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First Class Murder by Robin Stevens
Oct. 15th, 2015 10:57 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Daisy’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Hazel, we are up against an extremely cunning murderer – a worthy opponent for our third case! I have the feeling that this may be the Detective Society’s most exciting adventure yet!
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday on the famous Orient Express. From the moment the girls step aboard, it’s clear that everyone in the first-class carriage has something to hide.
Then there is a scream from one of the cabins, and a wealthy heiress is found dead. But the killer has vanished – as if into thin air …
Daist and Hazel are faced with their first locked-room mystery – and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The third in Robin Stevens’ delightful crime series for children aged 9+ has the Wells and Wong detective duo tackle their first locked room mystery. The comparison with Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is inevitable but Wells and Wong are a match for Poirot and I really enjoyed how each girl complements the other’s skills. It was good to see more of Hazel and her father and the tension that comes from her strict Chinese upbringing compared to her more liberal British education. Also worth commenting on is how well Stevens does in portraying the casual racism that people like Hazel and her father face because of their ethnicity together with Daisy’s obliviousness to it and by showing Hazel’s feelings about it, Stevens allows readers to understand how unpleasant it really is. The mystery itself has plenty of twists and turns and a homage to an Agatha Christie short story (which I won’t spoil) and I liked the introduction of Alexander, an American would-be detective and junior Pinkerton agent who Daisy is spectacularly Daisy-ish to. If I’m going to nit pick, then I wasn’t completely convinced by the behaviour of one returning character but it did work in the context of the novel. All in all, this is shaping up to be one of my all-time children’s book series and I honestly cannot wait to see what the girls do next.
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday on the famous Orient Express. From the moment the girls step aboard, it’s clear that everyone in the first-class carriage has something to hide.
Then there is a scream from one of the cabins, and a wealthy heiress is found dead. But the killer has vanished – as if into thin air …
Daist and Hazel are faced with their first locked-room mystery – and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The third in Robin Stevens’ delightful crime series for children aged 9+ has the Wells and Wong detective duo tackle their first locked room mystery. The comparison with Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is inevitable but Wells and Wong are a match for Poirot and I really enjoyed how each girl complements the other’s skills. It was good to see more of Hazel and her father and the tension that comes from her strict Chinese upbringing compared to her more liberal British education. Also worth commenting on is how well Stevens does in portraying the casual racism that people like Hazel and her father face because of their ethnicity together with Daisy’s obliviousness to it and by showing Hazel’s feelings about it, Stevens allows readers to understand how unpleasant it really is. The mystery itself has plenty of twists and turns and a homage to an Agatha Christie short story (which I won’t spoil) and I liked the introduction of Alexander, an American would-be detective and junior Pinkerton agent who Daisy is spectacularly Daisy-ish to. If I’m going to nit pick, then I wasn’t completely convinced by the behaviour of one returning character but it did work in the context of the novel. All in all, this is shaping up to be one of my all-time children’s book series and I honestly cannot wait to see what the girls do next.
