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High-Rise Mystery #1
Highrise Mystery
Am heißesten Tag des Sommers machen die beiden Schwestern Nik und Norva im Londoner Hochhaus-Komplex "The TRI" eine grausige Entdeckung: Sie finden die Leiche des beliebten Antiquitätenhändlers und Kunstlehrers, Hugo. Als ihr eigener Vater in Verdacht gerät, machen es sich die beiden sehr unterschiedlichen Schwestern zur Aufgabe, den Mord aufzuklären. Undercover ermitteln sie unter ihren Nachbarn, von denen jeder auf seine Art verdächtig erscheint. Mit Niks präzisem analytischem Verstand und Norvas Fantasie und Kreativität, ihrer perfekten Ortskenntnis und nicht zuletzt dank ihrer "TRI-Files" auf dem Smartphone sind sie der Polizei immer eine Nasenlänge voraus und können dem Mörder schließlich das Handwerk legen.
281 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2019
51 people are currently reading
1537 people want to read
About the author
Sharna Jackson
24 books74 followersSharna Jackson is a best-selling author and curator who specialises in developing and delivering socially-engaged initiatives for children and young people across culture, publishing and entertainment.
Her debut novel High-Rise Mystery (2019) won numerous awards and accolades including Best Book for Younger Readers at the 2020 Waterstones Book Prize and Sunday Times Book of the Week. The sequel, Mic Drop, was released in 2020. Sharna also develops books to encourage participation in the arts, with two activity books released with Tate in 2014 (which won the FILAF award for Best Children’s Art Book in 2015) and Black Artists Shaping the World in 2021. She was Southbank Centre’s Imagine A Story Author in 2019/20 creating London/Londoff with over 1200 school children in the capital.
She was recently the Artistic Director at Site Gallery, an international contemporary art space in Sheffield, UK, and was formerly the editor of the triple BAFTA-nominated Tate Kids website.
Sharna was a member of BAFTA’s Children’s and Learning and New Talent committees and the Children’s Media Conference advisory board. She was also on the board of Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Writing North and Upswing. Every year she curates Playground – an exhibition showcasing work that blends digital play with physical objects and Ensemble – a show highlighting ethnic minority talent and achievement in the UK games industry.
Her debut novel High-Rise Mystery (2019) won numerous awards and accolades including Best Book for Younger Readers at the 2020 Waterstones Book Prize and Sunday Times Book of the Week. The sequel, Mic Drop, was released in 2020. Sharna also develops books to encourage participation in the arts, with two activity books released with Tate in 2014 (which won the FILAF award for Best Children’s Art Book in 2015) and Black Artists Shaping the World in 2021. She was Southbank Centre’s Imagine A Story Author in 2019/20 creating London/Londoff with over 1200 school children in the capital.
She was recently the Artistic Director at Site Gallery, an international contemporary art space in Sheffield, UK, and was formerly the editor of the triple BAFTA-nominated Tate Kids website.
Sharna was a member of BAFTA’s Children’s and Learning and New Talent committees and the Children’s Media Conference advisory board. She was also on the board of Sheffield Doc/Fest, New Writing North and Upswing. Every year she curates Playground – an exhibition showcasing work that blends digital play with physical objects and Ensemble – a show highlighting ethnic minority talent and achievement in the UK games industry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
December 24, 2020
Those kids are so smart! Really liked it :) Can't wait to read about their next case
January 19, 2020
From page 1 this book had the potential to be incredible, and god DAMN it lived up to that promise and more. I will read everything Sharna Jackson publishes from this point onwards with relish. I will recommend this to every single kid who comes into the shop looking for a mystery, who’s loved Agatha Christie or Robin Stevens, and wants something fresh, tense and completely original. It’s a Class A mystery, the perfect amount of clues and red herrings, the perfect level of difficultly without being completely obscure (although 10+ for sure, Nik and Norva are a solid step up from Hazel and Daisy in terms of complexity and content). It was hilarious, too - I loved all the characters, and was so totally wrapped up in all of them. An absolutely fantastic book, through and through. #readtheonepercent
April 10, 2019
What a fabulous new book from a great new author! Sharna Jackson is so "on the ball" with what today's children will love to read. The story is fun, clever and absolutely a page turner. We have a brilliant young detective duo determined to solve the murder in their high rise block. Nik and Norva are a real delight, one furiously writing her clues and deductions in her note book, the other "feeling it in her waters"!! I loved it! Roll on book 2 - it is going to be a trilogy ... I hope it becomes a long running series.
April 22, 2019
This was a really fun and fast-paced novel about two sisters trying to solve a murder in their high rise apartment complex.
I think at times this was a little bit too fast paced and wish that it had slowed down just a little bit. I also found that the main character, Nik, was completely overshadowed by her sister, who has a more boisterous personality. I actually wonder why the sister wasn't the MC because she seemed to control most of the narrative with Nik taking a back seat and kind of going along with her sister?
I loved the diversity of the characters, and even though there were many minor characters none of them felt one-dimensional. And I loved the mystery itself. Jackson does a great job of building up the tension with it without making it seem too tense and serious!
I think at times this was a little bit too fast paced and wish that it had slowed down just a little bit. I also found that the main character, Nik, was completely overshadowed by her sister, who has a more boisterous personality. I actually wonder why the sister wasn't the MC because she seemed to control most of the narrative with Nik taking a back seat and kind of going along with her sister?
I loved the diversity of the characters, and even though there were many minor characters none of them felt one-dimensional. And I loved the mystery itself. Jackson does a great job of building up the tension with it without making it seem too tense and serious!
July 27, 2021
What do you do when your friend goes missing and you suspect foul play? Well you obviously join forces with your sister and investigate, only to find a body.
This was a fun middle grade mystery, it was a bit slow in pace and I did struggle a bit to get invested.
I did however really enjoy the dynamic of thr sisters relationship and the community that surrounded them on The Tri.
I guessed the ending, but that did not detract from my enjoyment in any way and I would still recommend this one for 8-12year old and bigger kids!
This was a fun middle grade mystery, it was a bit slow in pace and I did struggle a bit to get invested.
I did however really enjoy the dynamic of thr sisters relationship and the community that surrounded them on The Tri.
I guessed the ending, but that did not detract from my enjoyment in any way and I would still recommend this one for 8-12year old and bigger kids!
January 26, 2021
A very fun and fresh take on the old whodunit genre with a wonderful setting and lively, diverse and funny characters. I will definitely check out the next in the series too!
March 7, 2021
A brilliant detective story. The writing really places you in the mind of the reader with short, straight to the point sentences at times to show her thoughts. The subtle hints at different relationships and societal issues are a nice touch and the mystery kept me guessing to the end!
October 25, 2019
This was poor. It made me feel bad for talented writers who are trying to get published and are overlooked for this. This is paint by numbers writing. Stereotypes through and through. I apologise for sounding so negative but I'd heard good things. Ultimately I only finished this book to see if it could be as bad as the first 100 pages all the way through. It was. Even the mystery itself was unrewarding, with no motive explained beyond money. This was beyond disappointing. Hence my rant. Apologies.
April 19, 2019
Pacy, clever and very funny. Will look forward to more crime solving with Nik and Norva
May 13, 2020
Da ich Jugendkrimis wahnsinnig gerne lese, war meine Neugierde sofort geweckt, als ich das erste Mal von „Highrise Mystery“ hörte. Das Cover finde ich richitg cool und der Klappentext klang einfach nur unbeschreiblich gut. Für mich stand daher sehr schnell fest: Die beiden Schwestern Nik und Norva möchte ich unbedingt auf ihrer kniffligen Spurensuche begleiten! Ich ließ das Buch daher sehr gerne bei mir einziehen.
Als die 13-jährige Norva und ihre 11-jährige Schwester Nik an einem besonders heißen Sommertag eine Leiche in einem Müllcontainer finden, ist sofort ihr Spürsinn geweckt. Bei dem Toten handelt es sich um den sehr beliebten Antikenhändler und Kunstlehrer Hugo und für die Geschwister steht sofort fest, dass nur jemand aus ihrem Londoner Hochhaus-Komplex „The Tri“ der Mörder sein kann. Aber wer? Die Mädchen beginnen zu ermitteln und nehmen die Bewohner ihres Hochhauses unter die Lupe. Irgendwie scheint nur zunächst jeder verdächtig zu sein. Dass ihr Vater der Täter ist, können die Geschwister jedoch nicht glauben. Die Polizei aber ist der Meinung, dass ihr Vater, der der Hausmeister des „The Tri“ ist, Hugo umgebracht hat und verhaftet ihn. Nik und Norva setzen nun alles daran zu beweisen, dass ihr Vater unschuldig ist. Ob es ihnen gelingen wird, den richtigen Mörder zu finden und zu entlarven?
Spannende Detektivgeschichten, in denen gewiefte junge Mädels im Agatha-Christie-Stil ermitteln und meist schlauer als die Polizei sind, lese ich für mein Leben gerne. Solltet ihr diese Leseleidenschaft mit mir teilen, kann ich euch „Highrise Mystery“ sehr ans Herz legen!
Ich hatte eindeutig mal wieder den richtigen Riecher gehabt – mir hat das Buch ein tolles Leseerlebnis beschert. In meinen Augen hat Sharna Jackson mit „Highrise Mystery: Ein tödlicher Sommer“ einen fabelhaften Jugendkrimi aufs Papier gezaubert, welcher durchweg zum Mitfiebern einlädt und große Lust auf mehr macht.
Ich hatte einen super Einstieg in das Buch. Der humorvolle und sehr jugendliche Schreibstil gefiel mir vom ersten Moment an unheimlich gut und unsere zwei cleveren jungen Buchheldinnen waren mir auf Anhieb sympathisch. Nik und Norva – beide besitzen sie so eine herrlich schlagfertige und kesse Art. Die zwei nehmen wahrhaftig kein Blatt vor den Mund und lassen sich nicht unterkriegen. Besonders unterhaltsam fand ich, dass die beiden so schön verschieden sind, sowohl von ihrem Aussehen her, als auch vom Charakter. Während Norva lange Braids trägt, ist Nik kahlrasiert. Norva verlässt sich gerne auf ihre Intuition, Nik wiederum geht stets sehr analytisch und logisch vor. Die Schwestern ergeben einfach ein hervorragendes Team und ergänzen sich perfekt mit ihren unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften. Ich könnte gar nicht sagen, welche der zwei mir besser gefallen hat. Ich fand sie einfach beide einsame Spitze und musste ständig über sie schmunzeln.
Humormäßig bin ich definitiv ganz auf meine Kosten gekommen. Das Buch ist teilweise so wunderbar witzig geschrieben! Wir erfahren alles aus der Sicht von Nik in der Ich-Perspektive und wie sie uns alles erzählt, so schön frech, authentisch und humorvoll, hat mir echt gut gefallen. Allerdings könnte ich mir gut vorstellen, dass die Erzählweise nicht jedermanns Sache sein wird, da sie doch eine recht spezielle ist. Die Sätze sind oft sehr kurz und knackig gehalten und es wird ziemlich viel Jugendsprache verwendet. Man muss so einen Stil einfach mögen. Ich jedenfalls liebe so etwas und ich gehe sehr davon, dass die Schreibart vor allem bei der Zielgruppe prima ankommen wird.
Empfohlen wird „Highrise Mystery“ für Mädchen und Jungen ab 12 Jahren und dieser Empfehlung schließe ich mich an. Erwachsenen kann ich das Buch allerdings ebenfalls wärmstens empfehlen. In meinen Augen ist dieser wundervolle Detektivschmöker nicht für Kids vollkommen lesenswert.
Ich, als Erwachsene, habe das Buch quasi in einem Rutsch durchgeschmökert. Stellenweise hat mir zwar ein bisschen die Spannung gefehlt, aber ins Mitfiebern und Miträtseln bin ich dennoch ordentlich geraten. Mir hat es total viel Freude bereitet, unser aufgewecktes Detektivinnen-Duo bei der Aufklärung ihres ersten Falls zu begleiten. Dass sie ihn lösen werden, verrät ja bereits der Klappentext. Wie sie den Mord aber aufklären werden, das werde ich hier natürlich nicht verraten. Man kann über die Cleverness und Kombinationsgabe der beiden Schwestern jedenfalls echt nur staunen. Klasse fand ich, dass Nik ihre Beobachtungen und Ergebnisse in Form von Tabellen und Notizen auf ihrem Smartphone festhält. Das Leseerlebnis wird dadurch nur noch aufregender, da man dank dieser Protokolle noch besser mitknobeln kann.
Neben unseren beiden Hauptprotagonistinnen konnte mich Sharna Jackson auch mit den Nebencharakteren vollends überzeugen. Manche Figuren sind so schön schräg drauf und zaubern uns Leser mit ihren schrulligen Eigenarten öfters ein breites Grinsen auf die Lippen.
Brillant fand ich auch das Setting. Das Londoner Hochhauskomplex „The Tri“ kann man zwar definitiv nicht als hübsch bezeichnen, aber irgendwie hat es was. Mir jedenfalls hat dieser Schauplatz mega gut gefallen. Da die Autorin alles sehr bildhaft und stimmungsvoll beschreibt, ist es mir mühelos geglückt, mich in der Welt der beiden Schwestern zurechtzufinden. Vorne im Buch befindet sich zudem noch eine geniale Karte, die das „The Tri“ zeigt, sodass man sich alles noch besser vorstellen kann.
Besonders gut gefallen hat mir die Atmosphäre, die durch die einmalige Kulisse geschaffen wird. Ich kann nur irgendwie gar nicht so richtig sagen, was genau mich nun so verzaubert hat. Das Feeling in diesem Buch hat‘s mir einfach total angetan.
So, jetzt habe ich euch so viel von dem Buch vorgeschwärmt, da rechnet ihr jetzt sicher mit einer vollen 5 von 5 Sternen-Bewertung. Mir hat der Auftakt der Highrise Mystery-Serie echt gut gefallen, allerdings hat mir insgesamt dann doch etwas gefehlt. Dieser allerletzte Funke wollte irgendwie dann doch nicht überspringen. Aber wie gesagt, begeistert von dem Buch bin ich dennoch und ich werde die Reihe auch auf jeden Fall weiterverfolgen. Im Englischen gibt es bereits einen zweiten Band und da hoffe ich nun sehr, dass auch dieser noch ins Deutsche übersetzt werden wird. Auf den zweiten kniffligen Fall von Nik und Norva freue ich mich schon sehr!
Fazit: Ein spannender Jugendkrimi voller Witz, Charme und rätselhafter Momente! Sharna Jackson ist mit dem ersten Band ihrer Highrise Mystery-Reihe ein toller Serienstart gelungen, welcher mir ein wundervolles Lesevergnügen beschert hat. Ich mochte den Schreibstil und die Atmosphäre in dem Buch von Beginn an unglaublich gerne und unser gewitztes junges Ermittlerduo habe ich sofort in mein Herz geschlossen. Egal ob Jung oder Alt – ich kann jedem, der gerne mitreißende Detekivgeschichten liest, „Highrise Mystery: Ein tödlicher Sommer“ absolut empfehlen. Von mir gibt es sehr, sehr gute 4 von 5 Sternen!
Als die 13-jährige Norva und ihre 11-jährige Schwester Nik an einem besonders heißen Sommertag eine Leiche in einem Müllcontainer finden, ist sofort ihr Spürsinn geweckt. Bei dem Toten handelt es sich um den sehr beliebten Antikenhändler und Kunstlehrer Hugo und für die Geschwister steht sofort fest, dass nur jemand aus ihrem Londoner Hochhaus-Komplex „The Tri“ der Mörder sein kann. Aber wer? Die Mädchen beginnen zu ermitteln und nehmen die Bewohner ihres Hochhauses unter die Lupe. Irgendwie scheint nur zunächst jeder verdächtig zu sein. Dass ihr Vater der Täter ist, können die Geschwister jedoch nicht glauben. Die Polizei aber ist der Meinung, dass ihr Vater, der der Hausmeister des „The Tri“ ist, Hugo umgebracht hat und verhaftet ihn. Nik und Norva setzen nun alles daran zu beweisen, dass ihr Vater unschuldig ist. Ob es ihnen gelingen wird, den richtigen Mörder zu finden und zu entlarven?
Spannende Detektivgeschichten, in denen gewiefte junge Mädels im Agatha-Christie-Stil ermitteln und meist schlauer als die Polizei sind, lese ich für mein Leben gerne. Solltet ihr diese Leseleidenschaft mit mir teilen, kann ich euch „Highrise Mystery“ sehr ans Herz legen!
Ich hatte eindeutig mal wieder den richtigen Riecher gehabt – mir hat das Buch ein tolles Leseerlebnis beschert. In meinen Augen hat Sharna Jackson mit „Highrise Mystery: Ein tödlicher Sommer“ einen fabelhaften Jugendkrimi aufs Papier gezaubert, welcher durchweg zum Mitfiebern einlädt und große Lust auf mehr macht.
Ich hatte einen super Einstieg in das Buch. Der humorvolle und sehr jugendliche Schreibstil gefiel mir vom ersten Moment an unheimlich gut und unsere zwei cleveren jungen Buchheldinnen waren mir auf Anhieb sympathisch. Nik und Norva – beide besitzen sie so eine herrlich schlagfertige und kesse Art. Die zwei nehmen wahrhaftig kein Blatt vor den Mund und lassen sich nicht unterkriegen. Besonders unterhaltsam fand ich, dass die beiden so schön verschieden sind, sowohl von ihrem Aussehen her, als auch vom Charakter. Während Norva lange Braids trägt, ist Nik kahlrasiert. Norva verlässt sich gerne auf ihre Intuition, Nik wiederum geht stets sehr analytisch und logisch vor. Die Schwestern ergeben einfach ein hervorragendes Team und ergänzen sich perfekt mit ihren unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften. Ich könnte gar nicht sagen, welche der zwei mir besser gefallen hat. Ich fand sie einfach beide einsame Spitze und musste ständig über sie schmunzeln.
Humormäßig bin ich definitiv ganz auf meine Kosten gekommen. Das Buch ist teilweise so wunderbar witzig geschrieben! Wir erfahren alles aus der Sicht von Nik in der Ich-Perspektive und wie sie uns alles erzählt, so schön frech, authentisch und humorvoll, hat mir echt gut gefallen. Allerdings könnte ich mir gut vorstellen, dass die Erzählweise nicht jedermanns Sache sein wird, da sie doch eine recht spezielle ist. Die Sätze sind oft sehr kurz und knackig gehalten und es wird ziemlich viel Jugendsprache verwendet. Man muss so einen Stil einfach mögen. Ich jedenfalls liebe so etwas und ich gehe sehr davon, dass die Schreibart vor allem bei der Zielgruppe prima ankommen wird.
Empfohlen wird „Highrise Mystery“ für Mädchen und Jungen ab 12 Jahren und dieser Empfehlung schließe ich mich an. Erwachsenen kann ich das Buch allerdings ebenfalls wärmstens empfehlen. In meinen Augen ist dieser wundervolle Detektivschmöker nicht für Kids vollkommen lesenswert.
Ich, als Erwachsene, habe das Buch quasi in einem Rutsch durchgeschmökert. Stellenweise hat mir zwar ein bisschen die Spannung gefehlt, aber ins Mitfiebern und Miträtseln bin ich dennoch ordentlich geraten. Mir hat es total viel Freude bereitet, unser aufgewecktes Detektivinnen-Duo bei der Aufklärung ihres ersten Falls zu begleiten. Dass sie ihn lösen werden, verrät ja bereits der Klappentext. Wie sie den Mord aber aufklären werden, das werde ich hier natürlich nicht verraten. Man kann über die Cleverness und Kombinationsgabe der beiden Schwestern jedenfalls echt nur staunen. Klasse fand ich, dass Nik ihre Beobachtungen und Ergebnisse in Form von Tabellen und Notizen auf ihrem Smartphone festhält. Das Leseerlebnis wird dadurch nur noch aufregender, da man dank dieser Protokolle noch besser mitknobeln kann.
Neben unseren beiden Hauptprotagonistinnen konnte mich Sharna Jackson auch mit den Nebencharakteren vollends überzeugen. Manche Figuren sind so schön schräg drauf und zaubern uns Leser mit ihren schrulligen Eigenarten öfters ein breites Grinsen auf die Lippen.
Brillant fand ich auch das Setting. Das Londoner Hochhauskomplex „The Tri“ kann man zwar definitiv nicht als hübsch bezeichnen, aber irgendwie hat es was. Mir jedenfalls hat dieser Schauplatz mega gut gefallen. Da die Autorin alles sehr bildhaft und stimmungsvoll beschreibt, ist es mir mühelos geglückt, mich in der Welt der beiden Schwestern zurechtzufinden. Vorne im Buch befindet sich zudem noch eine geniale Karte, die das „The Tri“ zeigt, sodass man sich alles noch besser vorstellen kann.
Besonders gut gefallen hat mir die Atmosphäre, die durch die einmalige Kulisse geschaffen wird. Ich kann nur irgendwie gar nicht so richtig sagen, was genau mich nun so verzaubert hat. Das Feeling in diesem Buch hat‘s mir einfach total angetan.
So, jetzt habe ich euch so viel von dem Buch vorgeschwärmt, da rechnet ihr jetzt sicher mit einer vollen 5 von 5 Sternen-Bewertung. Mir hat der Auftakt der Highrise Mystery-Serie echt gut gefallen, allerdings hat mir insgesamt dann doch etwas gefehlt. Dieser allerletzte Funke wollte irgendwie dann doch nicht überspringen. Aber wie gesagt, begeistert von dem Buch bin ich dennoch und ich werde die Reihe auch auf jeden Fall weiterverfolgen. Im Englischen gibt es bereits einen zweiten Band und da hoffe ich nun sehr, dass auch dieser noch ins Deutsche übersetzt werden wird. Auf den zweiten kniffligen Fall von Nik und Norva freue ich mich schon sehr!
Fazit: Ein spannender Jugendkrimi voller Witz, Charme und rätselhafter Momente! Sharna Jackson ist mit dem ersten Band ihrer Highrise Mystery-Reihe ein toller Serienstart gelungen, welcher mir ein wundervolles Lesevergnügen beschert hat. Ich mochte den Schreibstil und die Atmosphäre in dem Buch von Beginn an unglaublich gerne und unser gewitztes junges Ermittlerduo habe ich sofort in mein Herz geschlossen. Egal ob Jung oder Alt – ich kann jedem, der gerne mitreißende Detekivgeschichten liest, „Highrise Mystery: Ein tödlicher Sommer“ absolut empfehlen. Von mir gibt es sehr, sehr gute 4 von 5 Sternen!
August 9, 2022
Un libro che si aggiunge alla mia lunga lista del : "vorrei scrivere così".
I protagonisti sono simpatici, anche se forse run po' troppo "giovani", e l'ambientazone originale, il caso pieno divertente e pieno di piccoli colpi di scena. Però a colpirmi maggiormente è stato lo stile: veloce, ritmato e ironico.
A raccontarci l'indagine è Nik Alexader che assieme alla sorella Norva forma un brillante duo di detective pre adolescenti. Nik è sveglia, intelligente e un' acuta osservatrice e amante delle liste, il che da alla scrittura un impronta molto personale e piacevole.
Al netto di alcune ingenuità, proprie dei romanzi per ragazzi, questo libro mi è piaciuto moltissimo
I protagonisti sono simpatici, anche se forse run po' troppo "giovani", e l'ambientazone originale, il caso pieno divertente e pieno di piccoli colpi di scena. Però a colpirmi maggiormente è stato lo stile: veloce, ritmato e ironico.
A raccontarci l'indagine è Nik Alexader che assieme alla sorella Norva forma un brillante duo di detective pre adolescenti. Nik è sveglia, intelligente e un' acuta osservatrice e amante delle liste, il che da alla scrittura un impronta molto personale e piacevole.
Al netto di alcune ingenuità, proprie dei romanzi per ragazzi, questo libro mi è piaciuto moltissimo
February 20, 2023
Trigger warnings: murder, violence
3.5 stars.
For some reason, based on the cover of this I assumed it was set in the US. It's not. It's set on a council estate in the UK, which I freaking LOVED. The characters were delightful, and the mystery was compelling. That said, after getting off to a CRACKING start, the pace slowed down considerably and it took me three days to finish this, which is practically unheard of for me. I loved the inclusion of their alibi/evidence tables throughout the story, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series, if only for the characters.
3.5 stars.
For some reason, based on the cover of this I assumed it was set in the US. It's not. It's set on a council estate in the UK, which I freaking LOVED. The characters were delightful, and the mystery was compelling. That said, after getting off to a CRACKING start, the pace slowed down considerably and it took me three days to finish this, which is practically unheard of for me. I loved the inclusion of their alibi/evidence tables throughout the story, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series, if only for the characters.
April 18, 2021
This brings Murder Most Unladylike into the 21st century and Robin Stevens fans will love this. Sisters Nik and Norva come across a dead body that is stinking their tower block home “The Tri” to high heaven in the London heatwave. A methodical murder mystery “Facts. Evidence. Deduction.” turns personal when their caretaker dad becomes number one suspect. The sisters use what they know and who they know to patiently work their way through the clues. I’m happy to see the next one is ready and waiting and I hope there will be more.
September 17, 2021
This is a really enjoyable page turner. The protagonists are two really cool, smart sisters who are really witty and likeable. The setting - the Tri, a high rise estate in London - is like a character in itself, and it's really interesting how the author describes the community there and how it's seen by the police and the media. A fast-paced plot and lively dialogue, this is a good fun read.
August 7, 2021
ive been wanting to read this book for a while and i was not disappointed. It was ok not the best book ive ever read but it hooked me as i read to the end. The plot was solid and the characters were intruging. The ending also was satisfying. solid 3 stars recommended forages 8 plus
November 26, 2023
Storyline is easy to follow and it really makes you connect to the characters and make ypu assume and create assumptions throughout the book of WHO MURDERED HUGO. The end is such a plot twist and an unexpected one to .
First 5 star read of the month .
First 5 star read of the month .
September 25, 2019
Fast paced murder mystery from a new author. Watch for more.
March 19, 2021
Great book. Loved the story and how everything planned out.
May 15, 2024
It was soooo good I loved it
February 8, 2021
4.5 Fun middle-grade whodunit set in a London tower block. Fast-paced and vivid. Loved the two spunky amateur sleuths at the centre of the story. Great on audio.
April 24, 2019
I was hooked from the first page - the style , pace of narrative , humour and intelligence - a true antidote to past mystery crime tales for young people .. the two sisters are good solid individuals reflecting so much of life today - this will be my summer term year six recommendation to teachers and students
December 27, 2022
This is a children’s book I read to research for a children’s writing course I am doing. It is set in London. I liked the characters who are a diverse mix of people living in a high rise building in London. 2 sisters are investigating a murder. It reminded me a little of A Good Girls Guide to murder but for kids. It would be good for children who like murder mystery.
June 13, 2020
Amazing! Best book I read in 2020!made me coming back for more!
April 22, 2019
4.5 stars
A BRILLIANT detective book for kids. It’s interesting, funny and has characters you’ll love. I am so glad there’s going to be more because I genuinely could’ve kept going.
A BRILLIANT detective book for kids. It’s interesting, funny and has characters you’ll love. I am so glad there’s going to be more because I genuinely could’ve kept going.
December 31, 2024
Read it as a kid
April 18, 2019
London is in the middle of a sweltering heat wave, and there's been a murder...
My full review can be seen here: https://bit.ly/2vcCdmp
My full review can be seen here: https://bit.ly/2vcCdmp
November 22, 2022
Meet Nik and Norva, two sisters who are eager to solve all the mysteries!
😍 Love that it is about two sisters and I really liked their bond! They stood up for each other. Helped each other out. Made us of each others skills and formed a good duo with each having skills that are necessary.
😍 I had a laugh at how Norva constantly just shut off when Mark was near. Haha, I remember that when I was her age and the boy of my dreams would walk by. Mehsi.exe has died.
😍 I loved the community and how tight-knit the Tri was. Or well, we just mostly see one part of the Tri, but what we see there is a great sense of community.
😍 The mystery was very interesting! There are many twists and turns and things kept being exciting until the end. I had my suspicions on what was going and who may have done it. That part was really well written.
😍 George was quite the character. He always made me laugh when he came in the picture. OK, again, something I will mention in my 🤔, the way he talked was not clicking with me because in all my life I haven’t heard anyone talk like this. But I loved that he was so dedicated to making sounds/”music”. I loved how he was there for the sisters. Helping them out. Motivating them. Cheering for them. He was like a cheerleader. XD
😍 It was fun to read about the Tri. The building. The history. How it looked. The yellow paint. I would have loved to truly visit. Well, on a good day. Definitely not a mind-searing hot summer time like it is in the story.
😍 I did think it was funny everyone in the community knew about a certain thing… but our kid detectives? Totally oblivious. XD
😶 One neutral. That is Katie. I really liked Katie.. but how did she become a police officer? I am sorry, but throughout this book it felt like she was playing one and not being one for real.
🤔 The way the girls talked was at times very odd. Maybe that is how some teens/kids talk, but I have never heard any do it. Well, OK, maybe. But that is in movies or music videos. Not real life. I just had to re-read sentences because I just didn’t get things. Then we had two guys who were artistic and just felt like a spoof of Shaggy or someone else from a 70s show. Seminal! Liminal! Fresh! Ace! I am sorry. I just.. no. And the writing style in general wasn’t always clicking with me. It felt just a bit too over the top.
🤔 WHY IN LORD’S NAME would you throw down a fake dummy puppet down the chute when the police is arriving and the crime scene is being blocked? Why not wait for a bit longer until things are quieter? It just felt so odd that within minutes of them finding a dead body they went to prepare for a doll to test out theories. Plus, I found it a bit too much that they cleaned up, but left their stuff like that and didn’t care about it. I am sorry, if it was just things like tissues or something cheap. But books? Clothes? Trophies? WTF? Also, did they not think of that it may be an even bigger implication if someone found it and figured out that it was their stuff?
🤔 How they were set on one person after a while. And then discounted others because of an emotional bond. That is like the one rule in mystery stuff, never trust anyone. Everyone can have done it.
🤔 Jane.
All in all, despite some things that didn’t click with me, I had fun reading this book. And yes, if one of my libraries ever get book 2 (for now in September they only have 1) I will be getting it. Because again, it was fun.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
😍 Love that it is about two sisters and I really liked their bond! They stood up for each other. Helped each other out. Made us of each others skills and formed a good duo with each having skills that are necessary.
😍 I had a laugh at how Norva constantly just shut off when Mark was near. Haha, I remember that when I was her age and the boy of my dreams would walk by. Mehsi.exe has died.
😍 I loved the community and how tight-knit the Tri was. Or well, we just mostly see one part of the Tri, but what we see there is a great sense of community.
😍 The mystery was very interesting! There are many twists and turns and things kept being exciting until the end. I had my suspicions on what was going and who may have done it. That part was really well written.
😍 George was quite the character. He always made me laugh when he came in the picture. OK, again, something I will mention in my 🤔, the way he talked was not clicking with me because in all my life I haven’t heard anyone talk like this. But I loved that he was so dedicated to making sounds/”music”. I loved how he was there for the sisters. Helping them out. Motivating them. Cheering for them. He was like a cheerleader. XD
😍 It was fun to read about the Tri. The building. The history. How it looked. The yellow paint. I would have loved to truly visit. Well, on a good day. Definitely not a mind-searing hot summer time like it is in the story.
😍 I did think it was funny everyone in the community knew about a certain thing… but our kid detectives? Totally oblivious. XD
😶 One neutral. That is Katie. I really liked Katie.. but how did she become a police officer? I am sorry, but throughout this book it felt like she was playing one and not being one for real.
🤔 The way the girls talked was at times very odd. Maybe that is how some teens/kids talk, but I have never heard any do it. Well, OK, maybe. But that is in movies or music videos. Not real life. I just had to re-read sentences because I just didn’t get things. Then we had two guys who were artistic and just felt like a spoof of Shaggy or someone else from a 70s show. Seminal! Liminal! Fresh! Ace! I am sorry. I just.. no. And the writing style in general wasn’t always clicking with me. It felt just a bit too over the top.
🤔 WHY IN LORD’S NAME would you throw down a fake dummy puppet down the chute when the police is arriving and the crime scene is being blocked? Why not wait for a bit longer until things are quieter? It just felt so odd that within minutes of them finding a dead body they went to prepare for a doll to test out theories. Plus, I found it a bit too much that they cleaned up, but left their stuff like that and didn’t care about it. I am sorry, if it was just things like tissues or something cheap. But books? Clothes? Trophies? WTF? Also, did they not think of that it may be an even bigger implication if someone found it and figured out that it was their stuff?
🤔 How they were set on one person after a while. And then discounted others because of an emotional bond. That is like the one rule in mystery stuff, never trust anyone. Everyone can have done it.
🤔 Jane.
All in all, despite some things that didn’t click with me, I had fun reading this book. And yes, if one of my libraries ever get book 2 (for now in September they only have 1) I will be getting it. Because again, it was fun.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 3, 2021
I really wanted to like this one - the premise of a teenage sister sleuth team sounded fun, and I was looking forward to following them as a series if I got along with this one. Unfortunately it was not to be the case. Before expanding on this I'll first say that I am aware that this book was written for a target audience that is waaayyyy younger than I am, though on that note there are equally many children's books that I read and enjoy as something a bit lighter from time to time.
Not the case here, as right from the start I didn't gel with it. I'm okay with authors starting books not explaining much and letting the reader start to put things together, even though this concept is a bit strange for a series, which depends on setting up the characters well enough that readers want to follow them throughout different storylines. This one took it way out to the other extreme, it really feels like there are several chapters missing at the start, as quite literally the characters are plopped in the readers lap: Someone dies (the reader isn't even actually told who, just given a name which, quite frankly, could have been anything), is magically discovered by a child interested in investigating, and off we go. I guess the "table" from Nik's notebook was meant to help by providing a guide to the characters, but it was horrendously incomplete. So much lost potential here I thought, as the premise of a case occurring in the high-rise where they live, and sound close-knit, could have been drawn out from a characters point of view so much more.
I found it difficult to like the sisters as much as I wanted to, as I thought there was so much inconsistency in how mature they were supposed to be. I mean - one minute they are using super advanced language in their "inner thoughts", and the next minute they are behaving like complete babies. I can deal with both an overly mature child, or a child-like child, but not a character that swings between different personas from one page to the next. The potential for drawing out differences between the sisters (making them unique in their own right and therefore strengthening the premise of a "sleuth duo", rather than just a single detective) was completely underused here, and at times it felt like the only reason there were two of them was so that they could bicker with one another. About the same thing, throughout the whole book. It was funny the first time, slightly amusing the next, and after that...
The case itself was also a bit meh, I'd figured it out (because there are almost no clues except for the ones that directly lead to the answer) but frankly I'd stopped caring by this stage. There was a bit of an attempt to write in "seeking for a motive" by the sisters, but only one possibility was ever raised. Everything really conveniently fell into place for the detectives that it bordered on unbelievable (I'm willing to relax my standards on believability in children's books in general, but this one once again took it too far) e.g. in suspect "interviews", the suspect literally says nothing except information that relates directly to the case.
There are plenty of glowing reviews on this page, so perhaps I am on my own with these views, but I didn't get both books in the series (thus far). 1.5 stars but 2 on Goodreads, because I finished, and that is only because of how quickly I was getting through it that I thought I might as well see if at least the reveal part was any good.
Not the case here, as right from the start I didn't gel with it. I'm okay with authors starting books not explaining much and letting the reader start to put things together, even though this concept is a bit strange for a series, which depends on setting up the characters well enough that readers want to follow them throughout different storylines. This one took it way out to the other extreme, it really feels like there are several chapters missing at the start, as quite literally the characters are plopped in the readers lap: Someone dies (the reader isn't even actually told who, just given a name which, quite frankly, could have been anything), is magically discovered by a child interested in investigating, and off we go. I guess the "table" from Nik's notebook was meant to help by providing a guide to the characters, but it was horrendously incomplete. So much lost potential here I thought, as the premise of a case occurring in the high-rise where they live, and sound close-knit, could have been drawn out from a characters point of view so much more.
I found it difficult to like the sisters as much as I wanted to, as I thought there was so much inconsistency in how mature they were supposed to be. I mean - one minute they are using super advanced language in their "inner thoughts", and the next minute they are behaving like complete babies. I can deal with both an overly mature child, or a child-like child, but not a character that swings between different personas from one page to the next. The potential for drawing out differences between the sisters (making them unique in their own right and therefore strengthening the premise of a "sleuth duo", rather than just a single detective) was completely underused here, and at times it felt like the only reason there were two of them was so that they could bicker with one another. About the same thing, throughout the whole book. It was funny the first time, slightly amusing the next, and after that...
The case itself was also a bit meh, I'd figured it out (because there are almost no clues except for the ones that directly lead to the answer) but frankly I'd stopped caring by this stage. There was a bit of an attempt to write in "seeking for a motive" by the sisters, but only one possibility was ever raised. Everything really conveniently fell into place for the detectives that it bordered on unbelievable (I'm willing to relax my standards on believability in children's books in general, but this one once again took it too far) e.g. in suspect "interviews", the suspect literally says nothing except information that relates directly to the case.
There are plenty of glowing reviews on this page, so perhaps I am on my own with these views, but I didn't get both books in the series (thus far). 1.5 stars but 2 on Goodreads, because I finished, and that is only because of how quickly I was getting through it that I thought I might as well see if at least the reveal part was any good.
April 4, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. It really resonates with young people. Sharna Jackson does for inner city youngsters what Lauren Child done for 5year olds with Lola.
Nik and Norva are two very different siblings with one big thing in common. They are detectives! They are nosey, gobby and always on the lookout for a new mystery. Only it hits a bit too close to home when they find friend and art teacher Hugo dead! But who done it!? All the evidence points to their dad, but when he is arrested, they are under pressure to prove his innocence.
Nik and Norva are thrill seeking teenagers, with crushes, love for music, sarcastic remarks and an eagerness to solve mysteries.
The chapters are short and in every way this book is ideal for reluctant readers. I highly recommend it for youngsters who find reading boring and can't focus on a book for long. Also great for mystery lovers.
Nik and Norva are two very different siblings with one big thing in common. They are detectives! They are nosey, gobby and always on the lookout for a new mystery. Only it hits a bit too close to home when they find friend and art teacher Hugo dead! But who done it!? All the evidence points to their dad, but when he is arrested, they are under pressure to prove his innocence.
Nik and Norva are thrill seeking teenagers, with crushes, love for music, sarcastic remarks and an eagerness to solve mysteries.
The chapters are short and in every way this book is ideal for reluctant readers. I highly recommend it for youngsters who find reading boring and can't focus on a book for long. Also great for mystery lovers.
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