by Robin Stevens
The year is 1934. Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are both pupils at Deepdean School for Girls, Daisy being rather clever, but also clever enough to cover it up (no-one likes a swot), and Hazel is Chinese and looks up to Daisy because of her cleverness. They set up a detective agency, with Daisy as Sherlock and Hazel as the long-suffering Watson. They soon get a juicy case to get their teeth stuck into - one of the mistresses at the school is found dead - by Hazel herself. The only problem is, by the time it takes Hazel to run and get Daisy and return to the scene of the crime, the body has disappeared. Seeing as no-one else would believe them, they start investigations on their own. As another death occurs, they soon discover that they it could be they themselves next on the list of murder victims. They must move swiftly to capture the murderer before it's too late.The suspense is held throughout, but also with a dash of humour on each page. The sense of bullyishness of the girl pupils, the strictness of the mistresses, the no-nonsense approach of all-girls schools in the 30's are all included. Daisy is friends with Hazel, but with a bit of a mean streak - she grabs her just that little bit too tightly, enough to leave a mark, she calls her an idiot, she swiftly dismisses any logical thoughts Hazel may have on the case if they do not coincide with her own. But Hazel puts on her stiff upper lip, bears it all and is determined to prove herself.
A great, funny murder-mystery - think Enid Blyton with more mischief and wickedness!
