Following 10-year-old Karen Reyes' life in 1960s Chicago through this fictional graphic diary is a powerful, unique experience. Karen is a bit of a loner, a fan of pulp horror who can hear and smell paintings. When her upstairs neighbour is murdered Karen does more than just play at being detective, determined to solve the case, in spite of all the dark areas the investigation takes her. The art is gorgeous and the story is suspenseful and nuanced. There are a few places where the panel sequence is a bit hard to follow but you could also chalk that up to it being a kid's diary supposedly written in near-real time and not always planned out perfectly. The ending left me itching for Book 2.