Top Marks for Murder

Murder Most Unladylike #8

by Robin Stevens

Daisy and Hazel are finally back at Deepdean, and the school is preparing for a most exciting event: the fiftieth Anniversary.

Plans for a weekend of celebrations are in full swing. But all is not well, for in the detectives' long absence, Deepdean has changed. Daisy has lost her crown to a fascinating new girl - and many of the Detective Society's old allies are now their sworn enemies.

Then the girls witness a shocking incident in the woods close by - a crime that they're sure is linked to the Anniversary. As parents descend upon Deepdean, decades-old grudges, rivalries and secrets begin to surface, and soon Deepdean's future is at stake.

Can the girls solve the case - and save their home?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Crime, Historical Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Murder Mystery

376 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2019

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

[Swati Daftuar · Rating 4 out of 5]

YES!
And also, YES! Finally, a murder in the school. I've been waiting for another murder in the school for so long now.
(she said, fully aware of how batcrapcrazy she sounded.)

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD.......

This is the best book I have ever read and beware this review is long and will have spoilers as to how they worked out who the murderer was not who they were of course.

First of all the cover is beautiful and the pink edges are amazing.

Second, the whole plot of this story was so complicated and twisted it just made it one of the best detective books i have ever read.

Third of the fact that a simple poem mentioned in the beginning of the book so slyly no one noticed could give Daisy and Hazel the answer is amazing!

Finally i love how none of the clues or anything they found out was left hanging loose we found out about how Beanies Dad was telling the truth as her mum came to visit. We found out what happened between kitty's parents and more.

This book is amazing if you haven't already please read and dont worry it will still be good if you read these spoilers you expect the ending!

Extra: I have now read this a second time and my opinions have not changed, it is still an amazing book!

[rachel, x · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1) Murder Most Unladylike ★★★☆☆
#2) Arsenic for Tea ★★★★☆
#3) First Class Murder ★★★★☆
#4) Jolly Foul Play ★★★★☆
#5) Mistletoe and Murder ★★★★☆
#6) A Spoonful of Murder ★★★★☆
#7) Death in the Spotlight ★★★★★
#9) Death Sets Sail ★★★★★

➸ Trigger warnings for racism, sexism, classism, domestic violence, smoking mentioned, murder & attempted murder, poisoning (on-page), and strangulation.

▷ Representation: Hazel (mc) is Chinese; Daisy (mc) is a lesbian; Amina (sc) is sapphic & Egyptian.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph

[Gouri Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhh! I wish I were a part of the detective society as well😭Hazel and Daisy are the besttttt detectives❤️ I love them sooo much💕💕 This book was amazing! Well, the whole series is amazing and is written beautifully 💖
I really wish to meet the author someday😁
I want to go to Deepdean School so badly😂🤭This book took me a bit long to read and in most of the parts......I was puzzled😂

After reading so many murder mysteries, I actually discovered one of the murderers😂 But still I enjoyed it! Because this series can never dissapoint me😁 But there was a special twist in the ending❤️ And, in this book there were a ton of small twists!

I liked this new character - Amina, which I know is going to be a part of the “Detective Society” very soon. She is quite cheerful and ia intelligent!!! She played two pranks which were funny😂
I love this character-Inspector Priestly!!!!! He is so intelligent, smart and good looking😁 He is super supportive for Hazel and Daisy! And always protect them! Daisy and Hazel love him!❤️

I loved this book!!!!!💕
Go for it......

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 8th book in the series, & we’re back at Deepdean once again. But things have changed, & so have our girls in many ways. They’ve both grown so much, it almost seems silly they have to go to school at this point lol. Even though back at the school, it was almost like a whole new location, because things were so different this time around, & there’s a big event happening at the school that has all the parents & others there for a time. This murder mystery was so different, & gripping. Kept me on my toes & constantly guessing. Still love these characters so much. It was so great to be back with Lavinia, Kitty, & especially Beanie again as well. We get a deeper look into their characters with their families so close too, & I enjoyed that so much. We also meet a new character who gives Daisy a run for her money ruling the school lol. I just love these so much of course. Highly recommend. Beautiful cover by Nina Tara once again.💜

[lolsuzie21 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love IT💓

[Aleshanee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wieder ein spannender Fall - einen Ticken schwächer als die Bände davor, trotzdem immer noch super unterhaltsam :)

Nachdem man in den letzten drei Bänden in Cambridge, Hongkong und am Londoner Theater mit den beiden Mädels unterwegs war, sind Daisy und Hazel wieder zurück im Deepdean Internat.
Sie haben ja eine ganz schöne Entwicklung durchgemacht und das spürt man jetzt umso mehr, wenn sie wieder in ihrem "gewohnten" Umfeld zugange sind.
Daisy wurde von ihrem hohen Thron gestoßen, Hazel hat mehr Selbstbewusstsein und die drei neuen Detekteimitglieder haben auch einiges zu bieten. Gerade die Konflikte zwischen den Teenagern sind wieder besonders gut eingeflochten.

Der Fall war wieder sehr spannend und verzwickt - wobei ich etwas Schwierigkeiten hatte, die vielen Namen auseinanderzuhalten, denn Verdächtige gab es einige. Es stehen zwar vorne alle gelistet, was ich auch genutzt habe um immer wieder mal nachzuschauen, aber ich hab mich manchmal echt schwer getan.
Ansonsten war es ein turbulentes neues Abenteuer, das wieder viel Spaß gemacht hat.

[tswiftlover (cami) · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆4 stars!
⁀➷ 🕯️my first book of the year & also another fun mystery from the wells & wong duo!! i had so much fun per usual but it’s just the very fact this is the second to last novel, and that i’m already heartwrenched that by the next book i’ll have to let these two brilliant girls GO
:(

i think this series is actually super underrated for its humor bc i genuinely laughed out loud several times in this book LMFAO it’s just so very british i love it. i think with this book, the only reason i bunked down the rating to a 4 was bc the resolution felt a bit quick and unrealistic, still i think the twists were fun! but this book in particular felt a lot more emotional, as it did have that air of being almost over but not yet. i mean their entire school was up for stake and for it to potentially be our last time in deepdean :( I AM SADDD?

characters!! daisy my literal princess or as inspector priestly would say madam super! i genuinely loved inspector priestly’s role as basically a father to hazel and daisy in this book, he loves those girls so much and gave them full autonomy to solve the case LMAO. his nickname for daisy is so cute i fear. then hazel!! i would say that she has reached the same level of presidency atp as daisy, shes the one making decisions, and is the reason why we got so much of beanie, kitty, and lavinia! and the addition of amina?? LOVED she was very silly and brown baddies FTWW i loved seeing the usage of the term baba in the story, even if it’s small and simple, like me too amina me too!! …and i have a tingling small lesbian sensation she might be a love interest for daisy bc of how FLUSTERED daisy was when she was saying amina is beautiful (even if she claims to hate her.)

”it would be the easiest thing in the world to murder you, if i wanted to. i know everything about you, after all.”

well, that is the penultimate book to murder most unladylike — i’m already so sad to lose daisy and hazel, i’ve quite literally spent FIVE months w them??! will be missing them tragically. now, finally onto death sets sail!

[Sass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much

[✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➳ 5 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

yay another deepdean mystery! i think this is my favorite book set at the school and i’m so glad we got one last mystery where we started before this series *sobs* comes to an end

but yes i loved the way the murder(s) played out and this time the suspects were parents (because we’ve already done students and teachers) and the addition of amina was so much fun!!

i love this series so much—😭✨


୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

[zaczytana_julcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

jeszcze 1 tom i koniec. ta seria jest cudowna i nie chce jej kończyć 😭

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisy and Hazel are back for another adventure at Deepdean. It is the anniversary weekend and everyone is excited. But Deepdean is not like it was when they left. There is now a new girl, who has taken Daisy’s crown and all of her admirers. But one day, in the woods, Beanie spots something dreadful. Can they solve the mystery before the end of weekend and save Deepdean before it shuts down forever?

I have read all of Robin's books and this was DEFINITELY my favourite. I don't know why I love Robin's books so much, I just do! I liked that more of the background characters like Beanie got a major role in finding the body etc. I love the mystery, following the clues & evidence to solve the crime! I would recommend this to people who are 10 plus and who love murder and mystery.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The girls are back at Deepdean! But murder is always close to them.

I was delighted that we would finally go back to Deepdean again! I love the mysteries not taking place at Deepdean, really, but there is something special about boarding schools + mystery + murder!

The girls have a hard time adjusting, especially Daisy seems to have trouble with being back in a routine and having to learn all sorts of subjects she is just not interested in. Which I can definitely understand. Come on, they just solved mysteries and had tons of adventures, and now you have to go back to school again? The girls are definitely looking forward to being done with school, it means they are adults and can be detectives full time.
Not to mention that before they went away, Daisy was the queen bee of the school. But with her being absent so long people have forgotten about her, not to mention there is a new girl in town that people are fawning about. And Daisy has a big big ego, so imagine finding out that you can't boss people around that much any more, that people aren't looking up to you that much. It must have been a shock for Daisy, but I think it was definitely needed before she got too much in her head.

I loved seeing the other girls again and see how they changed. And I love that they finally dare to stand up for themselves. Not just with helping out with the detective society, but also with other things. They aren't afraid any more to open their mouths and let Daisy know what they think about her bossing people around and not giving them a chance.

Hazel also showed more guts and bravery and I was happy that she is now really standing up for herself and not let Daisy just roll over her. She is my favourite girl out of our duo. I did feel sorry for her that her parents couldn't be there during the anniversary, then again, getting to England from Hong Kong isn't as easy as it is these days. It requires a long boat trip. Too long to get there on time.

The mystery and murders, oh my, they were so well written and I had so much fun detecting. Along with Daisy, Hazel, and the other girls. I had a checklist in my head with all the suspects and then crossing them off when they turned out innocent, or maybe even circling them some more when something very suspicious happened. Like our girls I was trying to make sense of the mystery, it was so well written. Once again Robin Stevens writes a mystery that isn't easy to figure out. You really have to think, and then when you think you are close... boom twist or turn or something happens that totally flips around all you thought. I love it! It was also terribly exciting to read about what happened.

I loved that we saw Deepdean's anniversary, sure, there was some chaos and some unhappiness and let's not forget murder and mystery, but we also saw some other things that were so much fun. I loved how the school went all out for their anniversary.

Plus, I loved seeing the parents and seeing them interact. And even more fun... a lot of parents were from Deepdean or the nearby boy's school.

I was happy to see our policeman again and see how he treated the girls like equals. Letting them handle things on their side and him doing stuff on his side. I loved that he talked to them, that he tried to discuss what was going on, and that he tried to help out. Of course, he still protected them, but not in a way that most adults would do.

Ah yes, the one thing I wasn't a fan of was the new girl. Armena? Armina? Sorry, I totally forgot her name already. Later on I got to like her a bit more, but for most I found her a bit too nosy. I get that she wants to make friends, but to just lurk around or pop in the middle of a conversation.. eh no. Plus, she felt too much like a new Daisy, just nicer. :P

I can't wait for the next, and sadly final, book in this series. I can't wait to see how the series will conclude and what the girls will do in it. What kind of mystery will we get? Murders? Stolen jewels? Something bigger? Oh my! I would also recommend this book to all.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

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

If you know me even vaguely, you will know that the Murder Most Unladylike series is one of my absolute favourites in the world, and returning to the original setting of Deepdean School for Girls for the first time since 2016 made me so emotional; even more so than returning to this world and characters in general usually does. It`s very hard to speak about any sort of specifics with the plot as the twisty structure would make it incredibly difficult to do so, but this eight instalment sees Daisy and Hazel solving another case as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary, and they`re under immense pressure to solve the case before the school is closed. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I absolutely adore Daisy and Hazel, and the side characters are just as delightful- I especially loved seeing Beanie, Kitty and Lavinia assist the Detective Society like they have in certain previous books and the wonderful Inspector Priestly being his usual, utterly charming self, but the new cast of suspects were as well fleshed out and interesting as I expect from Robin and I loved certain other new characters who are part of the school. The way everyone has grown since I first met them five years ago is remarkable, and I love seeing them and their relationships change with each book. The mystery is one of the series’ best, too- I had no idea whatsoever who had committed the crime, and watching the girls solve it was fascinating. I couldn`t put this down, and I can`t wait to pick up the ninth book, wherever it may be set and whenever it is released. 5/5

[Victoria (Eve's Alexandria) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight, as usual, drawn out over a week because I didn’t want to read it except under perfect circumstances. Daisy and Hazel return to Deepdean after their many adventures, to discover that change has been afoot in their absence. Daisy’s status as queen of the school has been usurped by a beautiful new girl, Amina, and the House rules are more constraining than ever. When Detective Society member Beanie witnesses an apparent murder from their dorm room window it comes as something of a relief. At least now Daisy and Hazel have a purpose again.

The plot is labyrinthine and keeps you guessing, with plenty for the supporting characters to do. You get insight into their home lives, as well as their maturing sense of self. I particularly love how Robin Stevens deals with the complexity of Daisy and Hazel’s relationship. Roll on Book 9!

[Zomsia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Zbrodnia na piątkę " czyli 9 tom serii Zbrodni niezbyt eleganckiej

Książka jak każdy tom tej serii niesamowicie mnie wciągnęła a zakończenie znowu mnie zaskoczyło. Zaskoczyły mnie w tym tomie zmiany bohaterek i szkoły.na lepsze? A może nie wszystkim się te zmiany podobają?

5/5 ⭐

[Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Olaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 niższa ocena... Jednak poprzednie części mnie zachwiciły te zwtoty akcji i wgl cuda. Jednak ta część była troche gorsza, co nie oznacza, że nie podobała mi się. 🫶

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcome return to Deepdean. A murder witnessed from afar becomes the focal point for the Detective Agency this time around, but they are up against it as nothing is quite what it seems.
Daisy and Hazel are changing (as you’d expect) and the setting echoes the sense of growing turmoil. They have a rather predictable response to returning to school and finding things have changed a little in their absence, but quickly things settle into their usual routine.
Their friend witnesses a murder so the girls decide to investigate. Nobody is found, so as parents descend on Deepdean for the anniversary celebrations the girls decide to monitor things carefully. It’s not long before they have witnessed an actual murder, so the race is on to learn exactly who is behind this crime.
We have the usual red herrings and a bit of sidetracking with other events. All too soon, though, the girls piece things together and end up solving the crime.
The usual great fun, and it’s lovely to see the characters growing and developing. I love this series!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Rating: 3.5/5**

Daisy and Hazel are back at Deepdean once more to solve their eighth case, except this time the stakes are much higher. If they don't do all that they can to crack the case within the school's anniversary celebration weekend, Deepdean is at risk of shutting down forever.

There was a lot I liked in this book - Daisy and Hazel's continuously developing friendship, the introduction of Amina, the fact that we got to know Kitty, Beanie and Lavinia a lot better. Additionally, Katie Leung's narration was spot on (as usual) and a treat to listen to. The one thing that fell short for me this time was the plot. The mystery was overly convoluted and saturated with red herrings, and we ended up jumping from victim to murderer, murderer to victim a bit too often. It got really hard to follow and certain things also didn't make much sense to me. The thing I just couldn't wrap my head around was Mr Thompson Bates' reaction after learning of his wife's insidious plot to poison him. I found it hard to believe that someone's - especially a professional athlete whose health would have to be paramount - immediate reaction to that wouldn't be to divorce her, go to the police, threaten her even, but to poison themselves constantly over the course of a few months to get used to its effects. An idea, by the way, that came from a poem, because we all know how poems are excellent medical references. I suppose if you were really desperate you might go through with it, but it also didn't seem to fit Mr TB's character either, which was established to be that of a hot-headed, callous brute. I would think murdering her and then blaming it on a burglar or assassin or something would fit his style more, but I digress.

That being said, I still enjoyed the eight instalment of the series, and can't wait for the Detective Society's next adventure!

[gem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much.
Yet another excellent story!

[BiblioPhil · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the verge of being the greatest consulting detective agency in Europe by the time they're twenty.

[Nina Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent🎉🎉Couldnt put it down😅

[Linniegayl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series set in the 1930s and featuring Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, students at an English boarding school and amateur sleuths. This is another fun entry in the series. Daisy and Hazel made it back to Deepdean (after their travels to Hong Kong and London) for a major anniversary weekend at the school. Parents (well everyone’s except Daisy’s and Hazel’s) will be at the school for the weekend, and all kinds of special activities are planned.

Daisy isn’t pleased to learn that a new girl -- Amina -- has captured the interest of most of their fellow students, usurping the position Daisy previously held. Shortly after the two return to Deepdean, one of their friends spots a woman being murdered in the distance outside their dorm. This perks up Daisy, as she, Hazel, and their three new fellow detectives rush outside to investigate. The girls suspect that a mother has been murdered and begin to spy on potential suspects among the parents attending the anniversary weekend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest entry but would not encourage anyone to start here. There’s been quite a bit of development of the friendship between Daisy and Hazel over the course of the series, and Hazel continues to come into her own here. I also liked the changes in one of the other girls, Beanie, and hope to see more of her in the future. This is an A- for me, so five stars here.

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these books just feels like coming home and I loved being back in Deepdean (although the mentions of Egypt for the next book have me extremely excited!).
Daisy and Hazel are like old friends and I was interested to see the story focusing on the parents, especially as the author mentioned that she is around the same age as the parents at the moment.
This series just continues getting better and better!

[Suzanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Całkiem niezła książka. Zakończenie było dość nieprzewidywalne, a samo czytanie było bardzo przyjemne.
Mam tylko jedno, ale olbrzymie zastrzeżenie - Daisy, jedna z głównych bohaterek. Nie znoszę jej. Niemal zawsze, kiedy się odzywała, okropnie mnie irytowała. Gdyby zamiast niej była inna bohaterka (Hazel też czasem denerwowała, ale nie przeszkadzało mi to jakoś specjalnie), dałabym książce 5 gwiazdek.

[Elwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wieder zurück im Internat und direkt gleich wieder in einen spannenden Fall, mit schön kniffligen Wendungen. Man merkt wie sehr sich die Mädchen verändert haben, und trotzdem hat es noch den gleichen Charme wie die ersten Bände.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Can’t wait to read the next one :)

[Asia_l · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75

[zoskaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Świetne! Dam 4,9/5 , ponieważ rozwiązanie na końcu trochę się ciągneło. Przyjaźń Daisy i Hazel>>>. Napewno moja ulubiona część (na równi ze ,,zbrodnią na receptę"). Wszytskim polecam!