More thoroughly satisfying mischief and mayhem are afoot.
In which our delightful heroine, equal parts Eliza Bennett and Veronica Mars, finds herself yet again incommoded by intrigue, villains and reversals of fortune in this sequel to Palace of Spies (2013).
“One of the great frustrations of a maid of honor’s life is that her time is not her own,” Peggy Fitzroy tells readers ruefully. “That frustration is multiplied when the maid is supposed to be engaged in conspiracy and robbery.” And indeed, Peggy’s attempts to spy for the crown are continually stymied by the semiotics of life in the Princess of Wales’ court. The tricky part of any sequel is to acquaint new readers with the shenanigans that transpired previously without trying the patience of dedicated fans. Zettel dispatches the tension easily, and by the third page, readers are hurtling sympathetically along with Peggy as her espionage leads her yet again headlong into mortal peril. Much of the humor comes from Peggy’s gaffes and narrow escapes. But when the quick-witted girl sets out to intentionally make a spectacle of herself in order to entrap and defeat an adversary, the results are gratifyingly suspenseful. Along the way, the tale is woven with historical detail to amuse and educate—as with the introduction of tea into court society—but always in service of the plot and never so pedantic as to bog down the swift-paced action.
More thoroughly satisfying mischief and mayhem are afoot. (Historical mystery. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-07409-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist.
The mother Annabel Price thought was dead returns with a story about where she’s been—but 18-year-old Bel knows she’s lying.
Ever since Rachel Price’s unexplained disappearance 16 years ago, true-crime fans have come up with plentiful theories about what happened. Bel and her family members, who are white, cobbled together lives for themselves after a jury found Bel’s father, Charlie, not guilty of murdering his wife. Beset with medical bills for his elderly father, Charlie recently agreed to participate in a documentary about the unsolved mystery. Black British filmmaker Ramsey Lee is well into the process of interviewing the Prices when his project gets an unanticipated boost after an exhausted, disheveled Rachel staggers back into town. Rachel is eager to resume her role in the family, but the inconsistencies in her accounts raise alarms for Bel. With the help of the youngest member of the filmmaking team, Bel sets out to learn what really happened. Along the way, someone else disappears, and Bel uncovers a tangle of lies that make it impossible for her to trust people she thought she knew. When things come to a head the night of her grandfather’s 85th birthday party, Bel ends up in a race for her life. The last quarter of the novel tears along at a breakneck pace before arriving at a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.
Readers will be captivated by this twisty thriller and its uncompromising protagonist. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593374207
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
