Kelpie has been on her own for most of her life. She has vague memories of her childhood, but the street life in Razorhust is her home. She's been fortunate, getting help from people in the city...whether dead or alive. Kelpie lives on the streets of Razorhurst, a part of Sydney divided between two gangsters, their henchmen, and a beautiful moll. And it's when Kelpie steals into a home she shouldn't have that her world completely changes.
Looking at the murder scene was rough enough, but now the ghost of is following her. What's more, Kelpie is being used as cover by Dymphna, who thought she was smart enough to leave gang life, or at least take over. With the law prohibiting guns in Australia in the 1930s, everyone thought gang violence would wane, but razors came out, just as deadly.
Dymphna and Kelpie are polar opposites. Called the "Angel of Death" because all of her boyfriends end up dead, Dymphna is well taken care of by Gloriana Nelson, who considers her one of her most valuable assets. Beautiful, well-coifed and dressed, Dymphna exudes glamour, although her path in life is far from glamorous. Kelpie, on the other hand, is small, looking more like a child (although she's a teenager), fiercely (or perhaps ferally) independent, and hasn't known the inside of a bath tub in a long time. And while they may be different, they share one very important thing in common-they both can hear and see ghosts...
They're now both on the lam. Mr. Davidson, one gang leader, is stalking Dymphna, where his stalking has very serious undertones. Gloriana is also searching for her, for reasons she doesn't have to explain. And friends of Kelpie's are also following her, trying to make sure both she and Dymphna stay alive. But is that possible in a cat and mouse game of the 1930s, where lawlessness abounds and innocent lives are considered a small loss in the pursuit of glory, power and control?
What makes this book such a standout is how Justine Larbelestier creates a dual-genred novel (both supernatural and historical fiction) that wraps itself around real history and biographies of Australia and Australians in this book. Readers will not only get caught up in the storyline but also begin to make connections and differences between both the U.S. and Australia and how gangsters shaped the country. Although this book is filled with male characters, both good and bad, it's the two females that create the strength in this novel. Larbelestier uses the ghostly characters as a backdrop to further strength Kelpie's and Dymphna's character flaws and attraction. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and consider it a strong historical fiction novel for YA.
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