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Murder Most Unladylike #4
Jolly Foul Play
The fantastic new mystery from the author of Murder Most Unladylike.
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean for a new school term, but nothing is the same. There's a new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and a team of Prefects - and these bullying Big Girls are certainly notgood eggs.
Then, after the fireworks display on Bonfire Night, Elizabeth is found - murdered.
Many girls at Deepdean had reason to hate Elizabeth, but who might have committed such foul play? Could the murder be linked to the secrets and scandals, scribbled on scraps of paper, that are suddenly appearing around the school? And with their own friendship falling to pieces, how will Daisy and Hazel solve this mystery?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2016
373 people are currently reading
4452 people want to read
About the author
Robin Stevens
52 books2,593 followersRobin's books are: Murder Most Unladylike (Murder is Bad Manners in the USA), Arsenic for Tea (Poison is Not Polite in the USA), First Class Murder, Jolly Foul Play, Mistletoe and Murder, Cream Buns and Crime, A Spoonful of Murder, Death in the Spotlight and Top Marks for Murder. She is also the author of The Guggenheim Mystery, the sequel to Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery.
Robin was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.
When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. When it occurred to her that she was never going to be able to grow her own spectacular walrus moustache, she decided that Agatha Christie was the more achieveable option.
She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t). She then went to university, where she studied crime fiction, and then worked at a children's publisher.
Robin lives in England with her husband and her pet bearded dragon, Watson.
Robin was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.
When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. When it occurred to her that she was never going to be able to grow her own spectacular walrus moustache, she decided that Agatha Christie was the more achieveable option.
She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t). She then went to university, where she studied crime fiction, and then worked at a children's publisher.
Robin lives in England with her husband and her pet bearded dragon, Watson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 737 reviews
August 15, 2021
You can watch my interview with author Robin Stevens on my YouTube channel here, where we talk spoiler-free about the series: https://youtu.be/NZBWsJBsgRs
It was nice to see Daisy and Hazel back at their boarding school setting at Deepdean and how things have changed since the last book that was set there (the very first book). I loved the angle of one of the head girls being murdered and how she was loathed by a lot of people, so it was a tricky case to solve but Daisy and Hazel handled it beautifully. The more you read of this series, the more you really do want to be right there solving the cases with them.
It was nice to see Daisy and Hazel back at their boarding school setting at Deepdean and how things have changed since the last book that was set there (the very first book). I loved the angle of one of the head girls being murdered and how she was loathed by a lot of people, so it was a tricky case to solve but Daisy and Hazel handled it beautifully. The more you read of this series, the more you really do want to be right there solving the cases with them.
December 19, 2017
More murder, more mystery and even more fun, what's not to like?
My favourite moments were Alexander's letters (I'm definitely looking forward to them meeting up in the next book!) and the fact that Hazel and Daisy's roommates were more involved with solving the crime. The more girls, the merrier!
My favourite moments were Alexander's letters (I'm definitely looking forward to them meeting up in the next book!) and the fact that Hazel and Daisy's roommates were more involved with solving the crime. The more girls, the merrier!
October 10, 2024
☆ 4.5 stars!!!
⁀➷🔎 this is what makes us girls, we all look for heaven and we put love first. i adored this book SO MUCH. though this is a middle grade book, i don’t think i’ve read a book directed to young girls that represents female friendships SO WELL??? the mystery in this book has been my favorite thus far, and i loved seeing the detective society expand. hazel and daisy obviously always find their way back to each other, but female friendships can be so complex and in this book their friendship is deeply tested. overall, stevens does such a good job showing how rumors/gossip hurt girls, how important girlhood is, how friendships change as you get older, and even touched on topics like sexuality and eating disorders.
”why couldn’t anything be simple any more? why did everything have to be difficult, now that we were older?”
i’m like 99% sure that daisy is queer/lesbian??? ALL GUESSES but when clementine brought up how girls also like other girls and daisy got all defensive I KNEW. plus it is peak lesbian experience to be 14 and getting frustrated when ur friends like talking to boys and ur just like ??? i love daisy so much. and i ADOREE hazel, she’s growing to be so independent and be herself!! seeing kitty, beanie, and lavinia join the society was perfect, i hope they get legitimate roles soon. i think this series was quite literally made for me, im so excited to see alexander again and meet george!! this book was sooo well written, i love my teenage girl variant of holmes and watson in the 30s!!❤️🩹 onto mistletoe and murder!
——
pre-review: rtc! i think this book healed 9yo me
⁀➷🔎 this is what makes us girls, we all look for heaven and we put love first. i adored this book SO MUCH. though this is a middle grade book, i don’t think i’ve read a book directed to young girls that represents female friendships SO WELL??? the mystery in this book has been my favorite thus far, and i loved seeing the detective society expand. hazel and daisy obviously always find their way back to each other, but female friendships can be so complex and in this book their friendship is deeply tested. overall, stevens does such a good job showing how rumors/gossip hurt girls, how important girlhood is, how friendships change as you get older, and even touched on topics like sexuality and eating disorders.
”why couldn’t anything be simple any more? why did everything have to be difficult, now that we were older?”
i’m like 99% sure that daisy is queer/lesbian??? ALL GUESSES but when clementine brought up how girls also like other girls and daisy got all defensive I KNEW. plus it is peak lesbian experience to be 14 and getting frustrated when ur friends like talking to boys and ur just like ??? i love daisy so much. and i ADOREE hazel, she’s growing to be so independent and be herself!! seeing kitty, beanie, and lavinia join the society was perfect, i hope they get legitimate roles soon. i think this series was quite literally made for me, im so excited to see alexander again and meet george!! this book was sooo well written, i love my teenage girl variant of holmes and watson in the 30s!!❤️🩹 onto mistletoe and murder!
——
pre-review: rtc! i think this book healed 9yo me
June 26, 2025
3'75⭐ YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM
Ha sido interesante volver a la ambientación en el internado de Deepdean, y puesto que en el primer libro la víctima fue una profesora, en esta ocasión le tocaba a una alumna, una de esas chicas malas que le caen fatal a todo el mundo y que ostenta el poder entre sus compañeras mediante amenazas e intimidación.
Ha sido interesante porque, en esta ocasión, la autora se centra mucho en la amistad femenina, y en varios sentidos. Por un lado, pese a que en otros casos Daisy y Hazel ya habían recibido algo de ayuda, en esta ocasión parece que el Club secreto de detectives se amplía de forma oficial y sus otras compañeras de habitación toman parte más activamente en la investigación.
Por otro lado, el propio misterio gira en parte alrededor de las amistades auténticas y de las que no lo son tanto, y se explora cómo los secretos y cotilleos pueden hacer daño y romper o estropear amistades.
Y las propias Daisy y Hazel son víctimas de esto mismo, puesto que vamos viendo que, a medida que los personajes se hacen más mayores, tanto ellas mismas como su relación se vuelve más compleja. Nuestras protagonistas van a descubrir que las cosas ya no siempre son tan sencillas, y que ir creciendo implica toparse cada vez con más cambios y dificultades. Por ello, su amistad pasa por algunos baches en esta cuarta entrega, cosa muy normal en todas las relaciones.
Pero no solo eso, sino que también exploramos el tema de encontrarse y definirse a una misma pese a formar parte (de buen grado) de un grupo y de defender los propios límites
También empezamos a ver reflejados en la historia temas algo más maduros, como la sexualidad o los trastornos alimentarios, por lo que intuyo que se vienen libros de lo más interesantes.
Ha sido interesante volver a la ambientación en el internado de Deepdean, y puesto que en el primer libro la víctima fue una profesora, en esta ocasión le tocaba a una alumna, una de esas chicas malas que le caen fatal a todo el mundo y que ostenta el poder entre sus compañeras mediante amenazas e intimidación.
Ha sido interesante porque, en esta ocasión, la autora se centra mucho en la amistad femenina, y en varios sentidos. Por un lado, pese a que en otros casos Daisy y Hazel ya habían recibido algo de ayuda, en esta ocasión parece que el Club secreto de detectives se amplía de forma oficial y sus otras compañeras de habitación toman parte más activamente en la investigación.
Por otro lado, el propio misterio gira en parte alrededor de las amistades auténticas y de las que no lo son tanto, y se explora cómo los secretos y cotilleos pueden hacer daño y romper o estropear amistades.
Y las propias Daisy y Hazel son víctimas de esto mismo, puesto que vamos viendo que, a medida que los personajes se hacen más mayores, tanto ellas mismas como su relación se vuelve más compleja. Nuestras protagonistas van a descubrir que las cosas ya no siempre son tan sencillas, y que ir creciendo implica toparse cada vez con más cambios y dificultades. Por ello, su amistad pasa por algunos baches en esta cuarta entrega, cosa muy normal en todas las relaciones.
Pero no solo eso, sino que también exploramos el tema de encontrarse y definirse a una misma pese a formar parte (de buen grado) de un grupo y de defender los propios límites
También empezamos a ver reflejados en la historia temas algo más maduros, como la sexualidad o los trastornos alimentarios, por lo que intuyo que se vienen libros de lo más interesantes.
August 10, 2021
4,5 stars. Scribd.com English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate.
Synopsys: "After a student turns up murdered on Bonfire Night, Hazel and Daisy find themselves entrenched in another mystery in this delightfully charming fourth novel of the Wells & Wong Mystery series.
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean School for Girls for a new school term, but nothing is the same. There’s a new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and a team of Prefects—and these bullying Big Girls are certainly not good eggs.
Then, after the fireworks display on Bonfire Night, Elizabeth is found—murdered.
Many girls at Deepdean had reason to hate Elizabeth, but who could have committed such foul play? Is the murder linked to the secrets and scandals, scribbled on the scraps of paper that are suddenly appearing all over the school? And with their own friendship falling to pieces, will Daisy and Hazel be able to solve this mystery before suspicions tear the student body apart?"
Synopsys: "After a student turns up murdered on Bonfire Night, Hazel and Daisy find themselves entrenched in another mystery in this delightfully charming fourth novel of the Wells & Wong Mystery series.
Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have returned to Deepdean School for Girls for a new school term, but nothing is the same. There’s a new Head Girl, Elizabeth Hurst, and a team of Prefects—and these bullying Big Girls are certainly not good eggs.
Then, after the fireworks display on Bonfire Night, Elizabeth is found—murdered.
Many girls at Deepdean had reason to hate Elizabeth, but who could have committed such foul play? Is the murder linked to the secrets and scandals, scribbled on the scraps of paper that are suddenly appearing all over the school? And with their own friendship falling to pieces, will Daisy and Hazel be able to solve this mystery before suspicions tear the student body apart?"
April 7, 2016
I want this series to go on forever. Even though these books are MG, I am obsessed with them. I read every single one in a one sitting, and they just get better and better. The friendship between Daisy and Hazel is getting more complicated and messy as they get older, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.
December 14, 2022
#1) Murder Most Unladylike ★★★☆☆
#2) Arsenic for Tea ★★★★☆
#3) First Class Murder ★★★★☆
#5) Mistletoe and Murder ★★★★☆
#6) A Spoonful of Murder ★★★★☆
#7) Death in the Spotlight ★★★★★
#8) Top Marks for Murder ★★★★★
#9) Death Sets Sail ★★★★★
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Hazel (mc) is Chinese; Daisy (mc) is a lesbian; sapphic & dyslexic scs.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
June 10, 2018
Auch das vierte Abenteuer der beiden jungen Detektivinnen hat mich wieder super unterhalten! Nach dem aufregenden Fall im Orientexpress gehts wieder zurück ins Internat Deepdean und natürlich haben die beiden wieder einen Mord aufzuklären.
Hazel erzählt wieder aus ihrer Sichtweise in ihrer ruhigen und besonnenen Art, während Daisy wie üblich das Kommando übernimmt. Dabei gehen ihnen dieses Mal Assistentinnen zur Hand, denn vor ihren Zimmerkameradinnen können sie ihre detektivischen Unternehmungen kaum geheim halten.
Geheim ist hier das Stichwort, denn auch Hazel hat jetzt ein Geheimnis, dass sie vor Daisy versteckt. Das wirkt sich nicht sehr gut auf ihre Beziehung aus und ihre Freundschaft droht zu bröckeln.
Überhaupt ist das Thema Freundschaft hier stark im Vordergrund und mir hat richtig gut gefallen, wie mit viel Sensibilität aber auch Deutlichkeit gezeigt wurde, wie schwierig der Umgang miteinander sein kann, aber auch wie leicht es doch sein könnte.
Das Thema Mobbing wird hier ebenfalls aufgegriffen, denn die Aufsichtsschülerinnen drangsalieren die Kleineren wo es ihnen gerade passt. Gerüchte werden geschürt und dabei gezeigt, dass Worte, die einmal "in die Welt gesetzt" werden, kaum mehr zurückzunehmen sind - egal ob dahinter die Wahrheit oder eine Lüge steckt.
Dabei bleibt die Autorin aber für das empfohlene Lesealter im Rahmen und schafft es trotzdem, mehr Feingefühl dafür zu wecken.
Ebenfalls geht es um Geheimnisse zwischen Freundinnen. Jeder von uns hat Gefühle und Gedanken, die er für sich behalten möchte und niemand wird je ALLES über einen anderen Menschen wissen. Jeder hat auch das Recht darauf, nicht alles preisgeben zu müssen, denn jeder darf selbst entscheiden, wie sehr er sich anderen gegenüber öffnet.
Oftmals resultiert das ja aus der Angst vor der Reaktion des anderen und auch in Bezug darauf zeigt die Autorin, wie befreiend es sein kann, darüber zu sprechen. Wirklich zu sagen was man fühlt und wie schön es ist, trotz kleinen Streitigkeiten angenommen zu werden und die Freundschaft damit sogar zu stärken, weil man ein schwieriges Problem gemeinsam gelöst hat.
Dabei spielt natürlich auch Vertrauen eine große Rolle, denn wie sicher kann man sich sein, dass ein Geheimnis sicher bewahrt bleibt. Selbst in einer Gruppe, einer Klasse oder sonstwie verbandelten Freund- oder Gemeinschaften ist der Zusammenhalt wichtig und neben diesen ganzen Themen kommt auch noch die erste Verliebtheit ins Spiel, die auch oder gerade unter Freundinnen zu Eifersucht führen kann. Missverständnisse sind da oft vorprogrammiert. Aber auch, dass es ganz natürlich ist dass man anders denkt und anders fühlt als andere und dass man gerade dadurch etwas Besonderes ist.
Das alles spielte mehr oder weniger eine große Rolle, wurde aber sehr geschickt in die Handlung mit eingeflochten, die natürlich vor allem auch um die Mörderjagd ging - und hier war wieder ein großes Rätselraten bis zum Schluss angesagt, was viel Spannung erzeugt hat. Insgesamt also wieder wunderbar gelungen und ich hatte absolut nichts auszusetzen.
Übrigens gibt es vorne im Buch wieder eine Übersichtskarte sämtlicher Räumlichkeiten des Deepdean Internats und eine Aufstellung aller relevanten Personen. Auch wenn jedes Buch bzw. jeder Fall für sich alleine steht würde ich raten, sie der Reihe nach zu lesen, denn auch hier kommen immer wieder kleine Hinweise oder Bemerkungen zu den Vorgeschichten, die man ansonsten kaum einordnen kann.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Hazel erzählt wieder aus ihrer Sichtweise in ihrer ruhigen und besonnenen Art, während Daisy wie üblich das Kommando übernimmt. Dabei gehen ihnen dieses Mal Assistentinnen zur Hand, denn vor ihren Zimmerkameradinnen können sie ihre detektivischen Unternehmungen kaum geheim halten.
Geheim ist hier das Stichwort, denn auch Hazel hat jetzt ein Geheimnis, dass sie vor Daisy versteckt. Das wirkt sich nicht sehr gut auf ihre Beziehung aus und ihre Freundschaft droht zu bröckeln.
Überhaupt ist das Thema Freundschaft hier stark im Vordergrund und mir hat richtig gut gefallen, wie mit viel Sensibilität aber auch Deutlichkeit gezeigt wurde, wie schwierig der Umgang miteinander sein kann, aber auch wie leicht es doch sein könnte.
Das Thema Mobbing wird hier ebenfalls aufgegriffen, denn die Aufsichtsschülerinnen drangsalieren die Kleineren wo es ihnen gerade passt. Gerüchte werden geschürt und dabei gezeigt, dass Worte, die einmal "in die Welt gesetzt" werden, kaum mehr zurückzunehmen sind - egal ob dahinter die Wahrheit oder eine Lüge steckt.
Dabei bleibt die Autorin aber für das empfohlene Lesealter im Rahmen und schafft es trotzdem, mehr Feingefühl dafür zu wecken.
Ebenfalls geht es um Geheimnisse zwischen Freundinnen. Jeder von uns hat Gefühle und Gedanken, die er für sich behalten möchte und niemand wird je ALLES über einen anderen Menschen wissen. Jeder hat auch das Recht darauf, nicht alles preisgeben zu müssen, denn jeder darf selbst entscheiden, wie sehr er sich anderen gegenüber öffnet.
Oftmals resultiert das ja aus der Angst vor der Reaktion des anderen und auch in Bezug darauf zeigt die Autorin, wie befreiend es sein kann, darüber zu sprechen. Wirklich zu sagen was man fühlt und wie schön es ist, trotz kleinen Streitigkeiten angenommen zu werden und die Freundschaft damit sogar zu stärken, weil man ein schwieriges Problem gemeinsam gelöst hat.
Dabei spielt natürlich auch Vertrauen eine große Rolle, denn wie sicher kann man sich sein, dass ein Geheimnis sicher bewahrt bleibt. Selbst in einer Gruppe, einer Klasse oder sonstwie verbandelten Freund- oder Gemeinschaften ist der Zusammenhalt wichtig und neben diesen ganzen Themen kommt auch noch die erste Verliebtheit ins Spiel, die auch oder gerade unter Freundinnen zu Eifersucht führen kann. Missverständnisse sind da oft vorprogrammiert. Aber auch, dass es ganz natürlich ist dass man anders denkt und anders fühlt als andere und dass man gerade dadurch etwas Besonderes ist.
Das alles spielte mehr oder weniger eine große Rolle, wurde aber sehr geschickt in die Handlung mit eingeflochten, die natürlich vor allem auch um die Mörderjagd ging - und hier war wieder ein großes Rätselraten bis zum Schluss angesagt, was viel Spannung erzeugt hat. Insgesamt also wieder wunderbar gelungen und ich hatte absolut nichts auszusetzen.
Übrigens gibt es vorne im Buch wieder eine Übersichtskarte sämtlicher Räumlichkeiten des Deepdean Internats und eine Aufstellung aller relevanten Personen. Auch wenn jedes Buch bzw. jeder Fall für sich alleine steht würde ich raten, sie der Reihe nach zu lesen, denn auch hier kommen immer wieder kleine Hinweise oder Bemerkungen zu den Vorgeschichten, die man ansonsten kaum einordnen kann.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
August 5, 2017
I adore this middle grade series, it is just so delightful and funny and quirky. And I am so pleased my middle-grader loves them too, what a realistic portrayal of girl friendships, the fallings out, the making up, the defining your own person and standing your ground, being part of a group, but not being swept away. If you have a middle-grader, get them this book.
April 16, 2022
Ta seria przynosi mi niesamowicie dużo ciepła i komfortu. Jak na razie najlepszy tom. Akcja działa się w szkole, więc jak dla mnie jest to ogromna zaleta. Obserwowanie jak dziewczyny dorastają to świetna przygoda i coś czuję, że ciężko będzie mi się z nimi pożegnać (całe szczęście, że czeka na mnie jeszcze 6 tomów.) Uwielbiam!
September 7, 2018
Ho deciso di iniziare questo libro del tutto a caso, vedendo persone leggerlo per via della readalong organizzata da diverse booktubers.
Avendo incontrato l’autrice a Mare di Libri ed avendo già letto uno dei suoi libri (Il mistero del Gggenheim), mi è sembrata l’occasione giusta per leggere qualcosa della sua serie principale.
Questo è il quarto libro della seria, ma dato che ogni libro racconta le vicende di un caso investigativo a sé stante, non ho avuto difficoltà nell’ambientarmi.
Nel complesso ho trovato il libro scorrevole e leggero da leggere e il caso mi ha intrattenuta e coinvolta, anche se sapevo chi fosse il colpevole molto prima delle protagoniste.
Le cose che non mi hanno fatto impazzire sono le reazioni dei personaggi in alcuni momenti.
Vuoi davvero farmi credere che ti sconvolga di più venire a sapere che una non è veramente bionda rispetto al fatto che una ragazza sia stata uccisa?
Ora, capisco che è un libro per ragazzi e che hanno già visto dei crimini in precedenza, ma comunque mi aspettavo un po’ più di reazione.
Inoltre non mi ha convinto del tutto il movente del colpevole, specie la sua reazione alla fine del libro.
Avendo incontrato l’autrice a Mare di Libri ed avendo già letto uno dei suoi libri (Il mistero del Gggenheim), mi è sembrata l’occasione giusta per leggere qualcosa della sua serie principale.
Questo è il quarto libro della seria, ma dato che ogni libro racconta le vicende di un caso investigativo a sé stante, non ho avuto difficoltà nell’ambientarmi.
Nel complesso ho trovato il libro scorrevole e leggero da leggere e il caso mi ha intrattenuta e coinvolta, anche se sapevo chi fosse il colpevole molto prima delle protagoniste.
Le cose che non mi hanno fatto impazzire sono le reazioni dei personaggi in alcuni momenti.
Vuoi davvero farmi credere che ti sconvolga di più venire a sapere che una non è veramente bionda rispetto al fatto che una ragazza sia stata uccisa?
Ora, capisco che è un libro per ragazzi e che hanno già visto dei crimini in precedenza, ma comunque mi aspettavo un po’ più di reazione.
Inoltre non mi ha convinto del tutto il movente del colpevole, specie la sua reazione alla fine del libro.
September 13, 2022
Still having the absolute best time. This is the 4th in the series, & if I had to rank..I’d probably say this was my least favorite so far, but still enjoyed it so much, just compared to the others this wouldn’t be a top. We’re back at the school for another murder to solve, & it was great to be back where it all started. Balances the series out I feel to go back there occasionally for a case to solve lol. This didn’t give me that cozy feel like the others did, or with the great fun feels. But this was an important story for the series regardless, because Hazel & Daisy hash out some things that needed to be hashed out. So there’s still that realistic character growth continuing in the books so far, & I really enjoy that. There’s amazing message’s/lessons in this one as well. For example, mean girls, bullying, but with a focus on gossiping. What it does to others-those who spread it, & those who it is about..it’s horrible. And whether true or not, once it’s out there..it’s out there, & people will always have it in the back of their minds. I also enjoy the little twist or addition to the Detective Society each book, & this one was especially good. I know all these girls at school by name-who they are, their personalities, etc. Very well written characters, & just stories overall. I think Beanie has my heart though. And WOW was I so fiercely proud of her at 1 part in here especially. Having the best time, & highly recommend. As usual read the BEAUTIFUL UK edition with cover by Nina Tara, but I also have the BEAUTIFUL US edition with cover by Elizabeth Baddeley. Love them both.💜
April 19, 2021
these youth keep solving murders and eating cakes. Icons
June 12, 2016
It's odd to write my first review of a series four books in, but up until this one, the series is very much exactly what it says on the tin: a fun, clever update of the classic Holmes and Watson mystery in a girls' school setting, with likable characters and quite good, though totally solvable, puzzles.
In this book, though, it's all that, but its's much more.
It's rare for an author to allow serious character development in a long, open-ended series; it's even rarer, for some reason, when it's a mystery series. But in this book, Stevens begins carefully deconstructing a lot of the classic tropes of the Holmes and Watson style mystery, and she does that to allow the characters to grow and progress -- and to develop their relationship.
It's also rare for an author to begin to correct some of the flaws of her earlier books, but again, Stevens surprised me here. I don't want to go too much into what she fixes, because it spoils earlier novels, so I'll just say that her plots have always struck me as being carefully planned and developed, but now Stevens is bringing the same thought and care to her characters, and to the issues her books raise.
This series has gone from being fluffy fun to being fluffy fun with a good heart and a real soul, and I'm very much enjoying it.
And now I'll begin impatiently waiting for the release of book five. COME TO ME, BOOK FIVE!
In this book, though, it's all that, but its's much more.
It's rare for an author to allow serious character development in a long, open-ended series; it's even rarer, for some reason, when it's a mystery series. But in this book, Stevens begins carefully deconstructing a lot of the classic tropes of the Holmes and Watson style mystery, and she does that to allow the characters to grow and progress -- and to develop their relationship.
It's also rare for an author to begin to correct some of the flaws of her earlier books, but again, Stevens surprised me here. I don't want to go too much into what she fixes, because it spoils earlier novels, so I'll just say that her plots have always struck me as being carefully planned and developed, but now Stevens is bringing the same thought and care to her characters, and to the issues her books raise.
This series has gone from being fluffy fun to being fluffy fun with a good heart and a real soul, and I'm very much enjoying it.
And now I'll begin impatiently waiting for the release of book five. COME TO ME, BOOK FIVE!
November 30, 2016
I'm going to start referring to people I dislike as absolute beasts.
June 17, 2020
Wie immer ein Vergnügen mit den beiden Detektivinnen zu ermitteln. Diesmal sind wir wieder zurück im Internat und es gibt so einige Entwicklungen und Verwicklungen, nicht nur im neuen Fall. Natürlich darf man hier keine hochspannende Krimikost erwarten, aber es ist so wunderbar charmant erzählt und macht einfach Freude mitzurätseln.
February 1, 2022
Zacznę od tego, że ta książka jest napisana niezwykle profesjonalnie. Bardzo podoba mi się słownictwo i budowa zdań. Niestety, niektóre wątki tu wprowadzone, podczas czytania, zaczęły mi przeszkadzać. Jednak pod koniec książki wszystko ułożyło się wręcz perfekcyjnie. Na początku miałam problem również z zapamiętaniem bohaterów- kto jest kim, ale z czasem zaczęłam już wszystko ogarniać. Myślę, że to w jaki sposób autorka trzymała czytelnika w napięciu do ostatniej chwili było niesamowite. Moim zdaniem książka „Bardzo brudna gra” zdecydowanie zasługuje na uznanie nie tylko wśród dzieci, ale także wśród młodzieży.
May 26, 2016
Sometimes I think back to that first moment I read Robin Stevens. Murder Most Unladylike ticked all of my literary boxes in a way I wasn't sure was ever really going to happen. Of course there are books out there that I love, books out there that fire my brain into strange and wonderful places, books that make me gasp and weep at their perfection, but then there's the Wells and Wong books and the way they fit into something very perfect for me and my bookish ways. I am a school story fan; I read a lot of authors who aren't the ones you'd find in shops today. Angela Brazil. Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. I love the roots, I suppose, of British children's literature. Of those books that live in schools or windswept moors or in the attics of deepest London with nothing but dreams to keep you alive in the darkness.
I think perhaps, what I love with the Wells and Wong series is how it fits. How it talks back to those books and how it talks forward to the books yet to come. These are complex, tightly plotted books and they are, I imagine, not easy to write. But they are so easy, so delightful, so addictively gorgeous to read. And though this book is perfect to read as a standalone, I would reccomend that you take time to read them from the start because the series is evolving. Stevens, I think, is getting stronger and more rooted within her characters and for somebody who was good at the start of this series, I suspect you can realise what I think of Jolly Foul Play itself. Reader, I loved it. It's a gift this series, one formed of perfect slang-tipped edges and girls being girls and revelling in their strengths as girls. As friends. As detectives.
The great joy in this book comes from that added little edge of Hazel's increasing maturity. It's subtly done, cleverly, but through their investigation of the murder of Deepdean's despotic headgirl, Hazel and Daisy's friendship is challenged and questioned. Is this it for the Detective Society? Are Hazel and Daisy through? Can their friendship survive this case with its strange edges and familiarities?
I love what Stevens does. I love this classy and classic series; I love the strength of it, and the competencies of it, and that the girlhood within it is presented as messy and honest and terrifying and fun, gorgeous, powerful, fun. Jolly Foul Play is perfect, really, there's very little else to say.
I think perhaps, what I love with the Wells and Wong series is how it fits. How it talks back to those books and how it talks forward to the books yet to come. These are complex, tightly plotted books and they are, I imagine, not easy to write. But they are so easy, so delightful, so addictively gorgeous to read. And though this book is perfect to read as a standalone, I would reccomend that you take time to read them from the start because the series is evolving. Stevens, I think, is getting stronger and more rooted within her characters and for somebody who was good at the start of this series, I suspect you can realise what I think of Jolly Foul Play itself. Reader, I loved it. It's a gift this series, one formed of perfect slang-tipped edges and girls being girls and revelling in their strengths as girls. As friends. As detectives.
The great joy in this book comes from that added little edge of Hazel's increasing maturity. It's subtly done, cleverly, but through their investigation of the murder of Deepdean's despotic headgirl, Hazel and Daisy's friendship is challenged and questioned. Is this it for the Detective Society? Are Hazel and Daisy through? Can their friendship survive this case with its strange edges and familiarities?
I love what Stevens does. I love this classy and classic series; I love the strength of it, and the competencies of it, and that the girlhood within it is presented as messy and honest and terrifying and fun, gorgeous, powerful, fun. Jolly Foul Play is perfect, really, there's very little else to say.
August 19, 2022
Ta część to jak na razie moja ulubiona część tej serii. Tyle tutaj się działo. Pojawia nam się bardzo dużo nowych bohaterów i szczerze mówiąc, gdyby nie było ściągi na początku książki, to bym się pogubiła kto jest kim. Coraz bardziej lubię Deisy, w pierwszym tomie nie za bardzo ją polubiłam, ponieważ jej zachowanie było bardzo niesprawiedliwe w stosunku do Hazel, ale od pierwszego tomu Daisy mocno się zmieniła.
Zakończenia kompletnie się nie spodziewałam, jak zwykle obstawiałam każdego tylko nie rzeczywistego mordercę.
Na pewno chcę w jak najbliższym czasie po kolejną część i dowiedzieć się o dalszych losach dziewczyn.
Zakończenia kompletnie się nie spodziewałam, jak zwykle obstawiałam każdego tylko nie rzeczywistego mordercę.
Na pewno chcę w jak najbliższym czasie po kolejną część i dowiedzieć się o dalszych losach dziewczyn.
August 30, 2016
Another adorable and engaging mystery! Exactly the kind of cozy and interesting book I needed to read! And this time, I didn't even guess the right murderer in advance! So excited to continue on reading and loving this series!
May 1, 2021
Hazel is growing in confidence with every book and I love that!!! Robin Stevens had me gripped in this Deepdean murder mystery, probably my favourite in the series so far.
July 25, 2021
Brilliant!👍Once you start this book you just cant stop😅😋I love everything about this book📚❤
November 11, 2023
Moja ulubiona czesc
April 10, 2023
Uwielbiam wracać do tej serii 💛💛
July 18, 2023
Nigdy mi się nie znudzi ta seria
March 31, 2021
The story is about two girls who love to solve mysteries and have set up their own detective society. I want to have a detective society now.
At bedtime I didn't want to put the book down as I wanted to find out who did the murder.
My mum said I should try the Nancy Drew series when I am a bit older.
At bedtime I didn't want to put the book down as I wanted to find out who did the murder.
My mum said I should try the Nancy Drew series when I am a bit older.
August 15, 2022
Na razie ta seria ma dla mnie tendencję spadkową.
July 1, 2025
I love their little group so much (3.5 ⭐️)
July 23, 2025
not as good as the others but okay
October 18, 2020
THEY FINALLY HAVE A BEEF.
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