A Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries Boxed Set, #1-3

Murder Most Unladylike #1-3

by Robin Stevens

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries.

Little do they know that in the months that follow, mystery - and murder - will never be far away, and when Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym, the Detective Society is determined to get to the bottom of the crime. Then, soon afterwards, there's the incident at Daisy's family home, Fallingford, where a guest falls mysteriously, fatally ill. And when the summer hols come round, there's a thrilling ride on the famous Orient Express - and the girls' first locked-room murder case.

Discover the first three books in this amazing

Murder Most Unladylike
Arsenic for Tea
First Class Murder

and follow Daisy and Hazel's fantastic adventures.

Genres: Mystery, Historical

706 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2016

About the author

Robin'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.

Reviews

[Ruby Matanga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read only the first one (can't find the singular one on this platform) but it was a good murder story however, it seemed quite far fetched and the thought of young children solving a murder seems very out of the norm. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Kate Mangino · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I loved reading this book! Good entry into the murder mystery genre, with good characters. And allowed for some good conversations about the discrimination Hazel faced in England.

[Mella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the covers and the idea of this series. But the execution misses the mark - the characters are generally unlikable and racist. I think there is a lot of potential for this series to be something very special - but it's diminished by the rampant racism, the self hate and the negative character relationships. An Asian protagonist is brilliant. But the lack of condemnation of the racism she faces is not. It's particularly wrong when we're discussing a middle grade novel. I would suggest that these books should only be given to older readers who can discern between fiction and appropriate behaviour.

Murder Most Unladylike: 2 stars.
This book is obscenely racist. I assume this is supposed to be historically accurate but frankly I'm surprised any publisher agreed to print a middle grade book with such controversial views. As an adult I can recognise what I believe the author was trying to do (historical accuracy) but I highly doubt most middle grade readers would. (And frankly a waste of time because I can't say I particularly believe the historical accuracy in terms of setting, behaviours and fashions.) At no point does the author properly condemn Daisy's casual racism or bigotry or her lack of self acceptance and utter contempt for anyone not conforming to the status quo. Ergo, letting middle grade readers think this behaviour is normal and therefore right. I'm not big on positive messages being rammed down your throat but if there's one place positive messages are important it would be middle grade fiction.

But that's only one issue with this book. Frankly I don't even know where to begin. None of the characters actually make a point of learning about or accepting Hazel's heritage. At worst they mock her and at best, they ignore her - pretending she's English. There is one part in the book where Hazel actually says most people when they get to know her, simply ignore her heritage. Like what the hell? Yes, let's just dismiss your entire background, that's not traumatic or anything. Only one character - Beanie, goes so far as when making a racist comment - apologising for forgetting that Hazel may be offended. Hazel doesn't even really feel offended - she basically brushes it off - only mentioning that it can make it hard to be polite. Yes because I'm sure that someone insulting a rather central part of my makeup wouldn't hurt or anger me at all.

Daisy is a complete and total jerk. She is selfish, dismissive, disparaging and somewhat vicious. The one nice thing she says to Hazel (apparently Hazel is clever) is diminished by her actions. She orders Hazel around and continually ignores her ideas and suggestions. But the worst character would have to be Hazel herself. She has no self confidence or self worth and constantly disparages herself. She not only accepts her role as a lesser being but embraces it. It's like she honestly believes she is worth less than Daisy. When they have a fight, Hazel actually proceeds to apologise as though it were her fault. Then there is what I suppose is to be the positive message - Daisy stops her apology and makes her own - but it seems contrived and insincere. Furthermore it diminishes Hazel herself because she didn't do anything wrong and she appears weak willed and needy.

The fact is although Hazel does have some moments of clarity and insight into Daisy's character - she mostly is just as obsessed with Daisy as everyone else. Apparently if you're not blonde hair and blue eyes you may as well just drop dead. There is constant talk of how pretty Daisy is and how smart and funny, etc. But Daisy is petty and biased and manipulative. And somewhat a total and utter psychopath. Or a spoilt brat. It could go either way I guess.

The mystery itself was interesting enough and perhaps the only redeeming feature of the book. I'll likely read the rest of the series as it's brainless entertainment. To be honest I just really love the covers and the idea of this series - hopefully the rest of the series will tone down the racism. Seriously how did this book get published? I am honestly shocked that a publisher would agree to publish something so controversial in middle grade fiction.

I'd suggest that this should be given to older readers who can discern between fiction and appropriate behaviour.

Arsenic for Tea: 2 stars.
I will read everything and anything. Especially a mystery with a good cover. I'm a very forgiving reader and will overlook many issues. Plus once I get started on a series I have this compulsive need to finish even if I don't particularly like it.

I actually like this series - for some weird reason. I think it's because there is a lot of potential for this series to be something very special - but it's diminished by the rampant racism, the self hate and the negative character relationships. An Asian protagonist is brilliant. But the lack of condemnation of the racism she faces is not. It's particularly wrong when we're discussing a middle grade novel. As I said in my review of the first book I'm not overly fond of positive messages being rammed down my throat but I do believe that moral lessons have an important role within middle grade fiction. Children are impressionable and they are unable to fully discern right and wrong without a proper foundation. If we want the world to change, we need to change the ingrained perceptions of everyone and the easiest way to begin is to change the perceptions of children. A middle grade book can explore controversial issues - but it also should provide a clear explanation of the issue, the positives and negatives consequences and reasoning for why things are the way they are. The racism in this series is just shown. It is not discussed in depth, it is not shown to hurt Hazel's feelings or influence her actions and it is most importantly, not condemned. I will say that this book toned it down slightly but not enough.

I said the book is middle grade but I don't actually know who it's aimed at. Much like The Escape the book is a weird mix of mature and immature and content that is way above a middle grade book and too young for young adult or adult readers. The implied sexual relations between Lady Hastings and Mr Curtis surprised me. The fact they're then caught kissing shocked me. I hadn't expected the book to go there. But it did. I'm not sure if it's just me getting old or not but it seemed very out of place for a middle grade novel.

Daisy was a lot nicer to Hazel in this book. She even complimented her a few times and praised her intelligence. But there was still ugly words between them. There were more ugly words from Daisy to her parents. Which is where historical accuracy goes out the window because I'm pretty sure no kid in that day and age would have called their parents (and she does call both of them) idiots and gotten away with it. If you're going to go for historical accuracy with the racism, they really should be beaten for such language and impropriety. There's only a fifty fifty chance of getting away with it now. And I'm pretty sure Daisy is a sociopath. Some of the stuff she comes out with is horrible.

It's a strange series but I'm probably going to read the rest. Something has me hooked. I'm just not sure what.

First Class Murder: 3 stars.
Well this is easily the best book of the series so far. The murder mystery was exciting and it's been too long since I've read Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express for me to remember exactly what happened. (Although to be fair I always forget endings, probably why I never really find all mysteries repetitive - I just can't remember) Whether or not it's an exact rewrite or not, I found it interesting and riveting.

Hazel is developed further as a person. She is now angry and offended by racist remarks and actions which is an improvement from the previous two books where she just brushed it off. I also don't particularly get why her and Daisy are friends half the time. They're not really all that nice to each other. They don't even seem to really like one another. Daisy was a bit less condescending and hateful towards Hazel, but Hazel seems to have taken over. I mean enjoy this gem.

Daisy narrowed her eyes at me. I think she was trying to decide if I was making a joke at her expense – and perhaps I was, a little. After all, it has been a very long time since I believed in the myth of Daisy Wells. Yes, she is President of the Detective Society, but I am its Vice-President, and if I do not take her down a peg or two from time to time, who will?

Stevens, Robin. A Murder Most Unladylike Collection: Books 1, 2 and 3 (Murder Most Unladylike Collections) . Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.

Yes sounds like a healthy relationship to me. And when Hazel first sees Alexander she doesn't really like him, the second Daisy says she's against him, Hazel loves him. As I've pointed out in my first two reviews this series has major flaws - but I find it riveting nonetheless and so will continue on with the rest of the series.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024-01: Murder Most Unladylike: 4 stars
Hazel Wong’s father, a successful businessman in Hing Kong and an Anglophile, sends Hazel to Deepdean school, where Hazel is shocked by all the differences to England that her childhood reading of British stories did not prepare her for. Along with the near constant racism directed at her by teachers and classmates.

Hazel meets, and is befriended by Daisy Wells, a well-liked, sporty girl, who is a daughter of a Lord, has an uncle who seems to have possible espionage involvement. At Daisy’s behest, the two form their own Detective Society of two, where they use gossip and observations by themselves and others at the school to help locate lost items. Daisy is in charge as President, while Hazel, the secretary, records steps and results for each case.

Things become much more serious when Hazel stumbles upon the dead body of a teacher, and Daisy decides they should investigate, despite Hazel’s resulting several days of fear and shock from the experience.

Gradually, they eliminate various teachers from the suspect pool, while Hazel becomes increasingly frustrated by Daisy’s unwillingness to consider the gym teacher at all as a potential suspect, despite a lack of credible alibi. Actually, Hazel is frustrated by much of Daisy's behaviour during their investigation, as Daisy continually dismisses Hazel's ideas, good points, observations and feelings as they proceed.

While the two do make up, and work productively to the case's resolution, I frequently found Daisy to be unlikable for much of the story. Daisy is bossy, somewhat secretive, smart though mostly hiding it from her teachers, and lets her biases blind her to what is going on around her, and with Hazel Wong, the narrator of the series.

It was easy to like Hazel, whose experiences at Deepdean were painful, though mitigated by Daisy's friendship. I will admit that I found the case less interesting than the interactions between the girls and their peers, though the teachers all seemed pretty ridiculous. I did like how Mamzelle ended up in a better position at the end of the book.

[Alfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars; reviewing this this box set in one go as i also read it in one go for purposes of Review though i will add two of the books individually as well to keep my yearly Book Count up.
in any event! oh, these were a DELIGHT. the way they take the conventions of this genre - the jolly good british girl, the boarding school and manor house and locked room train car murder mystery, the scramble to make yourself someone who can Fit In to the dorm hierarchy, the jolly fun of detecting - and twist them into something a little realer and a little more honest than the historic originators of that genre - the boarding school homoeroticism, the realities of british racism and xenophobia, the perils of not Really being understood by those who can't see you clearly, the actual reality of confronting a murder(er).

i had a wonderful time; these books were designed for me, it feels like. i enjoy a mystery (especially this sort, that's relatively cozy) but most of those are signposted so clearly that it's no fun to read them; these are constructed quite well, not too obvious or too unearned, and are fun to progress through with the characters developing their own skills over time.

really liked these. love how awful daisy is. hazel is lovely. looking forward to more!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first story so this is a partial review.

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are 1930s boarding-school girls. Daisy is the daughter of a Lord and Hazel is the daughter of a Hong Kong Anglophile. Together they form the Wells and Wong Detective Society, established to solve mysteries. The pair get catapulted into a real mystery when one of their school teachers gets murdered and they are the only ones (other than the murderer) to know about it!

The story is very plummy, and I wasn't sure whether it was trying to emulate the tone of authors such as Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton or parody them. Ultimately, I found the characters annoying; Daisy is a mean girl and Hazel is under her thumb. Although Daisy does reform somewhat, it's not enough and I found the dynamic between them unpleasant. Additionally, the first person narration didn't work for me because I am unconvinced that Hazel would be so self aware or that she would be so open about Daisy's meanness.

I enjoyed the story and I read it to the end but I don't feel the desire to read any more of the series. I'd recommend this as a fun and silly holiday read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all 5 books by Robin Stevens in the Murder Most Unladylike Series. Everyone I have loved the thrill, adventure, excitement and the fear of putting to book down. Robin Stevens has inspired me to write more often and I cannot wait to see if another book comes out. My favourite, however was Murder Most Unladylike, it was the most scary but amazing book yet, I loved how it turned out to be the headmistress!!. I have also enjoyed Arsenic for Tea it had a great twist - although you must admit, that was very scary!! First Class Murder was yet another great book, even though it wasn’t my favourite it played with the readers mind and certainly had an awesome ending. I have also enjoyed reading Mistletoe and Murder as well as Cream Buns and Crime! All I can say is that Robin Stevens is a very very talented author. Especially making such good foundation for Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong!

[Genetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shenanigans and pranks abound in this interesting mystery series with two young girl detectives. I love how their friendship solidified in the process of solving the mysteries and they learned to trust each other. However, I'm surprised at the casual attitude taken here toward murder and death.

[Emma Christmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very silly, a lot of fun!

[Georgina glennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Isabel Mwangi · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this author and her writing so much. the first three books were my favourite but the rest of the series was amazing too. well done to the author, keep writing

[Sienna Qin · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good