Author: Robin Stevens
Series: Murder Most Unladylike (Book 1)
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 18 Feb. 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0141369761
Synopsis
1934. When Daisy Wells
and Hazel Wong set up a secret detective agency at Deepdean School for
Girls, they struggle to find a truly exciting mystery to investigate.
(Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.)
But
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 has happened in
the first place before the killer strikes again (and before the police
can get there first, naturally),
But will they succeed?
And can their friendship stand the test?
My Review
I have seen these books around a lot over the last few years and I always looked at them and thought they would be the sort of thing that I would enjoy but I had never got round to reading them. Then in the last couple of weeks of term, my class had a library lesson and the librarian read an extract from one of the books and I was engrossed. I asked if I could borrow the first book and she gave me a copy straight away. My mum then also told me she was planning on reading them, so we are making our way through the series together and then talking about them.
This is the first book in the series, it is set in 1934 in a girls boarding school, Hazel Wong is our narrator, a young girl from Hong Kong who has come over to America for her full education, learning to fit in and be a part of English society seems oddly challenging to her, but she observes all around and does her best. I like Hazel, I think she is funny and silly and has a good sense of humour. She makes friends with Daisy Wells who is the quintessential English girl - blonde hair, blue eyes, popular and daring. Together they form a Detective society, although nothing of any excitement really happens. Until Hazel finds Miss Bell, their science teacher, dead on the gymnasium floor - suddenly they have a real murder on their hands, and they need to solve it before the whole school finds out, or worse, someone else is next!
I really enjoyed the book, the Agatha Christie references are quite obvious, but there is a real charm about the books, you can't help but like the characters, and the story is fast paced enough to keep you hooked. I had to know who was behind it, and I feared for Hazel and Daisy at times, hoping they would triumph. I had suspicions as to who it was and was pleased that I was proven correct, but I wasn't able to fully solve everything and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing.
I will definitely be reading more of the series and would recommend these to anyone who loves a good mystery, they are gripping, charming and delightful.
My Rating
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