Uptown Oracle Reads… Party Girls Die In Pearls

Party Girls Die in Pearls is a high class whodunnit murder mystery. Ursula has just started at Oxford University and finds a dead girl in her first week. As she wan’t to be part of the University Newspaper, Ursula must solve the mystery by her deadline Sunday. Alongside this she must make friends, socialise, work on her essay and take time to settle into Oxford.

I’m reading a lot of mysteries set around upper class schools recently, but Party Girls Die in Pearls far surpasses S.T.A.G.S. in my mind. Although I did figure it out before Ursula, it did take me a while to choose who the murderer was. But I was also slightly wrong. There’s two people with very similar roles and I chose the wrong one. This kept me reading throughout the book.

I actually really disliked the American exchange student/best friend. It felt very forced and that she was there to show off outrageous fashion choices that every loves. Although Plum Sykes does have a background in fashion so it’s understandably a focal point for her.

I enjoyed the footnotes as extra information as I didn’t understand some things mentioned. But some made me feel slightly old. Such as explaining who Cyndi Lauper is? I’m sorry but I do not believe young teens do not know who she is. Also, the footnotes weren’t placed properly on my ebook version, so I’d get a footnote before the text referencing it. But it may have been fixed in the published version, as I did get it as an ARC. Plus, of course it would be perfectly fine if you’re purchasing a physical copy.

Although it’s a murder mystery, there’s a lot of exploration of the high life of Oxford students. It’s extremely frivolous, with champagne and parties every night. But this contrasts nicely with the rather grisly death on campus. The characters were largely stereotypes although I feel like Sykes has pulled features and exaggerated them from people she knows. This is plausible as after searching, I found Sykes was a socialite and attended Oxford herself.

I would recommend Party Girls Die in Pearls to anyone who enjoys books similar to Sex in the City and Gossip Girl as well as mysteries. I received Party Girls Die in Pearls* by Plum Sykes as an e-book from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.