Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson

Title: Conspiracy Girl

Author: Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 12th February 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings.

There was only one survivor – sixteen year-old Nic Preston.

Now eighteen, Nic is trying hard to rebuild her life. But then one night her high-security apartment is broken into. It seems the killers are back to finish the job.

Finn Carter – hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s murderers walked free. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best chance of staying alive is by staying close to Finn.

And the closer they get to the truth, and to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

In a Nutshell:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page.

My Review:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page. Once again, I made the mistake of starting chapter one just before I went to bed and wasn’t able to put it down until I finished the whole book in the early hours of the following day. 

Nic Preston is paranoid, but with good reason. After her mother and stepsister were murdered in a home invasion, the killers were never brought to justice. Nic has spent the last two years constantly looking over her shoulder, never feeling safe, even with the top security systems utilized and taking every precaution. She is strong and resilient but has built up a fortress around herself, not just literally but emotionally, to make sure she never feels powerless and vulnerable again. But when her security system is compromised and the FBI’s ability to protect her is questioned, it looks like the worst moment of Nic’s life is set to repeat itself. 

Enter Finn, gorgeous computer hacker and seeker of justice who is asked to ‘babysit’ Nic while the FBI look for the mole in their organisation. Finn has an interesting catalogue of skills and also a tragic past of his own, one, much to Nic’s annoyance, which has also crossed paths with her own. Battling her constant fear and survivors guilt, Nic has to learn to trust again if she and Finn have any chance of escaping the people on their tail, who somehow keep managing to find them as they go on the run, dodging bullets across country while searching for answers. 

I can tell you now, if I had assassins after me, I’d want Finn by my side! Don’t get me wrong, Nic isn’t useless at protecting herself, she’s just in way over her head! Finn is super protective of Nic and willing to do anything to keep her safe, and the more that’s revealed about him, the more you fall in love with him. There’s also some killer sexual tension thrown in to heat things up and complicate the situation! 

Conspiracy Girl was a total page-turner and I can’t wait to get my hands on another Sarah Alderson book! 

Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

Title: Razorhurst

Author: Justine Larbalestier

Release Date: 1st July 2014 (March 2015 in the US)

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

The setting: Razorhurst, 1932. The fragile peace between two competing mob bosses—Gloriana Nelson and Mr Davidson—is crumbling. Loyalties are shifting. Betrayals threaten.

Kelpie knows the dangers of the Sydney streets. Ghosts have kept her alive, steering her to food and safety, but they are also her torment.

Dymphna is Gloriana Nelson’s ‘best girl’, experienced in surviving the criminal world, but she doesn’t know what this day has in store for her.

When Dymphna meets Kelpie over the corpse of Jimmy Palmer, Dymphna’s latest boyfriend, she pronounces herself Kelpie’s new protector. But Dymphna’s life is in danger too, and she needs an ally. And while Jimmy’s ghost wants to help, the dead cannot protect the living . . .

In A Nutshell:

A thrilling, danger-filled historical crime novel with all the glitz and grime you would expect, as well as a touch of the paranormal to add a new spin. Razorhurst sees 1930’s Sydney through the eyes of a couple of teenage girls, one from the streets and one from the fold, as the world went from the roaring twenties to the dirty thirties.

My Review:

I don’t usually read stories set in the past as I am a contemporary girl at heart, but I couldn’t pass up Razorhurst. Firstly, it’s Aussie YA (Yay!). Secondly, I love crime stories and I thought that since I unexpectedly loved The Diviners, which was set in the 20’s, I should really give Razorhurst a go.

Kelpie lives among the abandoned buildings of Surry Hills. Orphaned at birth, and her age unknown, she has been raised by the kindness of strangers and ghosts. You see, Kelpie can see and talk to ghosts. She has no idea why she has this ability. She just knows that some ghosts ignore her while others actively try to get involved in her life.

Those that help Kelpie have taught her to read, found her places to hide and pointed her in the direction of food. But sometimes, others like to mess with her and that’s what happens the day she is directed towards a supply of apples and instead finds the eviscerated body of Jimmy Palmer, mob-boss Gloriana Nelson’s right-hand man.

As police descend on the building, Kelpie, and Jimmy’s girlfriend Dymphna (who also came upon the body as she arrived for a pre-arranged meeting), flee the scene, hiding in backyards until they can break away from the police patrols. Caught in the middle of an organised crime mob-war, Kelpie’s life just got a whole lot more complicated than hiding from the authorities and finding food.

With help from her friend Snowy and writer Neil, Kelpie and Dymphna attempt to escape the dangers of the city whose controlling powers, Mr Davidson and Gloriana Nelson (having watched a few episodes of Gotham on TV, my mind kept likening Gloriana and Mr Davidson to Fish and Falcone), have eyes and ears everywhere, as well as most of the city’s police force in one of their pockets.

Kelpie is forced to grow up quickly as she finds herself in far more unsavoury and unfamiliar places than she is used to. The events and revelations that occur around her have Kelpie musing over what makes a good person and realising that there is a blurry line between what is right and wrong.

I have some unanswered questions that lead me to hope there will be a sequel to follow Razorhurst. Certain things are alluded to so maybe the reader is supposed to be left to make their own assumptions. But I really would have liked to know more details, especially about the mythology surrounding the ghosts that Kelpie interacts with such as why do some people become ghosts and others simply die? And why can Kelpie see them? Also, if certain people survive the inevitable bloodshed as the mob-war threatens to consume the city.

Overall a thrilling, danger-filled historical crime novel with all the glitz and grime you would expect, as well as a touch of the paranormal to add a new spin. Razorhurst sees 1930’s Sydney through the eyes of a couple of teenage girls, one from the streets and one from the fold, as the world went from the roaring twenties to the dirty thirties.

The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim

Title: The Astrologer's Daughter
Author: Rebecca Lim

Release Date: 23rd July 2014

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
Avicenna Crowe’s mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing.
The police are called, but they’re not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid.

But Avicenna has inherited her mother’s gift. Finding an unlikely ally in the brooding Simon Thorn, she begins to piece together the mystery. And when she uncovers a link between Joanne’s disappearance and a cold-case murder, Avicenna is led deep into the city’s dark and seedy underbelly, unaware how far she is placing her own life in danger.

Pulse-racing and terrifyingly real, The Astrologer’s Daughter will test your belief in destiny and the endurance of love.

In A Nutshell:
An intriguing mystery set amongst Melbourne’s Chinatown.

My Review:

Having an astrologer for a mother and constantly moving around the country has never been particularly easy for Avicenna Crowe. Joanne is not a fortune teller or a psychic but can read what has been written in your stars from the day you were born. When Joanne reads her own stars and discovers her fate, she disappears without warning leaving her daughter desperate for answers. After contacting the police, the case is handed over to missing persons and Avicenna is faced with prepaid clients desperate for the answers Joanne promised them via their star charts. Avicenna reluctantly carries on her mother’s work, something she has always known how to do but shunned. Even though she just wants to sit in a pile of grief and despair while the police look for her mum, Avicenna decides to honour her mother’s rules of business. Unfortunately, in the process, she stumbles upon a decades old mystery and cold case, placing her in unexpected danger as well as uncovering secrets about her mother and father, and their families.

Set in Chinatown of inner city Melbourne, The Astrologer’s Daughter is gritty and dark but also hopeful and compassionate, simultaneously highlighting the importance of looking beneath the surface of appearances. For Avicenna, she built protective walls around herself long ago in order to avoid getting hurt, but in turn, because of these defence mechanisms, she ends up treating people the very same way she was trying to avoid.

I love a good mystery and I like how a lot of the story-points all tied together. I was a little dissatisfied with the ending and would have liked if certain aspects were elaborated on, however I can’t comment on these without including spoilers.

Overall I really enjoyed The Astrologer’s Daughter. The astrology aspect was interesting and the mystery of both where her mother is and the cold case, kept the story moving with intrigue. I would love to see more of Avicenna (and Simon) in a sequel and it did seem like there would be further opportunities to expand their storylines. Fingers crossed.

Thank you to Text Publishing for providing me with this review copy.

Every Word by Ellie Marney

Title: Every Word

Series: Mycroft and Watts #2

Author: Ellie Marney

Release Date: 1st June 2014

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

James Mycroft has just left for London to investigate a car accident similar to the one that killed his parents seven years ago...without saying goodbye to Rachel Watts, his 'partner in crime'.

Rachel is furious and worried about his strange behaviour - not that Mycroft's ever exactly normal, but London is the scene of so many of his nightmares. So Rachel jumps on a plane to follow him...and lands straight in a whole storm of trouble.

The theft of a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, the possible murder of a rare books conservator, and the deaths of Mycroft's parents...Can Watts help Mycroft make sense of the three events - or will she lose him forever?

Sparks fly when Watts and Mycroft reunite in this second sophisticated thriller about the teen sleuthing duo.

In A Nutshell:

Loved it! Bring on book three!

My Review:

Every Word is Ellie Marney’s follow up to last year’s brilliant debut, Every Breath. After disappearing in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye, Mycroft travels to London to assist his boss with an autopsy of an Australian car-crash victim. To the police, the case seems open and shut, with a confession from the victim’s girlfriend. However, Mycroft is convinced there is more to the story, with a possible connection to the robbery of a historical book at the victim’s workplace a few days earlier. The crash is also eerily similar to the accident that claimed the life of his parents seven years ago. Unfortunately, without evidence, Mycroft is having a hard time proving his theory, let alone finding the answers to his parents’ death.

It was never going to be easy for Mycroft to return to London and he is less than impressed when Rachel shows up at his hotel, preferring to keep her away as his life falls apart once again. Searching for the answers he has craved for the past seven years, and with so much at stake, emotions are running high and his behaviour becomes more unpredictable than usual. But his attempts to push Rachel away are futile and he slowly accepts that she isn’t just going to leave him to deal with his traumatic history alone.

Mycroft may claim Rachel is a genius but she’s still a little naïve when it comes to trusting strangers, despite what happened at the zoo in Every Breath. While Mycroft is busy with the police, she heads off on her own to discover more about the victim. Unfortunately she finds herself getting kidnapped when she gets a little too close to uncovering some answers. She puts up a damn good fight though!

While Mycroft will do anything to keep Rachel safe, his quest for answers means his concerns for personal safety do not extend to himself. Put these together and Mycroft and Rachel find themselves in more danger than they ever thought possible, receiving multiple beatings and broken bones when they inadvertently become mixed up with ruthless contract killers.

Every Word leaves us with ‘Moriarty’(Sherlock’s nemesis for those of you who are not familiar with the original stories) making an ‘appearance’ and a new piece of information to add to the mystery about what really happened to Mycroft’s parents, taking them one step closer to finding the truth.

There is so much more to this series than the dalliances with Sherlock Holmes mythology. There is action, mystery and intrigue, the usual teenage dramas, family dynamics (oh how I love the relationship between Rachel and her brother Mike), and yes, romance. Mycroft’s erratic behaviour would drive me crazy but he still makes me swoon and Ellie really knows how to write smoking hot make-out scenes!

I loved Every Word and found it hard to stop skipping ahead to see what was going to happen. I didn’t want to put it down and even though I loved Every Breath, Every Word has surpassed it. I can’t wait for Every Move which will be released March 2015.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for this review copy.

For other stops on the Every Word Blog Tour, check out Ellie’s tour post.

Jewel of the Thames by Angela Misri

Title: Jewel of the Thames

Author: Angela Misri

Release Date: 25th March 2014

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

There’s a new detective at 221 Baker Street.

Set against the background of 1930s England, Jewel of the Thames introduces Portia Adams, a budding detective with an interesting, and somewhat mysterious, heritage.

Nineteen-year-old Portia Adams has always been inquisitive. There’s nothing she likes better than working her way through a mystery. When her mother dies, Portia puzzles over why she was left in the care of the extravagant Mrs. Jones but doesn’t have long to dwell on it before she is promptly whisked from Toronto to London by her new guardian. Once there Portia discovers that she has inherited 221 Baker Street, the former offices of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Portia settles into her new home and gets to know her downstairs tenants, including the handsome and charming Brian Dawes. She also finds herself entangled in three cases: the first involving stolen jewellery, the second a sick judge and the final case revolving around a kidnapped child. But the greatest mystery of all is her own. How did she come to inherit this townhouse? And why did her mother keep her heritage from her? Portia has a feeling Mrs. Jones knows more than she is letting on. In fact, she thinks her new guardian may be the biggest clue of all.

In a Nutshell:

I can’t get enough of the current Sherlock Holmes-inspired stories currently coming out and Jewel of the Thames is a worthy addition to the bunch. This time we get to follow 19-year-old Portia Adams, an astutely aware and observant girl who discovers she is the granddaughter of Sherlock’s other half, Dr. Watson. Already a budding detective, we follow Portia as her curiosity and desire to solve mysteries sees her assisting Scotland Yard on a number of unsolved cases.

My Review:
You may have noticed recently that there have been a string of books and TV shows that have found a way to keep the Sherlock Holmes stories alive. Each has their own merit and takes inspiration from the famous fictional duo that was Holmes and Dr. John Watson.

Jewel of the Thames is yet another however it focuses not on more Holmes and Watson adventures, but that of Watson's granddaughter.

It's 1930 and nineteen year old Portia Adams has an astute mind for details and a keen interest in investigation and mystery. Upon arriving in London, Portia discovers the property she is now the owner of is none other than the famous offices of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and that she is the granddaughter of the deceased doctor. Hungry for knowledge not just of her grandfather but of law and investigative techniques, Portia pours over her grandfather’s old casebooks now in her possession, as well as studying law at Somerville College with financial assistance from her new guardian, the mysterious and wealthy Mrs Jones.

Throughout the novel, Portia’s curiosity is peaked by London’s current unsolved crimes and takes it upon herself to delve into cases and do a little investigating of her own. She is assisted by the charming Constable Dawes, her downstairs neighbour, and Chief Inspector Archer of Scotland Yard, who is also her college professor. Both are impressed with her remarkable deductive and inductive skills, and intrigued by her heritage and intuitiveness.


I thoroughly enjoyed this new spin on the Holmes and Watson stories and envied Portia’s detective skills throughout the novel. One of the draw cards to the crime genre is trying to solve the mystery yourself as the protagonist works through the details. There is also plenty of intrigue outside the cases concerning Portia’s own life as she searches for more information about her family, her slow blossoming friendship and attraction to Constable Dawes, and the mysteries that begin to surround her guardian.

I really look forward to reading further stories featuring Portia and seeing the ramifications of what was revealed to her at the end of the book.

GIVEAWAY

As one of the stops on the Jewel of the Thames Blog Tour, I have an ebook copy of the novel to giveaway.

To enter, please comment below with your email address and share what Sherlock-inspired stories you are currently enjoying (or any other YA mystery you think we should all read!).

Please note, at request of the publisher, this giveaway is NOT open to residents of the UK.

Giveaway closes 14th April 2014.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Title: The Diviners
Author: Libba Bray

Release Date: 1st September 2012

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

1920s New York. A teen clairvoyant. An old evil. It has begun...

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old home town and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City - and she is pos-i-tute-ly thrilled! New York is the city of speak-easies, rent parties, shopping and movie palaces, and soon enough Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfeld girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult - also known as 'The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies'.

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of it. Even Evie's new pals - hoofers, numbers runners and activists, but all swell kids - are drawn into the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer - if he doesn't catch her first...

In A Nutshell:
The Diviners is an intricately woven story of superstition, old magic, religious zealots and race relations. It also portrays the different ways love and family can take shape, how meaningful those relationships become, and what people would do for the ones they love. Although the novel is a about a serial killer, there are many other aspects to it and you’ll find that amongst the suspense and superstition, there is an exploration of what drives cults and religions, but this is also balanced out at the same time with fun, light-hearted frivolity. I loved it!

My Review:

I "pos-i-tute-ly" loved The Diviners. Libba Bray’s storytelling abilities continue to blow my mind. The first chapter is amazing and sets the scene for the rest of the book. We are thrown right into the belly of the beast which is Manhattan in the 20’s and we get an insight into all the different boroughs of NYC and how it was then.

Right from the beginning we know the murderer is Naughty John, but we follow the characters as they are introduced to us and as their lives become affected by Naughty John’s actions. John is a fantastic and truly creepy villain and you never know who he is going to go after next, sometimes it’s a stranger, other times it is one of the characters already known to us. Each chapter I was worried one of my favourites was about to be killed. I dare say I wouldn’t read parts of this at night when you are home alone cos you may just get a little too creeped out!

There are lots of characters to keep track of but this isn’t hard as they are all given plenty of page-time as their lives and secrets are discovered. Our main character Evie likes to have a good time and sometimes forgets to think before she acts. Arriving in the Big Apple from Ohio with her clairvoyant abilities a secret, her pending new lifestyle has her brimming with excitement. She’s sassy and at times selfish, but she has a good heart and if you don’t like her at the beginning, she will definitely grow on you. Staying with her Uncle Will, Evie joins forces with her New York pen pal Mable, who lives in her uncle’s building. Mabel is often the voice of reason but her complaints sometimes fall on deaf ears, particularly when Evie gets together with the theatrically divine Theta and Henry. Together, Manhattan is their playground.

Evie’s Uncle Will, curator of the occult museum, has a few secrets of his own, as does his assistant, Jericho, and the pickpocket Sam Lloyd, who wrangled his way into Evie’s life and won’t entirely disappear. There’s also the charming Memphis, a poet with a lot on his shoulders, his brother Isaiah whose unusual talent catches the interest of the mysterious Miss Walker and Blind Bill. There’s trumpet player Gabe and attention seeker Daisy, Will’s old friend Detective Malloy and annoying reporter T.S Woodhouse. Let’s not forget Evie and Will’s old neighbours, Miss Adelaide and Miss Lillian, spinster sisters who appear to be losing their marbles. Pretty much everyone has something to hide and as many of the characters meet and their story-arcs cross over, these secrets are slowly revealed.

It is obvious how much research went into The Diviners and it was well worth it as there is so much detail to every scene. The reader is able to fully immerse themselves in the story, feeling as though they are right there with Evie, or in the same room as Naughty John (not always a good thing!), or sitting in the cemetery with Memphis. The story feels so authentic and I could really picture what the 1920’s was like in New York City. The setting is woven so well into the story that readers won’t feel as though they are having descriptive details thrown at them, you just become enthralled with what is going on.

I spent much of the novel reading it as though Libba herself was narrating it after she read aloud at Reading Matters last year. It made it so much fun imagining her theatrically voicing Evie and Theta and the 1920’s slang really helped set the atmosphere.

If you’ve seen The Diviners sitting on a bookshelf, you've probably noticed that it is quite a brick of a book. At 578 pages, my arms did occasionally get sore, but the length was by no means a detriment to the novel. If anything, I am glad it was so long as I didn’t want it to finish. I’m pleased to know there will be a sequel out in late 2014 but until then, make sure you savour all 578 pages!

The Diviners is an intricately woven story of superstition, old magic, religious zealots and race relations. It also portrays the different ways love and family can take shape, how meaningful those relationships become, and what people would do for the ones they love. Although the novel is a about a serial killer, there are many other aspects to it and you’ll find that amongst the suspense and superstition, there is an exploration of what drives cults and religions, but this is also balanced out at the same time with fun, light-hearted frivolity. The Diviners also only scratches the surface of a bigger picture, one which I am sure will be unravelled in the sequel.

This is Libba Bray’s signature storytelling at its best!

Every Breath by Ellie Marney

Title: Every Breath
Author: Ellie Marney

Release Date: 1st September 2013

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:

Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den - literally.

A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again...

In A Nutshell:

A mystery set in Melbourne with quirky and likeable characters makes this teenage detective story, containing elements of Sherlock Holmes, the perfect way to spend your afternoon.

My Review: 

I've always been a fan of crime and detective stories. Currently I'm loving the Sherlock Holmes TV adaptation Elementary and so I was excited to discover Every Breath, the debut novel by Australian Ellie Marney. Like Elementary, Marney explores the dynamics between the Sherlock-esq character and his sidekick by making Watson/Watts, female. I would also like to make a point of reminding those of you who are judgemental, that books take years to write and Marney would have decided on Watts being female long before Elementary found its way to the TV screen. Every Breath brings many of the famous Sherlock Holmes quirks back to life and wraps them up in the teenage bodies of James Mycroft and Rachel Watts. For those of you not in the know, Mycroft is the name Arthur Conan Doyle gave Sherlock's brother in his famous novels. Fans will delight in the various references and similarities found throughout the pages but they by no means dictate the story.

Seventeen-year-old James Mycroft has many of the same quirky and irritating habits as Sherlock Holmes, something that is not lost on either Mycroft or Rachel by their frequent jokes about how their names and passions reflect the famous fictional duo. Mycroft has had a devastating childhood, one that fuels his desire for knowledge and solving puzzles, and that has contributed to his eccentric and borderline criminal behaviour. Rachel Watts is a country kid whose family has moved to Melbourne due to their farm suffering massive financial strain. Rachel finds it difficult to find her place in the city where life is very different to the one she has known for the past seventeen years. I really felt for Rachel as she adjusted to life in Melbourne and the parts where she reminisces about her old life and the pain she and her family went through was often quite sad to read. Their individual back stories and the constant inclusion of Rachel's family helped build them into their own characters so it didn't feel like we were just reading about younger versions of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

We first meet Rachel and Mycroft as Rachel attempts to provide first aid to Mycroft, a nod to the medical aspect of Dr Watson. The two later discover the death of their homeless friend Dave and set about solving it, something the police do not see as foul play. Rachel and Mycroft find themselves in all sorts of situations and trouble during their quest for answers but what I was most looking forward to was the explosion of their attraction to each other which simmers away throughout the book until a point where we are finally (OMG) rewarded (that's not really a spoiler, you can tell it is eventually going to happen!).

I will admit that it did take me a good portion of the first third of the book to really get into it however that could just be because it was the first book I had read in 3 months and once I got into the swing of things, I couldn't put it down. I would definitely re-read it in the future and am super excited to hear there will be more Mycroft and Watts stories coming soon with Every Word and Every Move in 2014!

For something similar, try Girl Defective or A Pocketful of Eyes.

A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson

Title: A Pocketful of Eyes
Author: Lili Wilkinson

Release Date: 16th May 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Bee is in her element volunteering in the taxidermy department at the Museum-but her summer job turns out to be full of surprises including: A dead body in the Red Rotunda. A mysterious Museum benefactor. A large stuffed tiger in the catacombs. A handsome boy with a fascination for unusual animal mating habits. And a pocket full of glass eyes. Can Bee sift through the clues and discover if her colleague committed suicide or if there's a murderer in their midst?

In A Nutshell:

A Pocketful of Eyes is a fun mystery, perfect for people who like a little bit of crime, a little bit of flirting (and maybe some random kissing), and a possible conspiracy.  

My Review:
A Pocketful of Eyes is a shout-out to old school detective stories. Sixteen year-old Bee has always loved a good mystery. When her boss at the local Natural History Museum is found dead after an apparent suicide, as much as she tries to avoid getting involved, Bee is suspicious of the circumstances. With some persuasion from Toby, her adorably nerdy uni student co-worker, Bee starts her own investigation, channelling her detective idols Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

Lili Wilkinson has created a convincing, classic ‘who dunnit’ story that allows readers to try and figure out the mystery along with Bee and Toby and which keeps everyone guessing until Bee has her very own “ah ha!” moment.
 

Some other things I liked?

• It is set in Melbourne.
• The uncertain friendship/relationship status of Bee and Toby.
• Bee’s hilarious fantasy-geek mum and her badger boyfriend.
• Bee likes to make bullet points to arrange her thoughts and the evidence that she is compiling in her mind (hence my own list of dot points).
• Toby has a brain full of really useless but interesting animal mating habits.
• Bee and Toby work in the taxidermy department of the Natural History Museum, which is kind of erksome but also kind of cool because what kind of sixteen year old girl would want to work with dead animals?

Overall, A Pocketful of Eyes is a fun mystery, perfect for people who like a little bit of crime, a little bit of flirting (and maybe some random kissing), and a possible conspiracy.

Thankyou to Allen and Unwin for this review copy