MONTGOMERY BONBON: DEATH at the LIGHTHOUSE

by Alasdair Beckett-King;  

                              

                                                         

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.

 

Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.

 

This week, we have a tremendous new murder mystery for you. It has nothing to do with the dodgy sponge recipes entered in the Upper Much-Mousing Autumn Show, though frankly, there should be some arrest for the scones that were later in an attempted smash-and-grab.

That said, Mrs H's Victoria Sponge scored a silver and a bottle of Rosehip Gin. She swapped that with Mrs Bradshaws' third-place non-alcoholic trifle prize of a bottle of 100% proof sherry. Me thinks I'll not get much sense out of Mrs H this evening!

So without much more ado, and certainly before Mrs H heads to do the washing up from Sunday lunch, and then falls into a mysterious slumber, here's the review!

 

 

AUTHOR:  ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING

 

Cover and interior art by: CLAIRE POWELL

 

Published by: WALKER BOOKS

 

Publication date for Paperback: 5 OCTOBER 23

 

Paperback ISBN:   9 781 5295 05 818

 

Cover price for Paperback: £7.99

 

Pages:  303

 

Age range: 9-12 (and adults too).

Any dogs or cats? Sadly, no. But plenty of onion-based sculduggery!

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

Some as to plot direction and characters.

 

 

Thank you to...

We are exceedingly grateful to WALKER Books Publishers and NetGalley for the privilege of getting to Read & Review this much-anticipated book before publication. 

As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. 

First and foremost, the books we review are those we like and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.

 

 

A quick pre-amble....

 

This is the second adventure in the series. And whilst we have read the first, we still need to review it. Suffice it to say, both that and this float our boat humour-wise, and we can recommend both. Reading them out of sequence will not spoil the fun, either.

 

Our protagonist is a very capable 10-year-old, Bonnie Montgomery. Her alter ego is none other than Montgomery Bonbon, the famed French, moustached, beret and trenchcoat-wearing detective. He also speaks with a crazy mish-mash of French and German. 

 

No one has rumbled the disguise or the fact that both are the same height and build, much in keeping with the best superheroes. Bonbon has her own version of Captain Hastings in the form of her sharply dressed ex-icecream seller grandpa, Mr Banks. Forever photographing evidence and clues, he and his still-decked-out van serve the duo as transport for their cases.

 

 

The plot

 

Our story opens with Bonnie and Grampa Banks travelling from their hometown of Widdlington to Odde Island for a short half-term holiday and escape from detecting. Famed for its pageant (and banning of all things onion-based, including Cheese & Onion Crisps) and its windup lighthouse, it seems a perfect getaway. Nothing is likely to happen in the week they're away, right?

 

Oh, how wrong they were. Crossing the island's tidal causeway, they get stopped by the local exciseman and 'jobsworth', who insists they have to declare all things onion, by order of the Order of the Golden Fleece! Bonnie's cheese and onion puffs get flattened with a mallet, and Grandpa Banks is let off with a warning. It was, they thought, rather strange, but then this was Odde Island. They arrive at the famous Leerie Lighthouse only to find it closed after the keeper, Maude Cragge, was found dead, having been blown off the top of the lighthouse during the previous night's storm. Maude was also the 'Grand Maven' of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Not a lady that was liked by many, it seems. The 'Especial Constable' on the island thinks it was just a tragic accident, but something about the scene was amiss. But she couldn't put her finger on it.

 

Now, I don't know about you, but if there was a hint of something not quite right and I was a clued-up detective on holiday, I'd do precisely what Bonnie does and go about checking for clues to quell any suspicions. And then, all being fine, I'd go to the beach, build sandcastles, and eat tons of ice cream. 

 

It's time for Montgomery Bonbon to start investigating! Bonnie enters the lighthouse in disguise and finds a dry, 'golden fleece' jacket. Well, it's more a parker than a fleece. Within a pocket, she finds an IOU to Maude from someone with the initial 'W'. Where there is evidence, there is a crime, and as Bonbon would say, "The game is afoot, mein ami."

 

The investigation that follows introduces Bonnie and Banks to all manner of locals. There's the smarmy owner of the past-its-best guest house they are staying at, Tobias Waterman. Down on her luck and short of a Manor House, Lady Wallop seems more than suspicious, especially when she was out the night Maude came a cropper and seemingly had no alibi! Then there's second in command to Maude, Reuben Ribble, who seems far too grumpy and keen for nobody to dig into his affairs. 

 

And what about Maanvi Mallick, Odde Island's very own once-great reporter who's not below digging up the dirt and a bit extra for a good story and be noticed. As to Miss Bunch, she seems to have hidden something, or things, hiding in the school cellar. And then there is Dana Hornville, Bonnie's classmate, who just happens to have taken a cottage on the island with her mum. The thing is, Dana has discovered Bonnie's secret persona and might well spill the beans and ruin it all!

 

The following plot twist is when one of the prominent characters comes to a sudden demise, another tragic accident, that try as Bonbon might, he/she, cant make fit murder . . . . but those little grey cells, they are working. 

Which is where we shall leave this review. 

So, what did we think?

 

A superb and highly illustrated adventure that will capture the imagination. Fast-paced, there was never a dull page within the covers. The plot is a delight, simple but addictive.

 

Adults, who may 'accidentally' happen to pick this up thinking it's their latest John Le' Carrie or the Grisham they had wanted to read on the bus or train that morning, will be suitably amused. 

 

Written by a renowned award-winning stand-up comedian, the text has a definite adult cheeky twist. No rude double-entendre, just skilful appropriate lateral wordplay and humour. Bonnie's misunderstanding of more adult phrases actually brings a genuineness to her alter-ego's persona, much like Poirot's own, how you English say 'the grasp incomplete of the English, no?'. 

 

Of course, having Bonbon mix German and French phrases is a brilliant ploy and adds to his character. Christie never overplayed Poirot's quirks; thankfully, this does not happen here, either. Too much of that would be a turn-off, even for kids. 

The plot, whilst a typical murder mystery, is skillfully wrapped up with a great setting and a string of dubious and fun/quirky characters who all could have done it. Only by chance did we guess the villain; even then, we weren't 100% right. In my experience, we seldom get the motives why folks do things. That was the same here, though there were clues.  

 

So . . . . Crunch time. 

 

Enquiring, fun-loving kids will love this well-written, easy-going, fast-paced series. This style of humour does it for us every time. Anything that can amuse Mrs H and me for a week during the stressful clatter of refurbishment works and even raise a smile and a chortle from Mrs H, having seen the debris and dust she had to clear up, is a winner. As Mrs H always says: "Money spent on an entertaining book is money and time well spent." Fostering good cheer, an inquiring mind, and active reading for later life is always a winner. 

 

Want to buy a copy?

To get an onion-free copy, please head on down to your local independent bookshop. Plenty are out there; each is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.

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Talking of winners, Lone Star Cats are the winner of our Thomas Taylor Eerie on Sea multi-book giveaway. CONGRATULATIONS! If you would like us to redraw the prize and pass it on to another commentor from that week, please do say. 

 

If you do wish the prize, please send us your postal address via a separate comment below. We won't publish the comment and will delete it after your prize is safely delivered. 

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Alasdair Beckett-King's web page can be found HERE or type this:  https://www.abeckettking.com/

 

WALKER Books' web page can be found HERE or type this:  

https://www.walker.co.uk/

 

Claire Powell's web page can be found HERE or type this: https://www.claire-powell.com/

 

After all that detecting, I shall leave you with an onion and crime free selfie of me.  🙂 🙂

We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kittes Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.

This is me and my toes looking at you. Or, more precisely, at Mrs H, who had foolishly left the bed in search of a pen and returned to find no spare space.

Till laters!

ERin