Saturday 16 April 2016

First Class Murder by Robin Stevens (Young Adult, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 July 2015,  Puffin, 336 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Content: murder, suspense, fair amount of humour

 Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are taking a holiday on the world-famous Orient Express - and it's clear that each of their fellow first-class passengers has something to hide. Even more intriguing: there is rumour of a spy in their midst.

Then, during dinner, there is a scream from inside one of the cabins. When the door is broken down, a passenger is found murdered, her stunning ruby necklace gone. But the killer has vanished - as if into thin air.

Daisy and Hazel are faced with their first ever locked-room mystery - and with competition from several other sleuths, who are just as determined to crack the case.

Nayu's thoughts 
Daisy and Hazel come across a murder on the Orient Express, just like the Agatha Christie novel! Obviously there are some major differences and I much prefer this detective duo to Poirot. It's hard for them to investigate the death because they are travelling with Hazel's father who goes to great lengths in keeping them away from anything he deems inappropriate. That made great reading because the girls were forced to be inventive how they gathered clues and compiled the information. 

While I probably wouldn't want to have a holiday on a train, daily life on board trains & boats fascinates me. The girls explore every aspect from the compact cabins with everything you need tuck in them somehow, to the dining cart and the on-call porter (or whatever he is called). They accidentally meet an old acquaintance who both helps and hinders their case because at times she is on their father's side, and at other times appreciates the good work the girls do. 
 
They get into a fair amount of trouble and peril, with laughs along the way which is what makes this book and series so exciting to read. There is little doubt of the strength of friendship between the two rather different girls who compliment each other's characteristics which are useful for different parts of their investigation. I wonder where they will end up in the next book! 

I have thought I had reviewed books 1 & 2 but I can't find the review, I still highly recommend them.


You can find out more on Robin's website.  

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