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Dead Girl Gone
When a mystery parcel arrives at Sherlock Tomes bookshop in small-town Havelock North, New Zealand, husband-and-wife owners Garth and Eloise (and their petrified pooch, Stevie) are drawn into the baffling case of a decades-old missing schoolgirl. Intrigued by the puzzling, bookish clues the two ex-cops are soon tangled in a web of crime, drugs, and floral decapitations, while endeavouring to pull off the international celebrity book launch of the century. With their beloved shop on the chopping block and the sinister suspect who forced them to run away from Blighty re-emerging from the shadows, have Garth and Eloise Sherlock finally met their Moriarty?
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 19, 2025
Wonderfully entertaining
October 5, 2025
📚 Review: The Bookshop Detectives – Dead Girl Gone
⭐️ 4/5 stars
This book is full of Kiwi humour — the kind where a kid vaping outside the dairy gives off serious “nek minnit” vibes. It’s got that small-town New Zealand energy, sprinkled with mystery, gossip, and the kind of characters who feel both familiar and a bit dodgy.
The story drops all sorts of references — from COVID to neurodivergence to Dungeons & Dragons — even a cheeky “Heartstopper” mention (LGBTQ+ friendly ✅). Most of the authors they name-drop? Never heard of them. But I did learn that MO stands for modus operandi, so that’s something.
There’s definitely some meta going on here — the main characters Garth and Eloise sound suspiciously like the authors Gareth and Louise, and they’re clearly fans of Sherlock Holmes (Eloise’s last name is Sherlock, and their shop is called Sherlock Tomes). It’s all very on brand.
The mystery itself gets dark — missing girls, potential inappropriate relationships, drug use, domestic violence, grief, cancer, and gang activity in Hastings (still wondering if the East Kings and Black Dogs are real gangs). Oh, and there’s a swingers club in Havelock North… didn’t know we were like that 😂
Franklin White instantly feels sus — and everyone keeps warning Garth away from him. There are dodgy business ties, old friends, and secrets that go back to 1999. There’s even a recurring flower mutilation clue that feels like it means something, but you’re never quite sure what.
The book is also peppered with random but funny moments: the character Dafydd had me posting on the tragedeigh Reddit thread, there’s a line about drizzle that’s a bit of a flop, and a herb called Naughty Nymph that sounds way more like a cocktail.
I loved the Māori language representation, the digs at J.K. Rowling (yesss, thank you), and the pop culture nods — even an Attack on Titan reference pops up.
Plot-wise, it’s a tangle of interlinked mysteries: missing Tracey from 1999, murdered Oddbean, the shady Franklin White, and a book called Cause of Death sent to a murder scene. I found myself constantly asking:
• Is Tracey alive?
• Is Prudence hiding something?
• Are these cases connected?
Spoiler alert: they totally are. The twists at the end — Tracey = Isabella, Deirdre = Prudence, Oddbean murdered — tie it all together just enough to be satisfying, though I wish the ending hit harder.
I tore through this in one day — it’s messy, quirky, very Kiwi, and genuinely fun. If the ending had been a bit stronger, it would’ve been a solid 5 stars. But as it stands:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 — A wild ride through small-town secrets, bookshop banter, and chaotic Kiwi crime. Can’t wait for the second one!
⭐️ 4/5 stars
This book is full of Kiwi humour — the kind where a kid vaping outside the dairy gives off serious “nek minnit” vibes. It’s got that small-town New Zealand energy, sprinkled with mystery, gossip, and the kind of characters who feel both familiar and a bit dodgy.
The story drops all sorts of references — from COVID to neurodivergence to Dungeons & Dragons — even a cheeky “Heartstopper” mention (LGBTQ+ friendly ✅). Most of the authors they name-drop? Never heard of them. But I did learn that MO stands for modus operandi, so that’s something.
There’s definitely some meta going on here — the main characters Garth and Eloise sound suspiciously like the authors Gareth and Louise, and they’re clearly fans of Sherlock Holmes (Eloise’s last name is Sherlock, and their shop is called Sherlock Tomes). It’s all very on brand.
The mystery itself gets dark — missing girls, potential inappropriate relationships, drug use, domestic violence, grief, cancer, and gang activity in Hastings (still wondering if the East Kings and Black Dogs are real gangs). Oh, and there’s a swingers club in Havelock North… didn’t know we were like that 😂
Franklin White instantly feels sus — and everyone keeps warning Garth away from him. There are dodgy business ties, old friends, and secrets that go back to 1999. There’s even a recurring flower mutilation clue that feels like it means something, but you’re never quite sure what.
The book is also peppered with random but funny moments: the character Dafydd had me posting on the tragedeigh Reddit thread, there’s a line about drizzle that’s a bit of a flop, and a herb called Naughty Nymph that sounds way more like a cocktail.
I loved the Māori language representation, the digs at J.K. Rowling (yesss, thank you), and the pop culture nods — even an Attack on Titan reference pops up.
Plot-wise, it’s a tangle of interlinked mysteries: missing Tracey from 1999, murdered Oddbean, the shady Franklin White, and a book called Cause of Death sent to a murder scene. I found myself constantly asking:
• Is Tracey alive?
• Is Prudence hiding something?
• Are these cases connected?
Spoiler alert: they totally are. The twists at the end — Tracey = Isabella, Deirdre = Prudence, Oddbean murdered — tie it all together just enough to be satisfying, though I wish the ending hit harder.
I tore through this in one day — it’s messy, quirky, very Kiwi, and genuinely fun. If the ending had been a bit stronger, it would’ve been a solid 5 stars. But as it stands:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 — A wild ride through small-town secrets, bookshop banter, and chaotic Kiwi crime. Can’t wait for the second one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2025
Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this. I was incredibly irritated by the authors' thinly veiled characterisation of themselves in their first crime novel (Gareth became Garth and Louise became Eloise). Then there was the promotion of their podcast and Gareth's other titles and repeating of their much publicised political views. To cap it all I guessed the "twist". Heigh ho. I really wanted to like it. Pity.
May 24, 2025
If you visited Hawke's Bay and Havelock North or even if you haven't, you'll love this bookseller murder mystery blended with real-life locations. It had literary flare that provided satisfying imagery and marvellous metaphors for this reader to devour. Enjoyed it so much I went looking for Oddbeans Cafe and the bookshop on Google Maps. Looking forward to reading #2.
May 4, 2025
Entertaining and fun, with plenty of jokes on book titles and authors too.
May 4, 2025
Cute and quirky. I laughed at so many funny comments. Garth and Eloise are great characters. So many possible suspects, with a few twists. Hard to put down.
May 22, 2025
Wonderful, witty and charming, and keeps you guessing to the end. Local people, local content, entertaining, great characters, lots of mysteries to unravel in this book.
June 18, 2025
an entertaining quick read
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews