Arvingene og den tvilsomme onkelen

Thornthwaite #2

by Gareth P. Jones, Jørn Roeim (Translator)

Arvingene er tilbake! De foreldreløse tvillingene Lorelli og Ovid Thorntwaite har hatt våpenhvile i lengre tid. De har forsøkt å ta livet av hverandre så lenge de kan huske! Men etter at herregården de bor på ble ødelagt av en forferdelig brann, har mye endret seg. De har begynt på vanlig skole, fått venner og forsøker å leve et normalt liv uten iskrembomber og farlige feller. Mens herregården pusses opp igjen, dukker ukjente onkel Harry opp. Han forteller at han vil han vil finne tilbake til familien og ta vare på barna. Men det tar ikke lang tid før det begynner å skje mystiske ulykker i det staselige huset. Er det tvillingene som har gjenopptatt sine gamle triks? Eller er det noen andre som står bak nye mordforsøkene?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Young Adult, Fiction

315 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2016

About the author

Gareth first started writing when he was very young but it wasn’t until he was in his early twenties that he completed his first novel. Having had it universally rejected he wrote a novel for children called Who Killed Charlie Twig, which received an equally unimpressed reception and remains rightly unpublished to this day.

Some years passed during which Gareth met his future wife, Lisa and began a career in TV, working on shows such as The Big Breakfast and Richard & Judy. Then one day he found himself having lunch at the offices of Bloomsbury. He mentioned the unpublished book to a nice lady called Sarah, who politely suggested that he should send in the first three chapters for her to look at (and most likely dismiss, she thought to herself). Gareth returned home and excitedly told his wife this news, who gently explained that the book he had written actually wasn’t very good, but reminded him that he had recently begun work on a much better idea. This turned out to be good advice. In 2007 Bloomsbury published the first of four books in the series The Dragon Detective Agency and have since published The Thornthwaite Inheritance, Space Crime Conspiracy and The Considine Curse. He has also written a shorter story, Perry’s 5, published by Barrington Stoke and a series of books called Ninja Meerkats, published by Stripes.

Gareth now divides his time between writing books, producing TV programmes, spending time with his wife and son, Herbie and playing the slightly ludicrous number of stringed instruments in his front room.

NOMINATIONS & AWARDS

The Dragon Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Cats was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Prize.
The Thornthwaite Inheritance was shortlisted for eleven local book awards and won seven of them.
The Considine Curse was voted Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012.

Reviews

[Marie the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these books, I was scared it might get a bit boring and repetative, but its surprisingly original and fun!

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as much fun as the first one! There are so many twists and turns in this that keep you guessing as to what is really going until the very end and the combination of a light simplistic writing style with all the murder mystery gives it a very interesting overall mood. Definitely a fun series.

[Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't wow me in the slightest. Odin is still the only interesting character in the book. If you want to read a dark story similar to this read Silas and the Winterbottoms. It's much better.

[Dash fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE Thornthwaite betrayal is the second instalment.
Unfortunately I didn't have the pleasure of reading the first book.

Due to this I found the book to be a little confusing as I felt I missed out on getting to know each character, and learning the background of the story so far.
I feel I have questions that needed answering but I just had to presume the answers too.

However the book starts out with with the murderous twins Lorelli and Ovid deciding to put an end to their feud and constant fighting and to try and live a "normal" life.

During the book a Long Lost Uncle turns up claiming to be from their mothers side of the family and mysterious things start to happen. Strange Accidents start to occur.

So much so that the Twins begin to wonder if someone or something wants them dead!  What are they to gain!

There are some really interesting characters, I only wish I had read the first book before.

There is many laugh out loud moments and definitely alot of mystery.

I do recommend this book however I do strongly suggest reading the Thornthwaite Inheritance first as I'm sure this will answer many questions!

I therefore have awarded 4 stars. It would of been higher had I read the first book.

I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review via NetGalley.

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, that was a roller coaster. I had no idea who was trying to kill the twins, who I could trust though at least this time I didn't need to write dot points to figure it out. I think there was a bit more depth to all the characters this time. I loved Hazel's character arc. And Lorreli teasing Ovid about liking a girl, and that bit about "... or you could take her to the cinema like a normal person." Shame said girl turned out to be a psychopath.

[thebookiereviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this title! This is an amazing title which grip will hang you from page 1. The characters are witty, funny and all in all lovable.

disclaimer: I got a copy from netgalley for my honest review

[Hilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading about the Thornthwaite twins always bring me a great amount of nostalgia, but that's not the sole reason why I love these books so much.

The world-building is just magnificent. I love every single setting. The mansion, the library... Everything seems so carefully crafted. I never want to leave their world.

Of course you cannot forget the characters who are magnificent as well. Odin and Lorelli own a special place in my heart. I also love that every single character has a purpose or a backstory.

Some might say it's just some silly children's book, but it's honestly so much more to me.

[Megan ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and I'm glad I discovered it existed. I really liked Ovid and Lorelli and their sibling relationship and loved all the people that worked for them. It didn't have the same nostalgia as the first book did but it was a good way to start 2020.

[Stanciu Alexandra Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrete de familie, Gareth P. Jones 

Este o carte care are multă acțiune și tot felul de secrete și surprize. Cele mai bune personaje sunt Lorelli și Ovid. În viața lor există multe taine, dar gemenii vor afla curând că toată lumea știa despre secretul lor cel mai de preț: fiecare își dorea conacul numai pentru el. Planurile lor sunt cele care ne induc o stare continuă de tensiune.
Unchiul lor, Harry, personajul care a stat ,,ascuns", a venit să-i treacă în testamentul lui, așa cum promisese. Nu prea mi-a plăcut de unchiul Harry, mai ales în partea a doua a cărții, moment în care am aflat exact care erau gândurile sale despre gemeni și despre conac.
Lorelli și Ovid vor să plece din conac, să-l vândă și să-și vadă de viața lor cea nouă. Dar va fi oare posibil? Sau planurile le vor fi zădărnicite?

A apărut la #edituraLitera. V-o recomand!

[Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considerably less action, but makes up for that in depth and humour. There were lesser Thornthwaite family secrets to be revealed, but the ones that were worked just fine- they're not earth-shattering plot twists, but they give me the impression of a shoulder pat. Comforting. Oh, and there's no bear, but there's a leopard, and a not-so-epic fight. My brother and I did wish that either Adam Farthing had had a bigger role in this, though, or that the Thornthwaite twins simply moved around a little more. If my memory serves me correctly they smashed their parents' portrait on the bear's head and helped Tom chloroform it in a tractor in the prequel.

I remember calling the prequel a 'more serious Addams family, but the word serious doesn't define the story as a whole'. This feels undoubtedly lighter than Inheritance, but still has its moments. Lorelli and Ovid are put into positions where distrust is due to resurface and betrayed by people they trusted because of their names and reputations.

The mystery here also takes many turns, and what I like best is how no one remains entirely, truly innocent- with the exception of Hazel my sweet girl. Everyone has been dishonest with each other and the lines of suspicion and trust blur so much in the relationships of the characters to the point of a subtle madness. Uncle Harry clearly believes he is doing right by his late sister by adopting her kids, changing their last names, and BLOWING UP THE MANOR WITH THE SERVANTS INSIDE, and Millicent believing she can outdo the twins in the worst act- murder. One definite thing is that the book never forgets to remind you that murder is in fact the main theme.

Finally- it was so wonderful to see Miss Wilde and Lorelli's relationship. Jones offers some cool writing advice that I definitely want to take up.

[Bruce Gargoyle]

I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.

DNF at 44 pages

Ten Second Synopsis:
Siblings who have previously enjoyed plotting each other's demise have called a truce, when a long lost uncle turns up to make a claim on their ancestral home. Mistrust ensues, as well as some new found interest in friendship with others, on the part of the twins.

This is the second book following on from The Thornthwaite Inheritance, in which Ovid and Lorelli Thornthwaite enjoy attempting to kill each other - must be a twin thing - and their manor ends up being burnt down. Unfortunately, I have not read the previous book, even though it's been on my TBR list for quite some time, and it is this single factor that led to my putting down The Thornthwaite Betrayal after 44 pages.

I'm generally a fan of Jones' work - Constable and Toop and Death by Ice Cream being two of his back catalogue that I thoroughly enjoyed - but found this one hard to get into simply because I didn't have the context of the previous book to draw on. Some of the characters in this second book obviously made an appearance in the previous one, and some characters from the previous book are mentioned, but I really needed a bit more background information to get a picture of what exactly was going on and how the characters were linked.

Also, given that the thing that would draw me in most about these books is the idea of murderous twins, the fact that the twins weren't being particularly murderous in the part of this I read meant that some of the expected shine was missing. I will have to go back and read the first story before I can make proper comment on this one, I think, and then update this review accordingly.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive a copy of The Thornthwaite Betrayal through Toppsta giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a number of books by Gareth P Jones and he really has the knack of creating characters that jump off the page! His books are very visual and this is no exception.

Before reading this I'd recommend that you start with The Thornthwaite Inheritance, the first in the series, to get a feel for the characters and to understand the story so far. At the start of TTB the murderous twins have agreed to put an end to their feud and are settling into a normal life...as much as living in a mansion which is beset by strange 'accidents', waited on by an array of servants and with strange long lost uncles turning up can be considered normal.

This feels like a parody of an old Agatha Christie style novel and it's very funny! We have a cast of intriguing characters, each with their own secrets to hide, a host of strange goings on, falling chandeliers, fires, wild animals and much, much more.

The result is a dark comedy, aimed at confident readers, whether they are 10 or 100. Highly recommended.

[lynds library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just more of the same (the first book) but I think once was all we needed . It feels a little forced and more of a “what else could go wrong *wink wink*” type of vibe. It was a mood at first but it got boring very quick.

[Oana Marcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fără nicio urmă de îndoială, cartea asta merită 5/5*. Mi-a plăcut la nebunie. 😍

Era şi cazul să dau şi eu peste o lectură care să mă captiveze. De când am terminat volumul doi din Magia culorilor în urmă cu câteva luni, nu m-am mai simțit aşa ataşată de o carte, ceea ce este trist, deoarece am citit între timp şi ultimul volum dintr-o serie preferată, şi anume: Regina aerului şi a întinericului (Uneltiri Întuencate).😥

Dar să ne întoarcem la drăgălăşenia asta macabră de carte şi să vă spun ce cred eu despre ea.

Ei bine, cred că a fost minunată, foarte uşor de parcurs şi numai bună de recitit.😉

Mi-a plăcut de la primul cuvințel al ei până la ultimul. M-a prins bine şi nu mi-a mai dat drumul până la final.
A fost o adevărată plăcere să-i întâlnesc pe gemenii Thornthwaite, cei care în trecut încercau să se termine reciproc şi care acum încearcă să supraviețuiască în fața mâinii diabolice a altcuiva care îi vrea dispăruți de pe lumea asta.

Sincer, nu prea mi-a stat mie capul la cine este făptaşul, am fost prea acaparată de gândurile şi aventurile celor doi frați. Da, am avut şi eu suspecții mei, dar nu am stat prea mult să cuget la asta. Dacă aş fi fost mai atentă şi mi-aş fi pus întrebările potrivite la momentul potrivit, atunci poate mi-aş fi dat seama din timp, dar nu regret că nu am făcut-o. Ar fi fost prea imprevizibilă.

Ovid a fost şi este preferatul meu. Îmi place stilul lui sincer de a spune ce gândeşte, chiar dacă nu este întotdeuna de bine. Replicile sale pline de duh au dat esență cărții şi au scos mici hohote de râs la iveală din partea mea. Băiatul ăsta e divin. Vreau să-l iau acasă. Am precizat că are ochii verzi? Nu. Păi îi are, iar eu am o mare slăbiciune pentru asta. 😎

Lorelli, la fel de captivantă precum fratele său, m-a atras de partea ei prin faptul că se visează scriitoare (hm, hm, mai ştiu eu pe cineva), dar nu ştie cum să ducă la sfârşit o poveste, mereu scriind începutul şi renunțând pe parcurs, când lucrurile devin dificile. După părerea ei, o poveste trebuie să curgă singură din peniță, nu să tragi de ea (perfect de acord, Lori-Pui).

Povestea a fost simplă, amuzantă, plină de evenimente periculoase sau scene macabre. Celelalte personaje şi-au jucat şi ele rolul şi au încurcat sau descurcat acțiunea. Am avut partea de personaje minunate (Ovid), dar şi total neplăcute (Felicia Puişor), care au dat gust întregii situații.

Aşa că, dragilor, dacă vreți să-i cunoaşteți pe Ovid şi Lorelli, perechea de gemeni cu gânduri mereu macabre şi idei mărețe despre asasinate, atunci puneți mâna pe această cartea. Acum! 😉

[B For Butterfly Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a number of books by Gareth P Jones and he really has the knack of creating characters that jump off the page! His books are very visual and this is no exception.

Before reading this I'd recommend that you start with The Thornthwaite Inheritance, the first in the series, to get a feel for the characters and to understand the story so far. At the start of TTB the murderous twins have agreed to put an end to their feud and are settling into a normal life...as much as living in a mansion which is beset by strange 'accidents', waited on by an array of servants and with strange long lost uncles turning up can be considered normal.

This feels like a parody of an old Agatha Christie style novel and it's very funny! We have a cast of intriguing characters, each with their own secrets to hide, a host of strange goings on, falling chandeliers, fires, wild animals and much, much more.

The result is a dark comedy, aimed at confident readers, whether they are 10 or 100. Highly recommended.

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably have enjoyed this more if I had read the first book in the series. Since I had no real backstory for the characters, I had to get into the action quite quickly and I probably missed some references to past events that would have made my reading experience better. However, the story is still rather enjoyable as a standalone, but I found the plot twists a tad tedious and unrewarding. Also, all the characters are wacky and/or mad and this created an interesting dark setting for the two main characters, the ones that I actually expected to be murderous and mad. I have mixed feelings about this, hence my three stars. What I liked the most was the theme of inheritance and tragic destiny and ran throughout the entire plot and came to a decent conclusion in the end.

[C.W. Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first book, with the mystery and how interesting the twins lives were, but I think I prefer this one. The twists are more surprising, it shows the world a lot more and I like the bits when Lorelli would ask for writing advice to Miss Whelan.

[Eliya Rozalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a long time to get into the story. The plot seemed short and dragged out to fill pages. I like Lorelli & Ovid but I didn't connect with the new characters & so didn't care to read about them. I finished the book simply to start a better one :(

[Evonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! I love how the characters have developed since the last book! The story evolves intelligently. Twisted and turn-y parts. A most unexpected ending! All ridiculousness abounds. A perfect read-aloud to a middle years class!

[Holli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not quite as good as the first but still enjoyable.

[mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! So good!

[Laura Frunza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise. It's a nice mystery for kids, wrapping up some really good life lessons. Took me back to my childhood, when I liked the Adams family, but this is much better.

[John Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute peach of a book by Gareth. I really wish he'd write more Thornthwaite stories!

[Linn Högberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Den är bra. Boken fick mig att ändra misstankar hela tiden men andra gången visste jag vem som gjorde det. Kunde ha varit lite mer om Lorelli och Adam.

[Moriah Chavis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Not the best middle grade but entertaining.

[Paula Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, full of dark and twisted behaviour from the main two characters. I wish I had read it sooner!

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 stars

[mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Camilla Haare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went thruogh this in a day. Fast paced book.