Showing posts with label Mystery. Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery. Adventure. Show all posts

Sunday 24 September 2023

MONTGOMERY BONBON: DEATH at the LIGHTHOUSE

by Alasdair Beckett-King;  

                              

A small version of the cover. Montogomery Bonbon stands in front of the strippy Leerie Lighthouse, reaching out for paper clues. He/she is spotlighted in yellow against the rocks whilst orange and yellow waves of the background splash roundabout. The title is in white script set at an angle over the lighthouse and above Bonbon's head. The author's name is in yellow beneath, whilst the artist's name is in orange beneath that, both set against the purple used to put the lighthouse steps in shadow.

 
                                                        

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!
 

 

A large version of the cover. Montogomery Bonbon stands in front of the strippy Leerie Lighthouse, reaching out for paper clues. He/she is spotlighted in yellow against the rocks whilst orange and yellow waves of the background splash roundabout. The title is in white script set at an angle over the lighthouse and above Bonbon's head. The author's name is in yellow beneath, whilst the artist's name is in orange beneath that, both set against the purple used to put the lighthouse steps in shadow.


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.


******** 

 

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. 


********

 

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.

Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head.


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.


Erin lies on a pink duvet cover. The camera shows her hind paws in foreground, slightly blurred, whilst in background and in sharper focus is Erin's face looking into the lens.


Till laters!

ERin

 

Sunday 3 September 2023

MERMEDUSA

 by THOMAS TAYLOR;  

Small book cover. The Jaunty Spark fishing boat, painted red with its wind turbine mast and monster tusk on the prow, is on the high seas near the Eerie lighthouse. The lighthouse is to the left, and a large rock points up to the right with the boat in between. The Mermedusa is seen as a pale grey-blue image against a yellowing sky, without detail. Its hair radiates outward like tendrils. Violet stands pointing to the right as viewed, and Herbie looks aghast to the left at the monster whose blurred image we can see beneath the surface of the water. The ocean is a blur of greens, blues and grey. The sky is a wavy blue and yellowy green. Mermedusa is written in white capitals over the boat. The author's name appears. at the bottom of the page in white, and "An Eerie-on-Sea mystery" is along the top of the book – yellow writing on a blue background.
Image ©
                                                                                       

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 real wonder of a book. An adventure that necessitated tons of research: mainly fish and chips, ice cream and candyfloss on a day out to the beach.
 
OK, OK, as we don't actually have a beach nearby, Mrs H set up a paddling pool in the living room and filled it with sand and salted water. She then tied a hanky around her head, and we pretended it was sunny under a 100-watt light bulb bought especially for the day. No expense spared! What we can't work out is where the donkey, high tide and the crabs came from!  

But enough of my seaside ramblings, let's get on with the review. If you here for a selfie, scroll on down at your peril!

 

Large book cover. The Jaunty Spark fishing boat, painted red with its wind turbine mast and monster tusk on the prow, is on the high seas near the Eerie lighthouse. The lighthouse is to the left, and a large rock points up to the right with the boat in between. The Mermedusa is seen as a pale grey-blue image against a yellowing sky, without detail. Its hair radiates outward like tendrils. Violet stands pointing to the right as viewed, and Herbie looks aghast to the left at the monster whose blurred image we can see beneath the surface of the water. The ocean is a blur of greens, blues and grey. The sky is a wavy blue and yellowy green. Mermedusa is written in white capitals over the boat. The author's name appears. at the bottom of the page in white, and "An Eerie-on-Sea mystery" is along the top of the book – yellow writing on a blue background.
© Image


Author and interior art by:  Thomas Taylor

 

Cover art by:  George Ermos

 

Published by: Walker Books

 

Publication date of Paperback: 7th September 2023

 

Paperback ISBN:   978 - 1529 502 138

 

Cover price for the Paperback £7.99

 

Pages: 336

 

Age range: Kids of all ages from 9 and UPWARDS.


Any dogs or cats?  Oh YES!  The much-loved talking feline character, Erwin, is all aboard for the rollercoaster of an adventure.


 

 

SPOILER ALERT


Yes. As this is the conclusion of the series, there will be references to characters, plot and direction, both past and present. In fact, the brilliant cover by George Ermos is a huge giveaway, so I'll say no more about that 😉.

 


Thank you to... 

 

We are exceedingly grateful to Thomas Taylor, and Walker Books for giving us an electronic ARC to Read & Review this much-anticipated book before publication. All artwork is reproduced by kind permission of the author himself.


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, we read for pleasure, and the books we review are those we love and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their children, friends and students will enjoy.


Please follow the links below to get the lowdown on the first four hugely successful and thoroughly entertaining adventures. 


To get the best from Mermedusa, we strongly recommend reading books one to four first. If you do, so much will fall into place, and these five stories' true strength and sheer brilliance will shine through in a way that Harry Potter never really did for us.

 

Book 1: MALAMANDER.  Read the Review HERE. 

 

Book 2: GARGANTIS.  Read the Review HERE.  


BOOK 3: SHADOWGHAST.  Read the Review HERE.  

 

Book 4. FESTERGRIMM.  Read the Review HERE. 


***** Give away! ***** 

 

Hang on a mo! Mrs H has dug five fathoms deep into her mysteriously capacious handbag and, snatching her purse from the jaws of a rather murderous Scottish lobster, agreed to buy from her pension and give away to one lucky commenter on this week's blog a selection of the stories. The comments will be left open for one week after this post appears, and commenters (who can't be anonymous for obvious reasons) must be able to supply their address and be in an area covered by Amazon. 


 

So join Mrs H and me for the final time as we head into the Lost and Founders room in the basement under the Grand Nautilus Hotel in Eerie-on-Sea. It is two days before mid-winter, and the tourists have gone. It is the time of year when the Malamander stalks the foggy beach at night . . . ..

 

 

The plot


Herbie Lemon, the hotel's Lost and Founder, stands lost in thought at the bottom of his stairs. In his hand is a stopped and scuffed watch handed into his desk moments earlier, found by a staff member behind a radiator. The hands point to midnight, or so Violet Parmar says, to the moment when some terrible crime befell it and its owner. But why could it not be midday, Herbie asks. 


In any event, they have an appointment on the beach to accompany three Americans — co-hosts and sound and camera recordist — from the podcasters 'Anomolous Phenomena'. They intend to visit the area and discover more about the Eerie's hitherto little-heard-of monsters, the Malamander being but one, proving or disproving their existence in front of a camera. The trio comprise Professsor Newtiss (the alleged believer), Angela Song (the sceptic) and the sound recordist and video guy (whom Herbie names Fluffy Mike). Of course, it is the time of year when the Malamander's howls can be heard from the wreck out to sea, and it stalks the beach at Eerie, looking for its companion and mate. It is a time when the locals steer clear for fear of what it might do to them in the winter fog that descends. 


The foolhardy podcasters head out across the sands at low tide and towards the wreck, which we, the readers and Herbie, feel will end badly – and it does with a narrow escape for the cameraman. Enter Sebastian Eels, Eerie-on-Sea's villain personified. Yet strangely, he saves the Fluffy Mike from an untimely demise, then stalks back to the town, but before issuing a dire warning to them all. What was he doing out there? These thoughts are forgotten when a howl from the fog drives the party back to shore and a fish and chip supper. And it is there that the professor reveals there is one real monster in Eerie – Sebastian Eels! The Prof wants Violet and Herbie to dig around and get information about his past, precisely what the words on a slip of paper mean. In exchange, he promises to give Herbie details about his past and who he is and give Violet information about her missing parents. They accept the offer.

 

When our two protagonists are safely in Herbie's room, they read the piece of paper, which they think has come from Eels' diary. It says: "When I was only twelve years old, I sold my soul for Kraken gold."


Now, that sets the scene for what happens next. Well almost. Whilst Herbie, Violet and a deathly sickly Erwin are contemplating what these words might mean, they feel the building vibrate. Not only that, they soon feel it in their skulls, and poorly Erwin is writhing in agony. Just as they are about to pass out, the sound stops. When Erwin tries to flee the room through the window, he turns and bolts the other way, wide-eyed and fur-spiked in fear of what is outside. Flicking on their torch, a monstrous shrieking rattles the windows, sending a monster crashing away. 

 

Giving pursuit to the fearsome Malamander is not high on Herbie's to-do list, but Violet is off and running, so he has to go along. It is a chase that follows a trail of destruction and screams around Eerie and back to the hotel.

 

This is where things definitely dial up many notches on the Eerie fear scale. And thus where the story launches into a whole new world, or worlds, of adventure that entails . . . . but let's not ruin things for you. 

 

What I will say is that it tests our main character to the limit. It makes complete sense of all the eerie goings on from the previous books that have happened over the space of not only the year since Violet arrived into Herbie's life but decades, nay centuries, before. Mysteries that culminate in the deepest, darkest of Eerie-on-Sea's secrets. The secret that Eels himself has been seeking for years and robbed, and some say, killed for.

 

There will be tears, that I promise. There will be catastrophe, loss, and revelations of past evil doings, and not just those of Sebastian Eels. However, we get a whole new look at what makes this rogue tick and how he and Mr Mollusc are linked. Both are quite a surprise.


Surrounded by monsters, when things are at their darkest, and everything is lost, can anyone, let alone Herbie, survive the night? That, dear readers, is for you all to enjoy and find out. 

 


So, what did we think?

 

I suspect this series will have been described as weird, off the wall, or similar. We have never seen it that way. It is different yet comfortably familiar, or should I say eerily familiar. We can look at churning waters, at wrecks and ageing barnacled piers with their fish and chips shops, and closed amusement arcades at the end and immediately see and thus enter Herbie's world. How many of us have wondered what monsters, manmade or otherwise, lurk beneath the waves, in the shadows of an abandoned waxworks museum, or stalk through the foggy streets at night in search of unwary folk daft enough to be out late? 

 

That, to us, is literary gold, the magic that radiates from within the best set up books. 

 

Herbie's first-person narration is a delight, funny and really engaging. As a character, he has always been at the brunt of things, the underdog to Violet's brash, sometimes wayward enthusiasm. He is overly cautious and the butt end of others' ire and dislike without knowing why. It was lovely to see how he didn't suddenly change in this last story. But he does learn and, in his own way, step up even when he doesn't want to and, for better or worse, make decisions. 


This final adventure takes us all around Eerie. We venture underground, over, into and under the sea. Chases abound, as do monsters and the perils. This is nicely balanced by emotional revelations from past and present. It is hard to recall a moment when we weren't entirely absorbed. 

 

Mrs H and I are lucky enough to read some of the best-of-the-best books out there for our own pleasure and to share with you and prospective buyers around the globe. This closing adventure is, without a doubt, the highlight of our year. 

 


So . . . Crunch time. 

 

Make no mistake, this is a powerful, no-holds-barred tour de force of a conclusion. Everything comes together flawlessly and spectacularly. Nothing is half-hearted. Thomas really has poured his soul into this; that much is evident. 

 

He told me it was tough to write for various reasons. I can believe it with what has been woven together in this finale and the emotionally touching undercurrents and conclusion. 


So, middle-grade adventure or not, you'll not find a better read out there now. And, if you ever wanted to assemble a cast of characters, monsters, villains and heroes, there are none finer, more entertaining, and more frightening than those in Eerie-on-Sea. 


Small book cover. The Jaunty Spark fishing boat, painted red with its wind turbine mast and monster tusk on the prow, is on the high seas near the Eerie lighthouse. The lighthouse is to the left, and a large rock points up to the right with the boat in between. The Mermedusa is seen as a pale grey-blue image against a yellowing sky, without detail. Its hair radiates outward like tendrils. Violet stands pointing to the right as viewed, and Herbie looks aghast to the left at the monster whose blurred image we can see beneath the surface of the water. The ocean is a blur of greens, blues and grey. The sky is a wavy blue and yellowy green. Mermedusa is written in white capitals over the boat. The author's name appears. at the bottom of the page in white, and "An Eerie-on-Sea mystery" is along the top of the book – yellow writing on a blue background.

 


Want to buy a copy?


To get a copy of this book or the series, please head across the shingle down to your local independent bookshop, dodging gulls, Malamanda and creepy guys named Eels. Fish and chips after your purchase are optional, but we think they are an absolute MUST after any visit to Eerie-on-Sea. There are plenty out there, both chip shops and book shops (and likely very few Mermedusa or Malamander unless you happen to be in Eerie on Sea!), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of fishy fun, adventure, mystery, and delight your hearts' desire.

 

THOMAS TAYLOR's WEB page can be found HERE  or type this: https://www.thomastaylor-author.com/


 

WALKER BOOKS' web page can be found HERE.  or type this: https://www.walker.co.uk/

 

GEORGE ERMOS's page at his agents site can be found HERE or type this: https://thebrightagency.com/uk/childrens-illustration/artists/george-ermos#bio

 

After all that reviewing, and so much ice cream, I shall leave you with a selfie of not-at-all eerie little old me.  🙂 🙂

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

Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head.

 


This is me looking at you. Or, more precisely, at Mrs H, wanting to know why supper is late. And it better not be anything fishy or with more legs (or tentacles) than me!

 


Till laters!

ERin