A Victorian murder mystery that has plenty of twists and turns and is difficult to put down.

All Violet Veil has ever wanted is to be taken seriously and to become an apprentice in her family’s business, Veil and Sons’ Undertakers. Unfortunately, she is denied this opportunity simply because she is a girl. When there is a spate of killings, business appears to be good for Mr Veil. That is, until one rainy night when one of the dead bodies comes back to life! In the undertaker’s back room, Violet meets Oliver, a young boy who lives on the streets, and together they embark on an investigation to solve Oliver’s own ‘murder’. They are accompanied by Violet’s loyal greyhound, Bones, who has an affinity for the graveyard that lies next to the Veil’s house and business. In spite of her parents’ disapproval, plucky Violet vows to solve this mystery and Oliver is allowed to stay. When Violet’s father is later accused of these murders, Violet, Oliver and Bones must uncover the truth once and for all in a bid to save Mr Veil’s life.

This book has a strong female lead with a loveable sidekick. Violet’s headstrong nature and sense that justice must be done make her a character that you can’t help but root for. The story takes its readers along on the journey of the investigation and is nail-biting in places.

A must-read for lovers of detective stories, ghostly tales and historical fiction. There is a sense of dark adventure and foreboding throughout and this makes the spooky nature of the story very appealing. 

Since the disappearance of her mother, Tilly has lived in a bookshop with her grandparents, where she has found comfort amongst the pages of her favourite books. When she discovers her special ability to wander in and out of books alongside her favourite characters, she realises this could hold the key to finding out what really happened to her mother. But she is unnerved by the appearance of the mysterious Enoch Chalk who turns up in the most unexpected of places, taking an unusual interest in Tilly and watching her very closely. Spellbinding and truly magical, the world of Pages & Co is enchanting for readers young and old.

A full-steam-ahead adventure that had me hooked from the get-go. The Highland Falcon Thief is a middle-grade mystery story set on a steam train. With a high spirit of adventuring and a good-and-proper mystery that unfolds with clues and red herrings along the course, this is a brilliantly fun story that is sure to be on track to find itself set among the very best in the children’s mystery genre.

Harrison Beck (Hal) ends up aboard the last-ever journey of a famous royal steam train ‘The Highland Falcon’, unwillingly accompanying his travel-writer uncle while his parents are occupied in hospital having a new baby. Hal doesn’t think much of steam trains – and he is even less impressed when he finds there are no other child passengers on board and no electricity to charge his devices. Before long, Hal finds himself caught up with entertainment of a more old-fashioned kind. A mystery begins to unravel among the passengers – with valuable items disappearing including the princess’s diamond necklace – and Hal begins to record what he notices in his sketchbook. What’s more, Hal befriends a secret stowaway girl called Lenny and the pair set to work to solve the mystery before The Highland Falcon reaches the end of its last-ever journey.

Skilfully weaving together two truly charismatic and memorable protagonists with a realistic, relatable modern setting and a plot full of masterly twists and turns, Lori and Max is a brilliant pacy children’s detective story.

Immediately drawing us in with the prologue, we swiftly discover that some school charity money has been stolen and newgirl Max, the prime suspect, has gone missing. But Lori knows more than she can tell and doesn’t believe her new friend is really to blame. From here on in, chapters alternate between the two girls as we slowly unravel the events before and after Max’s disappearance, before winding our way to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Lori is a budding amateur sleuth and all-round goodie-two-shoes. As well as being an orphan and a bit of a loner, she has a loving nan and stable middle-class home life. Lori’s chapters are written in the first person present tense which gives an immediacy to her thoughts as mental cogs turn and we decode the clues along with her. Max is the new girl at school, who’s hard secretive carapace hides a difficult home life – no food on the table thanks to a gambling addict father, and no emotional support from her depressed and distant mum. Max’s chapters are written in the second person which gives us more distance to wonder what’s actually going on inside her head.

We love so much about this book, in particular the skilful way the disparity between the girls’ home lives and personalities is handled, and the realistic (and hilarious) portrayal of school life, where every day is a stream of Wow Words, confusing assemblies and trying not to stand out from the crowd.

The fast-moving plot and short 182-page length makes it perfect for those with quicker read, rapidly building suspense while never sacrificing character and deeper themes.

Agatha was born a detective and now, finally, the big break she’s been waiting for seems to finally be hers!

The city of London needs saving from the rancid red algae that has taken over the city’s water supply, causing mayhem. Agatha must use all of her sleuthing novels to solve her biggest case yet, and with the help of her best friend (a professor who is not all she seems) and an ally in the unlikely form of one of the most popular girls at school, she must track down the person behind all of the chaos.