DEATH SETS SAIL

by Robin Stevens;  

A Murder Mystery book review by Erin the Cat Princess

 

Erin the cat; Addicted to Murder Mystery & Mice! (Not necessarily in that order!)

The news of Upper Much-Mousing events has been cancelled for this week. Not because of illness but because Mrs H ran out fuel for her motorcycle. 

How does that affect the news, I hear you ask? Well, it seems she only had enough change in her purse to type up my dictation of this review over the telephone whilst standing in a public call box. Hopefully she, my shopping and the news will return, fully fueled in time for next weeks review! Also, if this review is a tad more squashed than usual, then blame the size of the telephone box!

Now, enough of the pre-amble and lets get on with the show!

 

'Is this the end for the detective Society?'

 

This week, somewhat sadly, we have come to the final main story in the MMU (Murder Most Unladylike) series of murder mystery adventures. 

 

It has been a fascinating and exciting series that has kept us going the past couple of years. OK, enough chat, let's get this show on the road, or should I say, all aboard the steamer for a trip down the Nile!

 

 

The Plot:

 

'This is an account of the last murder mystery the Detective Society will ever solve together.' 

 

The story opens with these very telling words. Words that will hang like a portent of death, a harbinger of evil, in the bone-dry Egyptian air throughout what is to come for our two, seemingly invincible detectives . . .

 

For this finale of an adventure, it is fitting we should have all of our favourites from the series. Hazel, Daisy, Hazel's father and her two sisters, Amina and her father, and George and Alexander of the Junior Pinkertons come together for one last adventure.

 

Amina's father, a wealthy Egyptian businessman, invites Daisy and Hazel to spend Christmas with Amina in Cairo. 

 

Hazel's father agrees to her going and says he will meet them there to share Egypt as a family. Daisy gets Uncle Felix's blessing too. Together the three girls fly to Egypt and take the sights, escorted by Amina's family's long-suffering pallid English governess. 

 

On arriving at her father's hotel in Cairo, Hazel, along with Daisy and Amina, can't help but hear and see a loud and irritating group of genteel European ladies and gentlemen. If only that was all they were! They are members of a fantastic sect called the Breath of Life, who believe that they are the reincarnation of the pharaohs. The more you pay them, the greater chance the sect's head, Mrs Theodora Miller, will divine you to be a high ranking king or queen. She already thinks of herself to be Hatshepsut. The locals quite rightly ignore the sect's preaching; after all, why would an Egyptian pharaoh come back as a dumpy European lady who thought herself a queen?

 

Anyway, the girls think they have seen the last of them, but they not only board the same train to head to the Nile but also end up on the very same cruise! 

 

Tensions carry on rising amidst the members of the sect and the crew. Not helped by Mrs Miller commandeering the lounge for some unusual rite that involves the weighing of the heart (not literally) to find if someone is worthy.

 

When Mrs Miller is found murdered, stabbed to death, and her daughter sleepwalking whilst covered in blood, they seem to have an open and shut case. Let me tell you that once the girls and the boys get investigating, it is anything but. 

 

Estranged family with an axe to grind? Members of the sect jealous and keen to rise in the ranks of the reincarnated? Any number of people suddenly seem to have a motive. But Who Actually Did It???

 

And that is where I have to leave the review and taster. I may have said more than I ought, but I think the mystery is so very much more.

 

 

What did we think?

Cor blimey, what a finale to the series!

 

We loved the characters; they really are a fabulous bunch of potential suspects. The protagonists are true to themselves and utterly charming for it. It was also wonderful that so much gets said/settled between Hazel and her father, and between the detectives. That is nice and rounds things off nicely, at least thus far.

 

The scene setting gives an authentic flavour of the day and location. Mixed with but not overburdened by a selection of facts and descriptions that carries us through the story and educates. 

 

Think of the best Agatha Christie adaptation for the movies or small screen, and I think this is comparable as, in its now inimitable fashion, it casts the same sort of magic for its younger reader. It has taken many readers, ourselves included, on an emotional and exciting ride right up to the final pages. Arguably, even beyond!

 

High praise, and yes, it does deserve it. The whole series has won plaudits from many reviewing agencies. 

 

Until you start writing characters and plots, I do not think we as readers can truly grasp the enormity of the task of 'world-building. Robin Stevens has masterfully created a timeline of adventures that take the girls across countries and through the seasons. They experience love, loss, fear and friendships. And through it all is woven the unstoppable and inescapable acts of growing up. Culminating in what is truly one of the classic settings, and a nod to a Mistress of Murder Mystery. 

 

I think a sign of how masterful this series has been is the fact neither Mrs H nor I had realised how much we had become invested in their lives and world. How much we cheered them on, gasped at revelations or kicked ourselves, along with the characters, when we guessed incorrectly or made a wrong turn. 

 

I will make no apology for the fact that I have had to be particularly candid about the story's details. Things get going quite literally from the opening line.

 

Be prepared to be shocked, raised high, then plummeted to depths. For those that haven't read this series, I do strongly suggest reading from the beginning. Yes, you can read this as a stand-alone, but it will be losing the contextual experience of the relationships between characters and their investment in each other over 8 books. If you have read up to this point, then I need to say no more than be prepared. But this is everything we have been waiting for and more.

 

 

Want to buy a copy?

 

If you'd like a copy of Death Sets Sail for your next cruise, please do support your local bookshop first. 

 

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE.

 

A BIG PS

 

Now, eagle-eyed among our readers will have spotted certain clues that there may be more books to this series. And I am pleased to say that there are some short stories to be had. The first is called 'Cream Buns and Crime' and subtitled 'Tips, Tricks and Tales from the Detective Society'. Jolly good fun for your next bun break!

 

'Tips, Tricks and Tales from the Detective Society'

There is also the recently published collection of 6 short adventures called 'Once Upon a Crime'. Two of the stories have been published separately – The Case of the Missing Treasure and the Case of the Drowned Pearl – but have not been widely available. So seeing them here makes a welcome addition to this new book so all can enjoy them. 

  

 

'Once Upon a Crime' features characters old and new and recounts tales of 'off-screen' moments referred to in other stories, as well as a lead into a brand new series of adventures for Hazel's sisters, May and Rose. 

 

We read this in the last few weeks and can happily say it lives up to the main 9 stories and is a most welcome addition to the Murder Most Unladylike series. 

 

OK, so that really is it from us here at the Palace this week. We will return with a review of another great set of books for you to enjoy. 

 

Till then, we hope your own summer vacations culminate in nothing more worrying than thoughts of the reincarnation of last nights pizza! 

 

Till later.

Toodlepip and Purrs!

ERin

Top Marks for Murder; a book review.

 

 A Murder Mystery book review by Erin the Cat Princess

Erin the cat: Addicted to Murder Mystery & Mice!

It's finally Saturday, and that means it's time for my Saturday Book Review!

 

But first, a few words from our sponsor about my week here at the Palace.

 

The summer here in Upper Much-Mousing, set deep in the tiny English county of East Lambtonshire, has been pretty much business as usual. Now most of the crops are in, I've been preparing for one of the events for which Lower, and Upper Much-Mousing were and are known – MouseFest.

 

As the lady of the manor, I also hold the honorary title of 'The Majestic Much-Mousing Mouse Muncher Mistress'. Thankfully it is a title that has no requirement for a minimum waist size. What I have to do is inspect the fields for mice. Once I have found the best field, I then select the best points for the competitors to station themselves for the night of the hunt.

 

It is hard work and requires many hours of nighttime observation and patience (as well as restraint) on my part to pick the best spots. I should stress that competing cats from the neighbourhood are checked before the competition to ensure they don't bring their own mice to add to their tally.

 

This year's hot favourite is Bertie, mouse-catcher in residence at the local inn. He has quite a following (not from the mice) though I think he is a bit on the stout side from, well, too much stout. My favourite, and a small amount of my piggy bank, is riding on Mavis, the baker's cat. She has a rigorous exercise routine that includes kneading the dough to builder upper arm strength. She also does resistance training stretching out the dough so Dorothy, the baker, can make those fancy plaited loaves. 

 

The outsider for this years event, a black cat called Sid from the undertakers, is definitely worth an each-way bet. Not the chatty sort that guy, but patient and silent as the . . . well you get my drift.

 

Me, I'll be sat with Mrs H in the Much-Mousing Tea Rooms, an extension to Mrs Singhs Food Emporium, enjoying a hard-earned nap in advance of the prize-giving. And naturally, I'll be checking out this year's prize, which was kindly donated by Johnson's Cream Bar – a years supply of fresh double cream!

 

I shall post the results of the event just as soon as we recover from the awards ceremony.

 

Oh, just in case you are interested, the second prize is a year's membership to the village gym! Methinks they should amalgamate those two prizes, don't you!

 

Anyways, enough of my rustic village life; let's get on with the review!

 

 

'Death is back at Deepdean'

 

This week we review the next book in the 'Murder Most Unladylike' series, 'Top Marks for Murder', by the wonderful Mrs Robin Stevens.

 

The Plot:

The adventure starts as our heroines, aged nearly 15, return to Deepdean School for Girls after their escapades in London. They have settled back into being just ordinary schoolgirls and all that goes with that.

 

The year is 1936. The month, July. The upcoming event is the 50th Anniversary Weekend of the Deepdean School for Young Ladies. The girls' parents, many of them ex-pupils, are invited to a weekend celebration. It will be full of banquets, and events – academic and athletic, indoors and out. All put on by the pupils and with parent participation. 

 

So far, so good. And with things planned to a T, and the girls all dressed up and on their best behaviour, then everything should be OK.

 

But of course, a murder mystery would not be such without a murder. And Deepdean School, for those that have followed the series, is now about to get its third. To make matters worse, if it's not solved by the girls come the end of the event, it will be its last as the school will close, permanently.

 

If that wasn't enough, whilst Daisy and Hazel have been away, a new girl has arrived at Deepdean from a posh school in Cairo. Amina is in the year below Hazel and Daisy. With stunning good looks and perfect manners towards the teachers, she has stolen the light from Daisy. It is fair to say Daisy is not at all pleased.

 

When one of the younger students, Beanie, spots from afar what she believes is a murder being committed in the woods at the edge of the grounds, the deadly game is afoot.

 

When the girls go off to investigate, they find two clues. One points to a French connection, and the other, most shockingly, to one or other of the murderer or victim, or both, being a parent or member of the school council coming to the school. But what they don't find is a body.

 

Not much to go on. And one could say without a body, there is no murder and thus no case. But Daisy and Hazel feel otherwise. With the help of the other members of the Detective Society – Lavinia, Kitty and Beanie – and the police, they set about spying on the parents when they arrive for the weekend celebrations. At least, on those that have come. But what of those that haven't? Is one of those the victim, or maybe they're the murderer! So, whilst the girls work on their allotted tasks for the big occasion, they have to wheedle out information from the adults.

 

What they find is a complicated web of long-buried rivalries and relationships between the adults and secrets that maybe should stay buried. This WILL be a weekend for revelation and murders and also family feud and sadness. Fair play and foul and a practical joke.

 

As with all reviews, there comes the chapter/point where we have to let the new reader carry on and find out for themselves.

 

What did we think?

I really liked this book. It was thankfully and rightly quite different to the two previous mysteries centred on the school. It is pretty complex, and there is far more fun and games than I have been able to give the book credit for in this short summary. Rest assured, as we reach the climax, there will be a feast of entertainment and crime to make you think twice about the guests at your table and place settings!

 

Of the books so far, this goes further into relationships and friendships. It also acts, I think, as a springboard to show how much the girls have changed. It also shows how in life, that change can happen in such a short time.  I like that. Yet, I get a real sense that the youthfulness of the other adventures is being left behind.

 

So, it may not come as a surprise that this is the penultimate book in this series. It will also not be a surprise if I say that of the books so far, I think this is not my favourite.

 

It is nothing to do with the adventure, just my taste and the loss of innocence as the characters grow. But I am pleased to say that this book is right up there and is both engaging and entertaining. It is also very much on a par with an Agatha Christie novel. That in itself is, Mrs H says, much credit to the skill of Robin Stevens as the author.

 

Should I buy a copy?

Absolutely. I would say this is an essential part of the series and not to be missed. Taken as a whole series, I think you'll want to read this so you go into the finale ready for what will happen and believe me, it happens.

 

Want to buy a copy?

As ever, if you are going to buy, please do support your local independent bookseller.

 

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE. If you cant see what you are after, then do drop them an email.

 

Next time I will be reviewing the FINAL book in this series, book 9. It is a classic adventure and one not to be missed. So, pack yourselves a case and join Mrs H and me as we head off for 'Death Sets Sail' and murder mystery adventure on the Nile!

 

I hope you enjoyed our review and a peek at life here at the Palace. We will return, editorial work on our own adventure novel permitting, in a week or so time.

 

Till then, we hope your school report doesn't look like mine and say 'A very trying pupil!'

 

Toodlepip and Purrs!

 

ERin

'Death in the Spotlight' by Robin Stevens

 A Murder Mystery book review by Erin the Cat Princess

Erin the cat: Addicted to Murder Mystery & Mice!

It's saturday, and that means it's time for a book review!

But first, a quick look at my week here at the Palace. Monday, I sent Mrs H out to look at new flooring for the study. And would you believe it, she came back having looked at nothing but skirting boards. So, being the cunning feline I am, I sent her out on Tuesday to look for skirting boards with the hope she would look at flooring instead.

The logic was there, but somehow.... well, let's just say the request translated into looking at wallpaper. By Friday, we, meaning I, had sent her to look for everything else, but come what may, I still had no samples of flooring. I have catalogues for sinks, taps and plumbing sundries. There's also a teetering pile of paint swatches, and strips of curtain fabric – which Mrs H assures me she did not cut out of the curtains in the shop window. I also have multiple rolled up lengths of wallpaper that look like the most ornate and expensive rolls of loo paper imaginable. I'll be saving them for when we have royal guests I want to impress!

Any hope of new floorboards seemed to have disappeared. So I took things into my own claws. This morning I finally managed to corner Mrs H on the matter whilst she had her porridge; the live mouse I'd invited to share her bowl of said breakfast stodge, poised (gracefully in my delicate jaws) ready to join her.

Mrs H hurriedly apologised, and assured me that there were no physical samples available. At least not of a length that wouldn't jeopardise the lives and limbs of pedestrians as she cycled by. So, she has decided to get the same as we already have.

Wouldn't it have just been easier if she'd told me that from the the off?

Anyways, enough of my interior decorating and building woes, let's get on with the show!

 

'THE STAGE IS SET FOR MURDER.'

This week we review the next book in the 'Murder Most Unladylike' series, 'Death in the Spotlight', by the fabulous Mrs Robin Stevens.

The Plot:

Hazel and Daisy have returned from their adventure in Hong Kong, but it is mid-term, and they can't yet go back to their school, Deepdean. Instead, they stay in London with Daisy's Uncle Felix and his new wife, Aunt Lucy. 

To keep them out of trouble (Ha!), Aunt Lucy takes them hither and thither to enjoy London. BUT when something crops up at Lucy's very secretive workplace, the girls end up going to help Lucy's friends mother. She happens to run the Rue Theatre in London. The thought is Hazel and Daisy will be entertained, supervised and enjoy the acting experience. Yes, that's right, the girls get small parts in the theatre's upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.

This sets the scene, quite literally, for what happens next — MURDER.

The girls soon discover the cast has many conflicting personalities, and pasts they would rather not share. And there are the ever-present problems of a lack of money. There is also the sweet scent of romance, and not just because it is Romeo and Juliet.

Things start on a reasonably even keel with a prima donna of a star, Miss Rose Tree, causing the usual fuss and rubbing everyone up the wrong way. 

But very quickly, there come the threats. A note in Rose's roses saying someone is coming for her. A peacock feather is left in her room at the theatre, and then her gown is slashed. Next comes a set of posters papered to the outside of the theatre for all the public to see. In a nasty version of Kitty in the well, they say that's where Rose Tree is! 

When Rose Tree walks out and does not return the next day, few seem bothered. But the girls sense foul play. Soon after a murder is uncovered, and the real drama begins. Following on, the girls meet up with the Junior Pinkertons detectives, Alexander and George and the case takes them across London. Like all the best detective stories, the devil and the murders are in the detail. There is so much more I want to tell you, but really can't.

So, I do think this is a perfect place for the first interval. With the curtain down, I shall let you head to the bar to ponder over a soft drink or cocoa – after all, there are kids present in the audience – what will happen next. Will the show make it to the first night? Will our intrepid duo survive rehearsals and get to take their bows and an encore? Or will the play and the cast die a horrible death, and not just from the critics?! To find the answers to these meddlesome questions, you will just have to wait and see. . . 

 

What did we think?

Robin Stevens has picked an excellent theme for this adventure mystery. Theatre is full of tradition and superstition. And most importantly, the cast is already pretending to be who they aren't. Seeing through not one but two or maybe three disguises is, I think, what makes this adventure extra appealing. 

I didn't manage to solve this one, though I did think at one point it was the lady that sells the ice creams, and it was all down to timing. When Mrs H asked why, I insisted on proving my point by ordering up some double-cream ices tubs of my own. Mrs H timed me eating them and, well, let's just say that my idea, like the cream tub, came up empty. Oh, the things I do to be a detective. 

Anyway, as the series has progressed, we have met both girls, their classmates and their families, in sadness and in joy. Now it is time to learn more about the girls themselves, more so Daisy in this book. This aspect is done so well by our author. I dare say I had not seen such a thoughtful representation of characters until I started reading Middle Grade/YA books. 

I think it is often assumed/ignored in adult books and tiptoed around and over in younger age books. I shall add that this is a rounded adventure that does, like all the others, deal with matters sensitively and thoughtfully. It does it in a way that, like the clues, weaves itself seamlessly through the pages. 

So, if we were looking for candidates for this year's book of the year, then this one is definitely a candidate. 

The prize for the winning author is a one-week free holiday in the Palace's newly built holiday chalet (AKA Old Ned's potting shed – cold running water and insect spray available on request with small surcharge payable).

 

Should I buy a copy?

If treading the boards, greasepaint, costumes, and all manner of murderous acts are your thing, then Murder in the Spotlight is likely to raise the curtain on an evening or fives worth of entertainment. So the answer is a resounding – Oh Yes You Should!

 

Want to buy a copy?

As to buying, please do support your local independent bookseller.

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE. If you cant see what you are after, then do drop them an email.

Round Table Books is "an Inclusion-led book shop" based at the heart of Brixton, London, UK. As shown on their website, their purpose is to highlight and celebrate underrepresented children's books, writers and illustrators. It draws from as wide a range as possible of the UK and Irish publishing houses. 

 

Next time I will be reviewing the next major book in the series, book 8, 'Top Marks for Murder', the penultimate adventure. 

OK, so that is it from us here at the Palace. We will return, editorial work on our own adventure novel permitting, in a week or so time.

 

Till then, we hope your own spoons will be filled with nothing more sinister than lukewarm porridge! 

Until later,

Toodlepip and Purrs!

ERin

PS

Mrs H has asked me to offer this warning: Do remember choc-ices, lemonade and popcorn all cause a sticky mess, so, if participating in such delights, best not read this in bed!

'A Spoonful of Murder.'

 'A Spoonful of Murder' by Robin Stevens; a Murder Mystery book review by Erin the Cat Princess

Erin the cat; Addicted to Murder Mystery & Mice!

Well, what a funny old summer it has been, and strangely my thoughts are, if not exactly heading to Christmas time, then thoughts of Halloween. Brrr, doesnt it just make you shiver and send the staff heading off to dig out the winter duvets!

 

Well, I say duvets, but this year we are trying something different. Mrs H is trying a weighted blanket, and a sensory sheet. Now if you havent heard of such things then do look them up as they help restless sleepers get a good nights sleep. Why she wants a weighted blanket when she has me to pin her to the bed I don't know, but hey ho, the ways of housekeepers are sometimes beyond not so mere princesses as I.

OK, enough of the pre-amble and lets get on with the show!

 

 

This week we are reviewing the next book in the 'Murder Most Unladylike' series, A Spoonful of Murder', By the fabulous Robin Stevens.

The Plot:

This time around Hazel becomes the lead detective when she and Daisy venture to Hazel's birthplace and home in Hong Kong. 

When Hazel's beloved grandfather passes away, Hazel, as much through love as duty, travels home by boat to be with her father and mother, as well as her father's second wife and her two incorrigible younger half-sisters, May and Rose.

Don't worry, family structures in Hong Kong are very different to those in the west, as Daisy soon realises. Daisy, the archetypal British aristocratic daughter of a lord, also realises that she is a fish out of water and that Hazel, who has never made much of her family wealth and standing, is actually a bit of a 'dark horse'. But, in true Daisy-like fashion, she aims to make the most of the trip and learn as much as she can to fit in.

-setting, and there is NO mystery in Hazel's Grandfathers death. But, there is a surprise that triggers the series of events that creates a fantastic adventure for the girls. On arriving home, Hazel discovers that she has a new baby brother! A stepbrother by her father's second wife. Hazel is devastated, not least because she hasn't been told before now. But things run deeper than just that. With a new baby brother, her place as the eldest child and apple of her father's eye is automatically usurped in favour of Teddy, the baby. Despite his age, he will rule the roost as the son. 

Emotions run high for Hazel, as I am sure you can imagine. But, these get put, if not completely to one side, then slightly out of focus when Teddy is kidnapped, and his nursemaid, who was Hazel's own whilst she was growing up, is murdered.

Now at this point, things really do take off. There is, like all of these books, a great selection of characters and events and clues to be considered by the two detectives. Add to this that the girls get embroiled with the local Triad gang, risking their own safety in the process, then we have a bowlful of even more Murder Mystery and Suspense to captivate the avid reader.

I shall leave it there for the review, as to go further will, I think, spoil the fun.

 

What did we think?

This is a wonderfully crafted continuation of the series, that touches on many aspects of society, values and prejudices, as well as emotions and driving forces. It is also a jolly good read!

Mrs H and I both loved this new and original adventure, especially meeting May and Rose, Hazel's sisters. We will, I promise, get to hear and see more of them as time goes by. I have to say I learned a lot from this book, and think a younger reader will too. Most of all we both loved the way the plot accelerated and developed as the girls fought against the clock to get Teddy back and solve the murders!

It is also heartwarming, and gratifying. We truly cant praise this book enough for what it brings to this genre, and the age range – and beyond. The series, which I must confess Mrs H has now read up to date, but keeping the endings to herself, has been a constant bedside companion.

 

Want to buy a copy?

 

If you'd like a Spoonful of Crime with your morning oats, muesli or granola, please do support your local bookshop first. 

 

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE.

 

Round Table Books is "an Inclusion-led book shop" based at the heart of Brixton, London, UK. Its purpose, as shown on their website, is to highlight and celebrate underrepresented children's books, writers and illustrators, and draws from as wide a range as possible of UK and Irish publishing houses. Mrs H says, in an age when small or minority is often pushed to one side by the big, shops across the world like Round Table Books, should be encouraged by us all, so we can nurture great new diverse talent.

Next time I will be reviewing the next major book in the series 'Death in the Spotlight'.

OK, so that is it from us here at the Palace. We will return, editorial work on our own adventure novel permitting, in a week or so time.

 

Till then, we hope your own spoons will be filled with nothing more sinister than lukewarm porridge!

Till later.

Toodlepip and Purrs!

ERin

Murder with your Mince pie, anyone?

 

 'Mistletoe and Murder' by Robin Stevens; a festive Murder Mystery book review & A Sunday Selfie!

Erin the cat; Addicted to Mice & Mystery!

With that dreaded season of goodwill nearly upon us, we bring you our last book review of the year.

 

Why dreaded I hear you ask? 

 

Well, if you've ever heard the UMM (Upper Much-Mousing) carol singers, then you'd know why! And if the singing weren't enough, there is the annual "Great UMM Bake-Off." For those not familiar with the event, chefs from across UMM, who would, for the sake of public health and safety, be banned from entering a kitchen let alone actually cooking anything, are let loose to prepare a festive meal. To avoid cheating, anyone who has any skill, or can open a tin of beans, is automatically disqualified from taking part. 

 

The prizegiving takes place at the UMM Charity Christmas meal for those in need (and those who have no breakable teeth, or taste buds) and is generally well attended. OK, the presence of so many paramedics is unusual. Still, the flashing lights on the ambulances do add some cheer to the event. 

 

Afterwards, there is the annual Inter Village no-holds-barred ice-hockey match. Now for aficionados, there is one significant difference. The traditional puck is replaced by a selection of overbaked seasonal fare: mince pies, slices of Yule log, and Christmas puds. Mrs H tells me that they did once use turkey wings, but the aerodynamics of burnt wings were not conducive to the game staying on the rink! The winners are the team that can leave the pitch without limping or severe injury! If you plan to attend this culinary match, face masks and body armour, of the steel kind, are an absolute MUST! 

 

OK, so enough of the local goings on in Upper Much-Mousing, here's the book review. . . .

 

These last few weeks we have been reading book five in the Murder Most Unladylike series, titled: Mistletoe and Murder.

 

What's it all about?

 

The setting.

It is a few days before Christmas 1935. Hazel and Daisy have managed to wangle their festive holidays staying in Cambridge with Daisy's brother, Bertie, who is studying at Maudlin College. Aged 14, the girls are looking forward to having an 'adult-free' time enjoying the delights of the city, cream teas and cake.  

 

To add to the excitement Alexander, who the girls met on the Orient Express (See book 3 – A First Class Murder) is also staying at another college nearby. He has come with fellow Junior Pinkerton, George, and his brother Harold. Both Alexander and George are, of course, co-chair members of a rival detective society to that of the girls.

 

The Plot:

The girls learn that in Maudlin College, a male-only college, two of Bertie's fellow students Donald Melling & Charles 'Chummy' Melling are to throw a big party. It's their coming of age, and it happens to be Christmas day. Now it seems that Donald is always having nasty accidents, as well as being the butt of jokes played by his brother, Chummy. Nothing unusual there you may say, sort of brotherly acts of mischief, and you would ordinarily be right. BUT, On their birthday, Donald, who is ten minutes older than Chummy, will inherit a vast fortune. He plans to spend it on a dubious-sounding diamond mine somewhere, a fact that rankles Chummy no end. Tempers between the two are always flaring, and all seem to agree that Chummy should be the one to inherit. After all, he is the more likeable, more outward going, right?

 

But for our two sleuths, and the Pinkertons, the accidents happening to Donald can mean only one undeniable thing, someone is trying to bump Donald off. All fingers and facts point to Chummy.

 

Now how would you go about solving and preventing a crime that hasn't happened? Well, the two societies come up with a plan that will hopefully not only save Donald but decide whether the girls or the boys are the best detectives. The bet is that the first society to solve the crime-to-be and expose the villain will win. The winner gets the credit, and the loser has to publically proclaim that they are not the best detectives in town…….

 

The scene is set, and the action starts in this latest adventure, but suddenly, and somewhat unexpectedly, and also inconveniently, someone else is murdered!!!

 

To add to the adventure, the girls have been hamstrung: girls are not allowed to be in the college, in fact, the College Master has barred them.

 

Will there be blood spilt between the rival detective Societies? Will Daisy and Hazel fall out again? Will, there be romance this time around, and if so, who has their eyes on whom, and do they notice?

Will you ever be able to look at Mice Pies, Mistletoe and Port in the same way ever again?

All this and much much more will be revealed!

 

Alas, I can not say more. From here on in, the story is full of clues, and has more ups and downs – many literal, than you could shake a Latin textbook at. Needless to say, to get to the end, the detectives have to outwit each other the university students and suspects, and the police. Not forgetting Daisy's intimidating Great Aunt Eustacia, who is a Cambridge mathematics don, and some rather irritated University staff, who may have something to do with the crime/s. And all this as the clock ticks down to Christmas Day!

What did we think?

We really enjoyed this book. . . . OK, that is an understatement, it was brilliant! The plot, like the student lodgings in which the crimes and a lot of the action take place, have more ups downs and sideways moves than a snakes and ladders board, and clearly just as dangerous.

 

Intelligent, complex and fun, and a step up from the last adventure. This book ably reflects the time and gives a feel for the season and location – albeit in a localised way. The story does also reflect the time as far as the treatment and attitude towards women students is concerned, as well as the way non-English students were viewed. The subjects are well handled though and show the authors adeptness at writing for middle-grade and older readers alike.

 

Who should read this book?

We read with an open mind and to have fun. But we don't want to be spoonfed. This book, like the others, isn't patronising for the younger reader, and engaging for the older reader (in Mrs H's case, the ANCIENT reader!). So definitely suitable for ages 9 upwards (to ancient). We love the format of the book/adventure which has retained the first-person narrative (from Hazel). The book also includes a plan of the location and floor levels to the students' rooms. There are clues there if we can spot them, but if you fancy a ride, the story sails along like a punt on the River Cam, that flows through Cambridge.

 

Fancy having a read for Christmas? Then please do consider treating your thermal stockings to a copy. The audible version is just as good and could be winging its way into some readers virtual stocking in seconds. 

 

Want to buy a copy?

If you'd like a spot of crime with your cranberries or Murder with your Mince Pies, please do support your local bookshop first. 

 

If you would like something extra spiffing, Round Table Books, here in the UK, can offer special editions, signed copies and pre-orders. I believe they do ship internationally too. A link to Round Table Books special orders can be found HERE.

 

Round Table Books is "an Inclusion-led book shop" based at the heart of Brixton, London, UK. Its purpose, as shown on their website, is to highlight and celebrate underrepresented children's books, writers and illustrators, and draws from as wide a range as possible of UK and Irish publishing houses. Mrs H says, in an age when small or minority is often pushed to one side by the big, shops across the world like Round Table Books, should be encouraged by us all, so we can nurture great new diverse talent.

And now, my pre-UMM Bake off snoozie selfie – I'll be needing all my energy for the big match, mainly so I can avoid the flying pies!

 

Next time I will be reviewing Book 6 in the series.

OK, so that is it from us here at the Palace. We will return, injuries and indigestion permitting, sometime in January, when all the empty sweet papers have been swept up, and the leftover turkey (Mrs H's) has been confined to my tummy.

 

Till then, we wish you all a safe, happy, mince pie and pudding filled – with the occasional sherry or five – few weeks!

Till later.

Toodlepip and Purrs!

ERin