Holding by Graham Norton

Graham Norton written a novel? As in, Graham Norton, most brilliant and funniest chat show host ever? Yes, that one. I was surprised at first, but then thought 'why AM I surprised?' Celebrities are branching out into everything nowadays. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book though. I just loved the outline of the story.

It's set in Ireland (good start, he's writing about what he knows), in a small village near Cork called Duneen. The village garda is Sergeant Patrick James Collins, single, overweight, looked after and fed by Mrs Meany the housekeeper. His life as the village garda is a simple and boring one - he issues licences and checks tax discs. He hopes to prove himself as something more. His hopes soon come true - human remains are found by builders working on a new housing development behind the primary school. Detective Sergeant Dunne arrives from Cork to assist Sergeant Collins in the case. It is thought by many of the villagers that the remains may be those of Tommy Burke, a young farmer who had vanished about 20 years ago, but it seems some of the villagers are hiding secrets and may know more than they're letting on.

I just loved reading this book. There was action on every page which kept you interested in the story, you wanted to know more about all of the characters, none of them annoyed me! There were twists and turns, interesting sub-stories of characters' private lives, bits of humour (as you'd expect with Graham). I'd finish a chapter of an evening, and look forward to picking up the book again the next day. I did find myself reading the words of the whole book in my head in an Irish accent, but surely that's understandable, so it is? (oops).

Bravo Graham - I look forward to your next one!

The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth by Katherine Woodfine

Katherine's first book in this series - The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow - was a huge success and an all round bestseller. Would this second in the series be able to live up to its fame? Well the short answer is - yes. Definitely. Katherine is such a great writer - she manages to keep the pace of the story going, along with the excitement and interest in the characters. The only thing I wasn't too sure about was Mei's character and story. I loved Sophie and her friends so much in the first one, that I almost felt like a schoolgirl having to accept a new girl in the class - not too sure and slightly awkward. I must admit that I would look forward to the chapters that Sophie and her gang were in.

Storywise, Sophie is still working at Sinclair's the department store, and her fame following the first case she was involved in (the clockwork sparrow) has led to her being taken on to locate the whereabouts of a stolen brooch - the jewelled moth. Sophie and her friends find themselves entering the glittering world of high society and debutantes. But Sophie also finds herself coming face to face with an old adversary - the Baron. Will she be able to escape unscathed, and will they all be able to track down the stolen jewel?

A joy to read. I can't wait for the next in the series!

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine

Wow, this just raced along! I loved it! Great descriptions, great characters, great story. I loved the fact it was set in the Edwardian era, its fashions, its architecture - yes, I loved it all!

The story itself is set in the newly opened department store in London - Sinclair's. I'm sure if I'd been watching 'Mr Selfridge' on television, I would've been comparing the two shops, but that series passed me by, so I was fresh to the Edwardian shopping experience! An expensive bejewelled clockwork sparrow has been stolen along with many other costly items from the jewellery department. Unfortunately, shop assistant Sophie has found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is under suspicion for the theft. It will take a lot of hard detective work from her new-found friends to figure out the real culprits (and there are many sinister and suspicious characters to choose from) and to prove Sophie's innocence.

I very much look forward to more in the series!

If you loved Robin Stevens' Wells & Wong schoolgirl detective series, then this is for you. 

Smart by Kim Slater

Smart
by Kim Slater

Kieran Woods is a bit different. He is brilliant at drawing, but his special teacher at school tells him he must try to think before he speaks so as not to upset people. He also proves to be a brilliant detective. A homeless man is found dead in the river, and Kieran takes it upon himself to find out who killed him. But it's not easy, especially when you have Tony as a stepfather and Ryan as a stepbrother. They are both physically and mentally abusive towards Kieran and his mother. Kieran is not allowed to watch the television with him, he must eat his meals at different times (and not have the same food - only beans on toast for Kieran), and whenever there are visitors to the house Kieran must go to his room. These visitors usually come at night, and Tony hands over little bags and receives a large amount of cash in exchange.

As if this isn't enough unhappiness in poor Kieran's life, he has been banned from seeing his Grandma, who tried to stand up to Tony and his bullying ways, but lost the right to see her grandson in the process. But now Grandma could be the only comfort in Kieran's life, so he sets out to try to find her again.

This is such a sad and tragic story. You just want to take Kieran by the hand and drag him out of his current life and take care of him. His mother works all hours of the day, puts up with the abuse from Tony, doesn't report him out of fear, and does not stand up for Kieran when Tony picks on him. They live in a street of crime, and Tony's pet Rottweiler Tyson has been locked in the shed and just left there for days on end. It is all just so pitiful, you long for some happiness in Kieran's life. Even though Kieran's schoolteacher sounds caring and loving, even she does not investigate Kieran's home life when he comes into school with bumps and bruises.

Kieran is very brave, in fact he is the bravest of everyone in the whole story, even though he is the one with special needs and does not fully understand the way people work. He is also smart -he knows how to make use of his talents, he knows when something is wrong and he tells the right people. Good always overcomes evil.

A rather harrowing story but written brilliantly. If you like this then read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, or Colin Fischer

Knightley & Son by Rohan Gavin

Knightley & Son
by Rohan Gavin

Hot off my reading The Ultimate Truth by Kevin Brooks, comes the first in another detective drama series for 10-12yr olds, but this one has a different feel to it, slightly younger, more comical. It feels like you're reading about the mind of a young Sherlock Holmes - thoughtful, pragmatic, sensible.

Darkus Knightley's father, a private investigator of all things unexplained, has been in a coma for four years. When he suddenly wakes uttering non-sensical words, Darkus works with him to piece together clues that may link that case to one that is affecting his own family. The mysterious bestselling book 'The Code' seems to be having an ill-effect on some of those that read it. What is 'The Code', and who are the people calling themselves 'The Combination'? The eccentric tweed-wearing father and son duo put their clever and intuitive brains together to unlock the mystery.

The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows by Caroline Lawrence

The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows
by Caroline Lawrence

The third in the brilliant P.K Pinkerton Mysteries, this story finds P.K. travelling from Virginia City to Carson City on an undercover job paid for by Opal Blossom, but concerning someone he is uncomfortable to follow - his friend Poker Face Jace. As is to be expected, his mission is not an easy one, and P.K. has to introduce more disguises to get where and what he wants. New friendships are made, foes are fought, secrets are uncovered, Mulligrubs are overcome, but above all a great adventure is had - by P.K. and the reader!

This is one of my favourite series, and I really look forward to the next installment!

Sleuth on Skates by Clementine Beauvais

Sleuth On Skates
by Clementine Beauvais

This was so funny - I actually laughed out loud in a few places. I just loved the way Sesame talks to her parents, and how exasperated they are with her and her quirkiness. I totally understood the mobile phone situation - the parents don't want Sesame to have a phone because of internet dangers, so they buy her one of those child-friendly phones with 3 main buttons - M for Mum, D for Dad, and a picture of a police car for police emergencies! A while back I had actually considered this for my own daughter!!

Sesame lives in Cambridge, more specifically in the grounds of the university, as her mother is a professor there and her father a parson. She rollerskates everywhere. She is absolutely thrilled when she hears that one of the students has gone missing, because this means she can put her detective skills to the test. But is she getting herself into something a bit too sinister for an 11-yr-old?

Great for 7-10yr olds who enjoy a bit of comedy and mystery rolled into one.

Mr Briggs' Hat by Kate Colquhoun

Mr Briggs' Hat
by Kate Colquhoun


Having loved Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, I was looking forward to reading this one and it didn't disappoint. Mixing facts of the case with photographs, historical facts about the railways, Victorian society, the judicial system, capital punishment and much more, this book about Britain's first railway murder is trully engrossing. Beware - do not look at the photos and captions in the middle of the book before finishing the story!