This appetizing assortment is a nifty invitation to further mystery-reading.
A selection of 12 original, traditional mysteries loosely organized by minigenre: locked rooms, closed systems, poisonings, and dog stories.
For readers relatively new to the genre, this British import offers a nice selection of the ways these puzzle pieces can be worked out, with plenty of allusions to classics in the field. The young protagonists include both boys and girls, from preteens to young workers. The title character in the opening "Emily and the Detectives" is "a small muddy brown girl" (wonderfully accomplished but “unfortunately dusky” in the parlance of the time and place); another takes place among Jamaican immigrants in a London neighborhood in which an official is described as a "white woman”; a third is set among an earlier wave of immigration, the French in the late 18th century. Most of the mysterious events take place in England, from the 1700s to the present day. There are murders and stolen jewels, kidnapped dogs and a spoiled Carnival costume. Too many cases depend on the discovery of a stray piece of waste, but others feature the sharp eyes and logical skills of the young puzzle-solvers. Several, including the one from editor Katherine Woodfine, author of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow (2016), feature characters from their authors’ mystery series, but otherwise there are no author biographies.
This appetizing assortment is a nifty invitation to further mystery-reading. (Mystery/short stories. 10-15)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4052-8264-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Well-worn character types and plot devices may earn the first juvenile title in Amazon’s new line of imports a little traction with fans of Cornelia Funke’s mysteries. Quintessentially meek orphan Darius Dorian looks upon an assignment to shadow violin-maker Archibald Archinola for two weeks as a welcome chance to escape his orphanage roommate’s bullying. Then Darius discovers that plucking a certain old violin in Archinola’s shop causes any wound or illness to disappear. He steals the violin and is subsequently kidnapped by a doltish con man and his termagant mother, who force his assistance as they set themselves up as miracle healers. Along with a relentlessly two-dimensional bully, Reh trots in a supporting cast led by Darius’ new Asian friend Mey-Mey (“the outer corners of her eyes bend upwards like the corners of a smiling mouth”), sets up a budding romance between the stuffy-but-decent Archinola and a local jeweler and ultimately sends the con artists packing. Despite potentially confusing bits—from repeatedly-mentioned “brown patches” on Mey-Mey’s neck and hand that turn out to be calluses rather than birthmarks to everyone’s sudden and inexplicable loss of interest in the violin’s magic at the end—the tale’s steady predictability will keep less-demanding readers engaged. (Fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-61109-004-8
Page Count: 132
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
Middle schoolers—male and female—will enjoy this novel and hope en masse the next book comes soon.
Conspiracies abound in this tension-filled series starter from a master of many genres, catching two teens up in the secretive Knights of Themis’ plot to dominate the world and casting them into a maelstrom of danger.
Em (short for Edward Michael) Goverton is being hunted by a man with a gun whom he spotted at the funeral of his father, a noted expert on Nostradamus, and again on a sightseeing jaunt in Paris. Back from France and still being hunted, he meets I Ching devotee Victor, who rescues him and teaches him about both the Knights and his employer, the supersecret agency Section 7, which has tracked the Knights for over 50 years. The ensuing mayhem—tightly narrated, with cliffhangers, red herrings and a deliciously complex wheels-within-wheels conspiracy—is spellbinding. The final chapters and outstanding ending must be read in one sitting. Thoroughly believable, Em is suitably fearful about the chaos but is decisive when tough choices are needed. His friend Charlotte is smart, funny and helpful. This well-constructed thriller will appeal to all fans of suspense.
Middle schoolers—male and female—will enjoy this novel and hope en masse the next book comes soon. (Adventure. 11-14)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-207180-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
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