The charm of the Jazz Age is in full swing in this book, with its delightfully silly slang and seedy, corrupted dealings that lurk under the glitz of 1920s Chicago. I know some readers may find a lot of the 20s speak overbearing and confusing, but I think it endears me a little bit more to it. Naturally, Ruby, a self-proclaimed flapper, uses it more in her POV chapters than Guy, so it adds a little bit more characterization to her, as well as giving the dual narrations their own tones and styles.

Ruby is a spitfire of a gal, a real hotsy totsy that uses her mind reading abilities to murder abusive men that have no empathy towards the women they murder or take advantage of. If you're in the mood for a "we support women's wrongs" sort of book, this one will definitely take the cake. The book doesn't really go into any sort of moral ambiguity towards Ruby's actions. She believes what she's doing is necessary, knowing that innocent people would get murdered if she did nothing. Murder is a last resort, saved for those with no chance at redemption. I think if this were a book that tried a little bit more with its theming or attempted to tell a grander narrative, it would have seemed a tad shallow, but since it tries for more of a simpler story, I'm going to let it pass.

I was mostly entertained with the book, but I definitely thought it could have gone deeper. At its core, toxic masculinity and how it affects people, both men and women, is its most apparent source of conflict beyond the physical characters. Ruby has had to read the uncouth dangerous thoughts of men who have no issue hurting others for power and control. She knows how they devalue women, and so she tries to protect as many as she can. I think Kulper could have gone further with this angle if she incorporated it into Guy's story as well. As it stands, Guy, a shapeshifter, is more concerned with controlling his ability, thinking it makes him a freak and may have contributed to some horrible things from his past. 

I wonder if making toxic masculinity a part of Guy's journey as well would have done more for strengthening certain themes of the book, as well as give him a stronger connection with Ruby. In a world and time where the strong, debonair man reigns supreme and is the set standard, Guy, a shy, flustering nerdish type, would have no doubt felt the pressures of society to become something greater in order to flourish. Using his abilities to contort and mold himself into what society wants, only to realize that those expectations were dangerous and twisted, would have been a great source of internal conflict, showing that toxic masculinity harms not only women, but also men in the long run. If pulled off well, it could have made for a more interesting and layered read.

As it is, Murder for the Modern Girl is more of a popcorn sort of book, enough to be entertained, but nothing too insightful. I still had a lot of fun with it, especially with its aspects of magical realism, the aesthetic of the time period, and Ruby's gumption and determination. Kulper has another book set in this world coming out soon so I definitely will be checking that out when it releases.