I know they say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover – but the cover of this book is so beautifully and stylishly designed that it compels you to pick it up, and of course once you start reading you find that the writing inside is as stylish as the outside of the book!
This is the third story in the All the Wrong Questions series, and in my opinion it is the best so far. The main protagonist is Lemony Snicket and the story is told through his narration. He is again assisted by Moxie Mallahan, the town of Stained-by-the-Sea's only remaining journalist as he tries to discover who has caused the mysterious fires in the town and what has happened to the only witness. In addition, he is still trying to discover the whereabouts of Hangfire, The Bombinating Beast and Ellington Feint.
Lemony Snicket writes in such an interesting way that you get completely wrapped up in the story. There are so many red herrings and sub plots that you are never sure exactly what is going on, but you just have to keep reading to try to unravel the clues. Every time I read a Lemony Snicket book my vocabulary increases because he uses loads of unusual words, but then tells you what they mean – I love his style of writing! I think there is going to be one more book in this series and I am looking forward to the final revelation of what is behind the strange goings on in Stained-by-the-Sea. I highly recommend this book to all fans of detective novels.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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