Laugh-Out-Loud Mystery

Bet you don’t know the meaning of fastard. In Darcy-speak it’s a boy that moves fast, tells a girl he loves her, takes her out on a date, and then, through the high school grapevine, she uncovers the boy has a steady on the sly. That’s a fastard. 

Darcy Walker, a fifteen-year old Cincinnati sophomore at Valley High School, has ADHD. She falls head-over-heels for Liam Woods, a senior, and a Grade A fastard. Her infatuation doesn’t go unnoticed by BBF Dylan Taylor.

Dylan and Darcy have been best friends since kindergarten. They’ve grown up together protecting each other’s backs. But when Dylan’s very rich family takes an extended Hawaiian vacation right before Easter break, Darcy is on her own.

While Dylan’s away, Darcy slips out of school for a little excitement. She uncovers a dead body in the dumpster at the strip mall near Valley High. Her friend Oscar gets framed for the killing and ends up in jail. Darcy takes it upon herself to solve the murder and get Oscar released from prison.

Thus begins A.J. Lape’s 362-page YA novel Grade A Stupid: The Darcy Walker Series Book One. Written in the first person narrative, Darcy Walker vividly describes her life in a way that will make readers laugh out loud.

Tension mounts as Darcy brilliantly uncovers clues that may save her friend, but could also make her a target for the local gangs.

Grade A Stupid is a mystery/thriller that provides entertaining reading. My only gripe with the book is its repetitive descriptions of the boys in Darcy’s life. You know, the ones she drools over, including BBF Dylan. I also felt a few of the scenes didn’t move the plot along and could have been discarded shortening the book by 50 pages.

However, I’m sure teenage girls would definitely relate to Darcy’s problems, for the author truly has her finger on the pulse of contemporary high school life.

About the Author

A.J. Lape is the author of the Amazon best selling Darcy Walker Series. Lape is a wannabe private investigator and a member of the Citizen’s Police Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and an ADD dog. She’s currently working on the fifth installment of her Darcy Walker Series.