As an avid consumer of crime capers I was desperate to read this book as the twelve mysteries it contains are written by some of my favourite authors. I was not disappointed! All twelve short stories had original plots and the characters were believable and enviable in their ability to solve murder plots in less than thirty pages! More than half of the stories had historical settings including Victorian England, with the rest taking place in present day locations.
I have not read many short stories before and I really enjoyed being able to dip in and out of this book, in between revision sessions, without losing the plot! All the stories were unpredictable, with clever twists and turns – one of the most surprising things for me was that Caroline Lawrence who wrote one of my favourite historical series of books (the Roman Mysteries) actually set her story in the present. By the time I got to the final story by Robin Stevens my head was in such a whirl of intrigue that I was in need of a bun break!
I can’t pick a favourite of the twelve because they were all so different and gripping; all I can say to all you other young sleuths out there is track down a copy of this book and read it. 5 stars out of 5 in my opinion.
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
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