What do you think?
Rate this book
A Box Full of Murders #2
Death at the Museum
The second children’s murder mystery from number-one-bestselling author of The Appeal, Janice Hallett, perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Rhian Tracey.
Imagine an old museum with more secrets than anyone could ever guess. A school trip that ends in murder. A crime unsolved for decades. . . But who did it?
Now, Ava and Luke are on the case, following the clues left in a new box of murders. Using School workbooks, museum records, secret recordings and letters the siblings start to unravel the mystery of a body in the basement. But can they discover what really happened . . . before the killer strikes again?
YOU know the facts. YOU have all the clues. Can YOU solve the mystery before they do?
Praise for A Box Full of
'Pure catnip for budding young sleuths' The Telegraph
Imagine an old museum with more secrets than anyone could ever guess. A school trip that ends in murder. A crime unsolved for decades. . . But who did it?
Now, Ava and Luke are on the case, following the clues left in a new box of murders. Using School workbooks, museum records, secret recordings and letters the siblings start to unravel the mystery of a body in the basement. But can they discover what really happened . . . before the killer strikes again?
YOU know the facts. YOU have all the clues. Can YOU solve the mystery before they do?
Praise for A Box Full of
'Pure catnip for budding young sleuths' The Telegraph
- GenresMysteryMiddle Grade
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2026
About the author
Janice Hallett
14 books2,767 followersJanice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and cowrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is her first novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2026
Yet another absolute corker by Janice Hallett, in her classic epistolary style. I’m so glad I read this straight after ‘A Box Full of Murders’, because it made me even more excited to dive back into Ava and Luke’s world! In their second detective adventure, this time with the support of their parents, Ava and Luke open a brand new box of murders. This time, there’s some shady business going down at the Natural History Museum, and the 1983 Brewford Middle school trip turns out to be far more than just eventful. Exhibits moving around, people going missing, even some historical figures that seem to be alive and well! Each of the children on the school trip have part of the story to tell (and we even get to hear from some familiar characters from book one!) but only Ava and Luke have the full picture. It’s up to them to solve the case!
As with the first book, Hallett has also left us with some unanswered questions too, which of course has made me very excited for the next instalment!
[Thank you to Janice Hallett, Puffin, and Penguin Random House for sending me an ARC!]
As with the first book, Hallett has also left us with some unanswered questions too, which of course has made me very excited for the next instalment!
[Thank you to Janice Hallett, Puffin, and Penguin Random House for sending me an ARC!]
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I loved this book! I was lucky enough to get a proof copy, and I am so glad that I did!
Luke and Ava are back; and this time, they’re reading about a murder in the Natural History Museum! With some strange visitors, some friendly faces and twists and turns at every page, Luke and Ava get closer and closer to solving the mystery. However, the further they get along, the more mysteries that unfold. Will they solve it before the evidence runs out?
I loved this book! It was an incredible sequel, and it definitely lived up to the first book’s incredible expectations. I really enjoyed seeing Luke and Ava again, and I loved how it was set in the Natural History Museum - a place I have visited many times and even slept overnight there! I really love the mrurder box concept, as I think it is really unique and interesting. I really can’t wait for the third one to come!!
Luke and Ava are back; and this time, they’re reading about a murder in the Natural History Museum! With some strange visitors, some friendly faces and twists and turns at every page, Luke and Ava get closer and closer to solving the mystery. However, the further they get along, the more mysteries that unfold. Will they solve it before the evidence runs out?
I loved this book! It was an incredible sequel, and it definitely lived up to the first book’s incredible expectations. I really enjoyed seeing Luke and Ava again, and I loved how it was set in the Natural History Museum - a place I have visited many times and even slept overnight there! I really love the mrurder box concept, as I think it is really unique and interesting. I really can’t wait for the third one to come!!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Worst Run School Trip in History.
Another book another box of clues. Ava and Luke are delving into what must surely must have been the most chaotic school visit of the 1980s. There are people moving the exhibits around, kids hiding on the coach, and of course a dead body.
This is such a good book. It is so readable. You can really imagine all the carnage that took place in the Natural History Museum.
Janice Hallett knows exactly what some kids looks forward to on school trips namely lunch, the shop and the coach ride. I found myself just enjoying the story of this bunch of unsupervised children running around the museum. The murder mystery is vry puzzling. I didn’t actually twig to what was going on until I was told at the end. This is such a treat with a kids book.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of this book.
Another book another box of clues. Ava and Luke are delving into what must surely must have been the most chaotic school visit of the 1980s. There are people moving the exhibits around, kids hiding on the coach, and of course a dead body.
This is such a good book. It is so readable. You can really imagine all the carnage that took place in the Natural History Museum.
Janice Hallett knows exactly what some kids looks forward to on school trips namely lunch, the shop and the coach ride. I found myself just enjoying the story of this bunch of unsupervised children running around the museum. The murder mystery is vry puzzling. I didn’t actually twig to what was going on until I was told at the end. This is such a treat with a kids book.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy of this book.
June 4, 2026
Always a fun author to read!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews