Lauren Muñoz’s sophomore novel Very Dangerous Things delivers exactly what its provocative title promises: a serpentine murder mystery that transforms a seemingly innocent academic exercise into a deadly game of deception, betrayal, and survival. Following her acclaimed debut Suddenly a Murder, Muñoz once again demonstrates her mastery of the closed-circle mystery, this time setting her intricate puzzle within the hallowed halls of the Dr. James Everett School for Crime and Criminology.
The premise is wickedly clever: when J. Everett High’s annual murder mystery game goes horribly wrong and the student playing the victim is found genuinely dead, the line between fiction and reality dissolves with chilling consequences. What begins as an academic exercise in detection becomes a race against time, justice, and the dangerous truths lurking beneath the surface of this elite institution.
The Detective with Heart: Dulce Castillo’s Journey
At the center of this labyrinthine plot stands Dulce Death Castillo, a character whose very name announces her destiny. Named after Dorothy L. Sayers’ beloved Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey, Dulce embodies both the intellectual rigor of Golden Age detection and the emotional complexity that defines the best contemporary YA fiction. Muñoz has crafted a protagonist who feels authentically seventeen—awkward, brilliant, wounded, and fiercely loyal to both justice and the memory of her beloved mother.
Dulce’s relationship with classic detective fiction serves as more than mere literary homage; it becomes the emotional backbone of the novel. Her devotion to Lord Peter Wimsey reflects her deeper longing for the kind of world where justice always prevails and the good-hearted detective can trust their instincts. The parallel between Wimsey’s partnership with Harriet Vane and Dulce’s complicated feelings for transfer student Zane Lawrence creates a romantic subplot that enhances rather than detracts from the central mystery.
What makes Dulce particularly compelling is her imperfection. She’s haunted by guilt over her mother’s death, bitter about her fractured friendship with Sierra Fox, and desperately seeking validation through her detective work. These flaws make her human; her determination to seek truth despite personal cost makes her heroic.
The Serpentine Plot: When Academic Games Turn Deadly
Muñoz demonstrates remarkable skill in constructing her central mystery. The murder of Xavier Torres—a calculating, ambitious student chosen to play the victim in the school’s annual game—unfolds through carefully planted clues and red herrings that respect the reader’s intelligence while maintaining genuine surprise. The author successfully juggles multiple suspects, each with compelling motives and opportunities, creating the kind of puzzle that keeps pages turning well past bedtime.
The revelation that beloved band teacher Ms. Moss has been manipulated into becoming an unwitting killer adds emotional weight to what could have been a purely intellectual exercise. Muñoz explores themes of manipulation and coercion with surprising nuance, showing how even well-intentioned people can become pawns in someone else’s deadly game.
However, the final revelation about Dean Whitaker’s guilt, while shocking, feels somewhat rushed in its execution. The shift from sympathetic authority figure to calculating killer needed more psychological groundwork to feel entirely credible. Though his motives—gambling debts, political ambition, and romantic desperation—are clear, the transformation feels abrupt rather than inevitable.
Supporting Characters: A Rich Ensemble Cast
The supporting characters shine with individual personality and purpose. Emi Nakamura, with her Magic 8 Ball and fierce loyalty, provides both comic relief and emotional grounding. Her ability to read people complements Dulce’s fact-collecting perfectly, creating a detective duo that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Sierra Fox emerges as the novel’s most complex figure—neither purely victim nor antagonist, but a flawed teenager whose past cruelty toward Dulce makes her current predicament morally ambiguous. The evolution of Dulce and Sierra’s relationship provides some of the novel’s most emotionally resonant moments, exploring themes of forgiveness, accountability, and the weight of childhood betrayals.
Zane Lawrence walks a careful line between love interest and potential suspect, keeping readers guessing about his true nature until the final chapters. His background as a troubled kid seeking redemption adds depth to what could have been a generic romantic subplot.
Literary Craftsmanship: Style and Structure
Muñoz’s prose strikes an effective balance between accessibility and sophistication. She captures the rhythms of teenage speech without falling into forced slang, and her descriptive passages paint vivid pictures of both the Gothic beauty of J. Everett High and the claustrophobic intensity of small-town politics.
The structure, with its Dorothy L. Sayers epigraphs beginning each chapter, creates delightful connections between Golden Age mysteries and contemporary storytelling. These quotes serve as both foreshadowing and thematic anchors, reminding readers that the best mysteries have always been about human nature rather than mere puzzle-solving.
The pacing occasionally stumbles in the middle chapters, where the investigation sometimes feels repetitive. Some scenes of evidence-gathering could have been streamlined to maintain momentum. Additionally, certain plot threads—particularly the subplot about controversial textbooks and local politics—feel underdeveloped despite their importance to the larger story.
Themes That Resonate: Justice, Friendship, and Growing Up
Beyond its mystery elements, Very Dangerous Things grapples with weighty themes that elevate it above typical genre fare. The novel explores how institutions can corrupt even well-intentioned people, how the pursuit of justice can become personal vendetta, and how teenagers navigate the messy reality of moral complexity.
The friendship dynamics feel particularly authentic. Muñoz understands that teenage friendships can be both intensely loyal and casually cruel, often within the same conversation. The damaged relationship between Dulce and Sierra serves as a masterclass in how past hurts can poison present possibilities, while the developing friendship between Dulce and her teammates shows how shared purpose can create unexpected bonds.
The novel’s exploration of truth versus perception proves especially relevant in our current media landscape. The way rumors, assumptions, and deliberate misinformation shape public opinion reflects broader concerns about how truth gets obscured in our information-saturated world.
Minor Criticisms: Room for Improvement
While Very Dangerous Things succeeds admirably as both mystery and coming-of-age story, it’s not without flaws. The resolution, though satisfying, relies heavily on coincidence and lucky discoveries that strain credibility. Dean Whitaker’s elaborate plan, while impressively devious, requires a level of precision and luck that borders on implausible.
Some secondary characters, particularly the Torres brothers and various school officials, feel more like plot devices than fully realized people. The novel would benefit from deeper exploration of the school’s unique culture and how studying criminology affects these teenagers’ worldviews.
The romantic elements, while sweet, occasionally feel forced. The parallel between Wimsey/Vane and Dulce/Zane is charming but perhaps too neat. Real teenage romance is messier and more uncertain than what we see here.
Literary Context: Standing Among Peers
Very Dangerous Things fits comfortably alongside the best of contemporary YA mystery fiction. Readers who enjoyed Karen M. McManus’s One of Us Is Lying or Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will find much to appreciate here. Like those novels, Muñoz’s work treats teenage characters with respect, giving them agency and intelligence while acknowledging their vulnerabilities.
The book’s greatest strength may be its successful integration of Golden Age mystery traditions with contemporary YA sensibilities. Dorothy L. Sayers would likely approve of this modern homage that maintains her conviction that detective fiction should have both rigorous plotting and emotional depth.
The Verdict: A Worthy Successor
Very Dangerous Things confirms Lauren Muñoz as a significant voice in YA mystery fiction. While not flawless, it succeeds brilliantly at its primary goals: creating an engaging puzzle, developing compelling characters, and exploring meaningful themes. The novel respects both its teenage characters and its readers, delivering genuine surprises while maintaining emotional authenticity.
Dulce Castillo deserves to stand alongside the great amateur detectives of literature—not because she’s perfect, but because she’s perfectly human. Her journey from isolated, bitter teenager to someone willing to risk everything for justice and friendship provides the emotional core that transforms a good mystery into a memorable one.
For readers seeking intelligent YA fiction that doesn’t condescend or oversimplify, Very Dangerous Things delivers in spades. It’s a novel that trusts its audience to follow complex plots and emotional nuances, rewarding that trust with a story that lingers long after the final page.
Recommended Reading
If you enjoyed Very Dangerous Things, consider these similar titles:
For Classic Mystery Lovers:
- Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz – Muñoz’s equally compelling debut
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
For Golden Age Mystery Fans:
- Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers – The Wimsey novel that introduces Harriet Vane
- The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – Modern mysteries with classic sensibilities
For YA Mystery Enthusiasts:
- The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
- They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodwin
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Bottom Line: Lauren Muñoz has crafted a sophisticated, emotionally resonant mystery that honors the past while speaking directly to contemporary concerns. Very Dangerous Things proves that the best YA fiction can be both entertaining and meaningful, offering readers a compelling puzzle wrapped in genuine character development and thematic depth. This is detective fiction with both brains and heart—exactly what Dorothy L. Sayers would have wanted.