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Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Jul. 2nd, 2015 11:08 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
”Are you sure we shouldn’t just go to the police?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid,” said Daisy severely. “We don’t have any evidence yet. We don’t even have a body. They’d simply laugh at us. No, we’re on our own. And anyway, this is our murder case.”
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they can’t find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count The Case of Lavinia’s Missing Tie. Which they don’t.)
Then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder happened in the first place, before the killer strikes again (and before the police get there first, naturally).
But will they succeed?
And can their friendship stand the test?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Robin Stevens’ debut novel (the first in a series) is a delightful crime thriller for children aged 9+ that reads like Agatha Christie meets Enid Blyton. Stevens clearly loves the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and it shines through this book with the neat puzzle of the central murder and a full cast of potential suspects, each with their own motives and suspicious behaviours. Daisy and Hazel are an interesting duo – both come from a life of moneyed privilege but while Daisy is very much part of the English establishment, Hazel (with her Chinese parentage) will always be an outsider. I particularly liked how Stevens shows the casual racism at play in 1930s society and how that hurts Hazel, who tries so hard to fit in. I also liked how the tensions that develop between the girls magnifies their own insecurities and forces them to examine themselves and their own actions. Daisy and Hazel are given a fun array of classmates - my favourite being the hapless Beanie and also the younger girls who hero-worship Daisy and serve as her willing minions – but the teachers are equally entertaining and there’s a lot of truth in the depiction of the girls’ collective crush on their art teacher, The One. For all that this is a murder mystery, there really isn’t a lot of violence - beyond the murder anyway - although Stevens does ratchet up the tension and suspense in the final quarter as she brings events to a head. Ultimately, this is a really fun read and I can’t wait for the next book.
“Don’t be stupid,” said Daisy severely. “We don’t have any evidence yet. We don’t even have a body. They’d simply laugh at us. No, we’re on our own. And anyway, this is our murder case.”
When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they can’t find a truly exciting mystery to investigate. (Unless you count The Case of Lavinia’s Missing Tie. Which they don’t.)
Then Hazel discovers the body of the Science Mistress, Miss Bell – but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls have to solve a murder, and prove a murder happened in the first place, before the killer strikes again (and before the police get there first, naturally).
But will they succeed?
And can their friendship stand the test?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Robin Stevens’ debut novel (the first in a series) is a delightful crime thriller for children aged 9+ that reads like Agatha Christie meets Enid Blyton. Stevens clearly loves the Golden Age of Detective Fiction and it shines through this book with the neat puzzle of the central murder and a full cast of potential suspects, each with their own motives and suspicious behaviours. Daisy and Hazel are an interesting duo – both come from a life of moneyed privilege but while Daisy is very much part of the English establishment, Hazel (with her Chinese parentage) will always be an outsider. I particularly liked how Stevens shows the casual racism at play in 1930s society and how that hurts Hazel, who tries so hard to fit in. I also liked how the tensions that develop between the girls magnifies their own insecurities and forces them to examine themselves and their own actions. Daisy and Hazel are given a fun array of classmates - my favourite being the hapless Beanie and also the younger girls who hero-worship Daisy and serve as her willing minions – but the teachers are equally entertaining and there’s a lot of truth in the depiction of the girls’ collective crush on their art teacher, The One. For all that this is a murder mystery, there really isn’t a lot of violence - beyond the murder anyway - although Stevens does ratchet up the tension and suspense in the final quarter as she brings events to a head. Ultimately, this is a really fun read and I can’t wait for the next book.
