I received an advanced review copy for free from NetGalley

The Crime Club is the first YA book in what I hope will be a series. Penny is the teenage daughter of a man who has connections to the mob and is currently in prison for murder, She doesn't know if he's guilty or not but she is told its for her own protection not to know anything. However, her life since his confession and sentencing has been hell in school. Friends are friends no longer. She is forced to quit going to school. Her mother decides to move to Canada where her sister has a restaurant below her home and needs help. She sends Penny and her giant dog Ollie there right away.. On her very first day she meets two of her cousin Simon's best friends, twins Brent and Tara. Penny feels an attraction to Brent right away and she thinks her cousin Simon likes Brents twin sister Tara. The teens are all close in age and immediately form a friendship. Amazingly Ollie digs up a skeleton in the back yard and Penny fears having the police around. She doesn't want everyone to know her history. She was warned by her father to always have her protection and keep a low profile. One of the protections is Ollie, a giant of an animal sometimes mistaken for a bear, and teaching her to shoot and handle a gun when she was only 13. Penny, Simon and her new friends put their heads together to find out who's bones are in the backyard. The Crime Club is formed and they find they are pretty good at it. Penny is secretly in contact with her father which for her own protection she was told not to be. When she tells him what is happening he warns her to be very careful and never be without her weapon and her dog reminding her the killer thinks he got away with it and now won't like the bones being discovered.

Crime Club by Melodie Campbell is a mystery that I have mixed feeling about. As an adult I wanted more to the story. If this book is for middle school age, I thought it was pretty good. Penny is 16 years old, but seems younger, and along with her mom and dog move to her aunt's home to help with her pub. Penny's dad is in prison, and her uncle recently died. Penny has one cousin Simon, and his best friend, Brent along with his twin sister Tara. When their dog digs up a human bone, the mystery is on, and the murder club begins. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author, including the next book in the series.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

The Crime Club is the first YA book in what I hope will be a series. Penny is the teenage daughter of a man who has connections to the mob and is currently in prison for murder, She doesn't know if he's guilty or not but she is told its for her own protection not to know anything. However, her life since his confession and sentencing has been hell in school. Friends are friends no longer. She is forced to quit going to school. Her mother decides to move to Canada where her sister has a restaurant below her home and needs help. She sends Penny and her giant dog Ollie there right away.. On her very first day she meets two of her cousin Simon's best friends, twins Brent and Tara. Penny feels an attraction to Brent right away and she thinks her cousin Simon likes Brents twin sister Tara. The teens are all close in age and immediately form a friendship. Amazingly Ollie digs up a skeleton in the back yard and Penny fears having the police around. She doesn't want everyone to know her history. She was warned by her father to always have her protection and keep a low profile. One of the protections is Ollie, a giant of an animal sometimes mistaken for a bear, and teaching her to shoot and handle a gun when she was only 13. Penny, Simon and her new friends put their heads together to find out who's bones are in the backyard. The Crime Club is formed and they find they are pretty good at it. Penny is secretly in contact with her father which for her own protection she was told not to be. When she tells him what is happening he warns her to be very careful and never be without her weapon and her dog reminding her the killer thinks he got away with it and now won't like the bones being discovered.
Thank you NetGalley and Melodie Campbell for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed this quick read and think YA who like mysteries will too. I'm not a YA and plan to read whatever comes next.

Crime Club is a great mystery packed into less than 150 pages. This book would be a good addition to my library for my reluctant readers who are always looking for “a short book” to read that is also entertaining.

I absolutely loved this book. I really hope it turns into a series. I can't wait to read more by this author. She will definitely be on my auto buy list for books. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.