitely be a fan.

This was such a great book. A bunch of teens at the most interesting private school I’ve ever heard of, working to find a murderer. The idea alone is amazing , but the book was fantastic.

I loved Dulce and her friends. I ran through the whole who-done-it list with Dulce as she questioned every interaction and character she ran into. I was half convinced she was going to find a new boyfriend, and was surprised more than once at how the story twisted.

Such a great read!

Thank you for this arc!

I absolutely LOVED this story. I could not put it down. Dulce is such a great MC, so unique and tough but in a way that felt realistic for a girl her age. All of the characters were great. They each had moments and traits that absolutely frustrated me but that’s what I loved, it felt so real. I don’t want perfect characters in my books. Also, love the diversity and representation.

The mystery and progression of the book was done very well. I never felt bored while reading and was eager to find out what would come next. I think Muñoz did a great job of foreshadowing. I also appreciated that Dulce wasn’t a perfect detective and even admitted towards the end how some things just fell in her lap.

I am sad about the villain 😭 I was honestly rooting for them. But it was so good and I like that Muñoz went in that direction.

Finally, I know it was a subplot but I loved the romance between Zane and Dulce. It was so sweet and tender and gave me butterflies.

I’m not sure if a second book is planned but I hope so. I definitely plan to read more by Lauren Muñoz.

Murder school instead of regular high school? Um, yes! How much fun would that have been? I say this from the perspective of an adult, but I love the premise of it, especially as the setting for a YA mystery novel. Each year the students work in groups to try and solve a fake murder. Except this year the murder is very much not fake. And while his ex-girl friend seems a slam dunk as the guilty party, that slam dunk is like giving someone six feet tall a hoop three feet off the ground - way too easy and obvious. The problem for Sierra, the prime suspect, is that Dulce, the protagonist of the story and the person most likely to figure out who the real killer is, is still pissed at her and therefore highly unmotivated to help her clear her name. Dulce is finally motivated by her new best friend, Emi, to take up the case. Once she does, it begins to take interesting twists and turns, and Dulce finds herself taking risky chances all in pursuit of solving the case, one of which could end up being deadly. Munoz does a good job of making this feel like an old school mystery, the kind Dulce is a fan of, where there’s a clever twist or two to not just the whodunnit but the howdunnit. It was fun to read as an adult, but the best audience to read it is still probably teenagers, since most of the characters are teenagers and very much act like it. It does have an underlying storyline about the death of Dulce’s mother and how she is coping with it, which adds a more serious element. The way the book ends means it could be a standalone, but the door seems to be left open to pursue additional stories too. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When a fun, competitive game turns deadly, Dulce is thrust into a real investigation with unlikely allies—including her ex-best friend and prime suspect. With high stakes and sharp character dynamics, this story delivers suspense and heart in equal measure. Fans of One Of Us Is Lying or the Netflix show Elite will really like this book.