The Secret Ruby

The Rose Muddle Mysteries #2

by Imogen White

Rose and Rui are back with Bahula the monkey in tow, and a brand-new, action-packed mystery to solve... The pair must travel to Jaipur to return Mr Gupta's ruby to his family. But unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by a member of the Brotherhood of the Black Sun, and dark secrets await them when they dock in India...

336 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2018

About the author

Imogen writes Edwardian Mysteries packed full of myths and dark magic, for ages 9+. Imogen loves local history, and children’s stories that aren’t limited to beautiful countryside locations or secluded seaside coves. She spent much of her childhood gallivanting around her 1970s Croydon housing estate in search of buried Roman treasure, mystery and trouble. In her own words: “magical tales exist in our towns and cities too: they are on everyone’s doorstep, if you just dig deep enough to discover them.” She now lives in St Leonards-on-Sea with her husband and children.

Reviews

[Ben Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the same from the first book.
Our gang travel to India where the age old battle of good versus evil plays out.
Fast paced, witty and a book for adults to enjoy as well as young readers.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd in the Rose Muddle series, and it sees Rose and her friend Rui (along with their excellent monkey companion Bahula) travel back to Rui`s native India and become swept up in another mystery involving the sinister secret society they came up against in book one, as well as the precious ruby they`re returning to India. It was great to learn more about both Rose and Rui, who make a brilliant pair of detectives, and I felt a lot of sympathy for them due to the things we learn, as well as very angry at some of the people around them because of the way they treat them. The Indian setting was another of my favourite things about the book; it felt so vibrant and chaotic, with really well written descriptive passages and I liked the references to Indian culture and history as well. The mystery was interesting, with a few twists I didn`t anticipate along with some I did, and the climax was so tense I started crying at one point, and was holding my breath through it all. Everything wraps up well, but there`s also a slight cliffhanger with the final page that reveals the next destination Rose and Rui will be heading to and has made me excited for the 3rd book. 4.5/5

[Tamsin Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to read the sequel to the original Rose Muddle Mystery, and in no way did this disappoint! Rose travels to the vibrant city of Jaipur and White brings this setting to life in an enchanting and spellbinding way, so much so that I am desperate to visit! The Rose-Rui-Bahula team is stronger than ever, and the interactions between these three had me in stitches. This book also had me jumping out of my skin! At one point White writes, "Rose's heart stopped." and I am not kidding - my heart felt like it stopped too! It truly is a brilliantly written fast-paced adventure that has you questioning every character. Rose is such an inspiring heroine; Rui is simply magnificent; the mystery is hauntingly clever, and the main villain is utterrrly terrifying! I loved this book and I thoroughly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or a heart-thumping adventure. Perfect for 8-12 year olds and adults like me who enjoy books that give you goose bumps as well as delivering an old fashioned battle of good Vs evil.

[Nick Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Fab, creepy follow-up as the loveable trio journeys to Jaipur *

If you haven’t yet been Muddled (this is the second book in the series), expect great twists and frantic adventure as lovely heroic duo Rose and Rui, with world’s cleverest monkey Bahula, find they’re now guarding two magical artefacts that a sinister brotherhood needs to release its demonic master.

The same love of location that brought Hove alive in The Amber Pendant now evokes 1907 Jaipur. PROPER SHOCKING secrets about Rose’s past (and Rui’s) emerge, and once again I’m finding myself hoping Imogen White writes an indefinite number of sequels, as I’d follow Rose and Rui anywhere. Love the horror set-pieces. Rui is the mystery-solving master of ratiocination, and Rose is somewhat in his shadow here on his home turf until her righteous fury at the baddies’ exploits kicks in... Fab (with incredible artwork by Davide Ortu).

[anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't go in with high expectations at all because I didn't like the first one that much. The first one was okay and I gave it 3 stars I believe. But I liked The Secret Ruby even less than the first book The Amber Pendant. Much of the dislikes I have is probably because it was one year ago since I read The Amber Pendant and I have grown as a reader. I didn't like the writing style anymore. It's written for younger kids than me, which you definitely can see: “They were trapped!” and “She would never let Verrulf and his Creeplings escape, not now, not EVER” on page 212. Maybe that gives you an idea of the writing style is. The mysteries are also less interesting, in my opinion.

The novel was pretty predictable, I predicted 2 things which I NEEEEVER do. And the things I didn't predict didnt “WOW” me or anything. Especially near the ending, I was very disappointed, I was bored and not surprised.

Even though I dislike some parts of this story, I found the world very interesting and I adore the friendship between Rui and Rose. It's very cute, innocent and they work well together while investigating. On page 248 Rui said to Rose “Friends pick you up when you are feeling low.” That is definitely a quote I want to remember.

[Kerry Mintern · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Richly layered, colourful and mysterious! Loved it! Hurry up book 3!

[Ian O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful mystery story set in India in 19th Century which captures the spices and aromas of this huge Continent. It moves along at a fast pace to keep the reader spellbound as the magic emerges in a very logical sequence which makes it very difficult to put the book down once the plot begins to unfold. It is brilliantly written by Imogen White who seems to captures suspense with the same consummate ease which we saw in The Amber Pendant, so making this book a fitting addition to the wonderful Rose Muddle Series