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High-Rise Mystery #2
Mic Drop
It's October half-term and pop star, TrojKat is filming a music video in the The Tri, the high-rise block home to slueths Nik and Norva. When tragedy strikes the famous singer under mysterious circumstances, Nik and Norva set out to solve the case, with their friend George, and their impressive detective skills. The sequel to HIGH-RISE MYSTERY, another whodunnit in the phenomenal mystery series by Sharna Jackson.
371 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2020
11 people are currently reading
221 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 35 reviews
March 29, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed being back with NSquared and the Tri gang. There’s been another murder and they are on the case. This is quickly turning out to be one of the best kids mystery series: incredible characters, brilliant clue hunting and proper fun!
April 2, 2020
mystery book is hard to come by. They can be as easy to solve as the ‘Only 5% of the world can solve this puzzle’ games on Facebook. Characters often lack depth and the plot has more holes than a bagel factory! So when you read an amazing mystery book you have to stand up and applaud the author. My daughter is currently very perplexed as to why Daddy is standing up and clapping in the dining room. Maybe the lockdown has finally broke him!
Sharna Jackson’s foresight amazes me. Nuggets of information from the previous book that drop in to be critical pieces of information in this book. A story like this must take such meticulous planning and I am in complete awe of Sharna. Her office/bedroom/shed must look like a real life detective’s like you see in the films, with pictures and string connecting the dots all over the shop!
One of the things that I loved about ‘High Rise Mystery’ was Nik and Norva. They are an excellent duo, chalk and cheese – always a winning combination for a partnership. In ‘Mic Drop’ the characters are developed even further. I dare say you might even start to get a favourite… But it’s not just NSquared that we get to see develop. George, Pap and lots of other faces from the Tri get more definition and development. Such realistic and diverse characters are hard to find.
The book starts like a Tarantino film… With the main event, then we dive into the events leading up to before finally getting to the ‘solve’. I usually like to nail my colours to the mast and make bold predictions about whodunit, but honestly I couldn’t. With each page and new piece of information I would change my mind… I had an inkling, but I had an inkling about each possible outcome!
It is difficult to talk about the plot without giving the game away. But I’ll try… Someone dies on the Tri and NSquared try to solve the case before the police. There are twists and turns along the way. Actually that was far too brief so I’ll try again. A famous name on the Tri is back but they don’t seem happy about it! They bring drama, diva attitude and new faces to the estate. Will the music video they’re filming put the Tri on the map for good reasons or bad? There is tension between the crew and then disaster strikes… Who is to blame? They’ve all got motive but it couldn’t be all of them could it?
At 362 pages, the book looks like a meaty read but the short chapters mean that you will whizz through the book at exceptional speed. The only thing stopping me finishing it in one session was this bloody Corona Virus and working from home/home schooling my own kids. So readers will feel a real satisfaction about finishing a thicker book.
In conclusion, if you haven’t read ‘High Rise Mystery’ what are you playing at? Get online and order it now. Whilst you’re logged into the bookseller of your choice, you should probably buy ‘Mic Drop’ too! If you have read HRM, do the same but give the new copy of HRM that you’ve ordered to someone who hasn’t read it. I know that you’ll love it as much as I did!
Sharna Jackson’s foresight amazes me. Nuggets of information from the previous book that drop in to be critical pieces of information in this book. A story like this must take such meticulous planning and I am in complete awe of Sharna. Her office/bedroom/shed must look like a real life detective’s like you see in the films, with pictures and string connecting the dots all over the shop!
One of the things that I loved about ‘High Rise Mystery’ was Nik and Norva. They are an excellent duo, chalk and cheese – always a winning combination for a partnership. In ‘Mic Drop’ the characters are developed even further. I dare say you might even start to get a favourite… But it’s not just NSquared that we get to see develop. George, Pap and lots of other faces from the Tri get more definition and development. Such realistic and diverse characters are hard to find.
The book starts like a Tarantino film… With the main event, then we dive into the events leading up to before finally getting to the ‘solve’. I usually like to nail my colours to the mast and make bold predictions about whodunit, but honestly I couldn’t. With each page and new piece of information I would change my mind… I had an inkling, but I had an inkling about each possible outcome!
It is difficult to talk about the plot without giving the game away. But I’ll try… Someone dies on the Tri and NSquared try to solve the case before the police. There are twists and turns along the way. Actually that was far too brief so I’ll try again. A famous name on the Tri is back but they don’t seem happy about it! They bring drama, diva attitude and new faces to the estate. Will the music video they’re filming put the Tri on the map for good reasons or bad? There is tension between the crew and then disaster strikes… Who is to blame? They’ve all got motive but it couldn’t be all of them could it?
At 362 pages, the book looks like a meaty read but the short chapters mean that you will whizz through the book at exceptional speed. The only thing stopping me finishing it in one session was this bloody Corona Virus and working from home/home schooling my own kids. So readers will feel a real satisfaction about finishing a thicker book.
In conclusion, if you haven’t read ‘High Rise Mystery’ what are you playing at? Get online and order it now. Whilst you’re logged into the bookseller of your choice, you should probably buy ‘Mic Drop’ too! If you have read HRM, do the same but give the new copy of HRM that you’ve ordered to someone who hasn’t read it. I know that you’ll love it as much as I did!
April 4, 2022
I love this series and this was even better than the first story. There is great wit and snappy dialogue and a perfect plot for middle grade readers. Just as an aside, I was really frustrated by the amount of typos in the printing. It seems to be a more common thing nowadays, especially in YA and middle grade books where there is a real lack of attention to the spelling and punctuation being checked before printing. It really annoys me! I think publishers should be more careful and thorough - such details are really important when I spend money on a book, especially as a librarian.
December 10, 2020
The second in Sharna's brilliant murder mystery series - perfect for anyone who loves my books! (8+)
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
January 2, 2021
This series is so original and I love reading these books. Here are the things that I think these books do brilliantly.
1) Promote greater diversity in books and provide readers with own voices stories.
2) Depict a very realistic modern setting which readers (especially children) can really identify with and find believable.
3) Contain a great whodunnit mystery with enough clues available so that a careful reader can work out the culprit, but with enough red herrings to not be obvious.
I do think that this book could have done with another proof read before publishing as there were quite a lot of mistakes. I don't mind 1 or 2, but there were more than that and in a book where every sentence might contain a potential clue, the misprints and typos took me out of the story while I stopped to wonder if they were accidental or deliberate.
Content:
This book does include someone falling to their death so I would definitely say it is for older middle grade readers and above.
1) Promote greater diversity in books and provide readers with own voices stories.
2) Depict a very realistic modern setting which readers (especially children) can really identify with and find believable.
3) Contain a great whodunnit mystery with enough clues available so that a careful reader can work out the culprit, but with enough red herrings to not be obvious.
I do think that this book could have done with another proof read before publishing as there were quite a lot of mistakes. I don't mind 1 or 2, but there were more than that and in a book where every sentence might contain a potential clue, the misprints and typos took me out of the story while I stopped to wonder if they were accidental or deliberate.
Content:
This book does include someone falling to their death so I would definitely say it is for older middle grade readers and above.
June 14, 2021
Lent to me by a child in my class after we read High Rise Mystery as a class. There are typos and errors in this one similarly to the first which I was disappointing to see. I liked to find out what Nik and Norva were up to and to see another crime unfolding before them. A basic storyline but it is aimed at 9+ so…
January 28, 2023
Nic and Norva the crime fighting sisters are back! The sequel everyone was waiting for! 🔎
They live in a tower block on a council estate and couldn’t be more different from each other.
In this phenomenal story, months after “High Rise Mystery” the detective duo are on the case of the pop sensation Katarzyna “TrojKat” who tragically falls from Corner three. Everyone thinks it is a terrible accident, Nsquared are not so sure!
A fantastic second book in the whodunnit series. Great contemporary, representative characters. The book delves into family dynamics, real life and relatable situations. Gripping from start to finish!
It looks like a meaty book but the short chapters keep you enthralled and wanting more (in my case staying up till 4am to finish it!)
Hope there is another book on the series coming soon!
They live in a tower block on a council estate and couldn’t be more different from each other.
In this phenomenal story, months after “High Rise Mystery” the detective duo are on the case of the pop sensation Katarzyna “TrojKat” who tragically falls from Corner three. Everyone thinks it is a terrible accident, Nsquared are not so sure!
A fantastic second book in the whodunnit series. Great contemporary, representative characters. The book delves into family dynamics, real life and relatable situations. Gripping from start to finish!
It looks like a meaty book but the short chapters keep you enthralled and wanting more (in my case staying up till 4am to finish it!)
Hope there is another book on the series coming soon!
January 26, 2021
(Should be 4.5 stars.) A really fun series with funny, engaging kids. I love what Sharna Jackson is doing with these books, showing just how clever, observant and hilarious kids can be, and putting them in a world that feels real, but with added drama.
Read it with my nine year old who loved it, slightly more even than High Rise Mystery. The actual crime doesn't happen for quite some time, which drove her a little crazy, but there are more twists and suspects than in Book One from that point on, which she loved.
Intrigued to find out what crime can happen next at The Tri and hoping the next book comes out fairly quickly (but also that it gets a better proofread than this one did!).
The covers are brilliant too.
Read it with my nine year old who loved it, slightly more even than High Rise Mystery. The actual crime doesn't happen for quite some time, which drove her a little crazy, but there are more twists and suspects than in Book One from that point on, which she loved.
Intrigued to find out what crime can happen next at The Tri and hoping the next book comes out fairly quickly (but also that it gets a better proofread than this one did!).
The covers are brilliant too.
March 28, 2023
4.25. Nik was definitely not overshadowed by Norva in this instalment, an issue I had with the first book. Her endearingly curmudgeonly personality was much more prominent, and I loved how organised she was. I also loved that George featured more this time around! He's funny, and his friendship with Norva is just superb. I like how Norva bosses him around a bit, and that they take each other as a given in their future lives. I especially appreciated no one was trying to ship them. Also, I forgot to mention in my review of the first book, but Jackson nails Nik and Norva's sibling relationship: utterly loyal to one another, hanging out a lot, yet still annoying each other.
This instalment had an interesting plot structure in that the murder didn't happen until halfway through. While there were was a copious amount of investigating both before and after the murder, it was not my preferred mystery structure. But this was still a great read for me, the mystery keeping me guessing til the finale! I would definitely recommend this duology.
Rep: Black MC
This instalment had an interesting plot structure in that the murder didn't happen until halfway through. While there were was a copious amount of investigating both before and after the murder, it was not my preferred mystery structure. But this was still a great read for me, the mystery keeping me guessing til the finale! I would definitely recommend this duology.
Rep: Black MC
September 20, 2020
Excellent follow-up to Nik and Norva's first investigation on the Triangle estate.
Rising pop star TrojKat returns to her Tri roots to film a music video - but someone close to her is plotting to ensure that she never leaves again.
The sibling sleuths are great characters and I'm really enjoying this series.
The editors or typesetters need to up their game, as there were occasional extraneous random characters inserted at the start or end of sentences, and some words repeated. Not frequent enough to disrupt one's reading, just sloppy.
Rising pop star TrojKat returns to her Tri roots to film a music video - but someone close to her is plotting to ensure that she never leaves again.
The sibling sleuths are great characters and I'm really enjoying this series.
The editors or typesetters need to up their game, as there were occasional extraneous random characters inserted at the start or end of sentences, and some words repeated. Not frequent enough to disrupt one's reading, just sloppy.
June 12, 2021
Mic Drop is a brilliant follow up to High Rise Mystery and I am so glad we get to learn more about the characters on the estate. Once again Sharna Jackson’s funny dialogue and plot twists make for an entertaining read. The only complaint I’d have is that a lot happens in the last few chapters and the change in pace was slightly too noticeable. Aside from that I hope we see more of Nik and Norva and would happily revisit The Tri again!
July 24, 2022
This was a good story but it floated around only at a surface level and didn't dive deeper. It was also told in chronological order which made the entire experience quite simplistic? BUT Sharna's agenda is to engage an audience who may feel isolated from the standard texts that relate to more commoner communities rather than those used in the text. SO in that light, this book should go down well with a young audience as the quality of the dialogue and pace of this book are to be praised.
July 11, 2021
I might have missed out on a bit of context having not read the first book of the series. The audio narration for this book is absolutely excellent and the characters are so genuine and fun. It takes a while to get into the real mystery and parts of it were somewhat predictable, but I think a lot of middle grade readers will really love this one.
February 25, 2022
I don't think this was quite as good as the first book but I did enjoy it. I listened on audio and it is hard to believe that one person is narrating, especially with the voice of the boy.
These are some clever people out to solve a case dismissed as an accident. This time a former resident now music artist visits the Tri estate to record a video, but it goes horribly wrong.
These are some clever people out to solve a case dismissed as an accident. This time a former resident now music artist visits the Tri estate to record a video, but it goes horribly wrong.
August 18, 2024
3.95 It was a lot slower than I expected as of the age this book was written for but something I was shocked with was that the murder happened like almost 200 pages in. I would've expected it from a YA or Adult book but it was the fact it was a kids/tween book shocked me. Overall it was a pretty solid book.
August 11, 2021
My 9 year old enjoyed this just as much as the first one, she said she liked all the twists. I thought there was too much reference to the adult relationships, it was a bit uncomfortable hearing about a man who had switched from dating one woman to another in a children's book.
April 13, 2022
Another fast-paced mystery with quick-thinking Nik and Norva. I loved High Rise Mystery and the sequel did not disappoint. Filming her music video on the roof of the Tri, TrojKat has a terrible accident. But professional, and personal, jealousy creates a mystery for NSquared to solve.
April 17, 2022
this book was longer than it needed to be bc I feel like there were loads of pages where literally nothing happened, the pacing felt off, and I feel like it could’ve been more exciting (?) than it was
i preferred the first one but this was still fun though
maybe 3.75*
i preferred the first one but this was still fun though
maybe 3.75*
August 13, 2023
Text had a few too many copy errors, and there are still too many 'eyes filled with tears' (as in first book). Lots of youthspeak and plenty of deductive logic, which introduce kids to the detective novel in a three-dimensional setting.
June 20, 2024
Another great mystery that had me guessing till the end. Better than the first in the series, especially in terms of language. As an American Book 2 was easier to read as it doesn’t have as much British (more specifically London) slang as the first.
September 12, 2025
È strabiliante che due sorelle di 11 e 13 anni e il loro amico siano riusciti a risolvere un omicidio. (per le sorelle è il secondo caso)
Se potrei definire questo libro in una parola sarebbe STRABILIANTE
Se potrei definire questo libro in una parola sarebbe STRABILIANTE
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2020
This is a good book which I think you need to read but the first one is a bit better than this one. Please still read this though
July 21, 2020
Such a good follow up from the first High Rise mystery! Love the plot and how it linked with the previous book. Great read and definitely recommend.
January 2, 2021
I enjoy these books from Sharna Jackson and love the dynamic between sisters Norva and Nik.
April 19, 2022
They're at it again, but this time they've roped in George. Follow the trio as they solve the case of another murder on the Tri. Recommended for anyone 9 years old and over.
August 11, 2022
Another fantastic adventure with NSquared!
March 22, 2023
Great book and i would recommend it to people who like murder mystery
April 24, 2023
Very good. I think I prefer the first one, though. This one just took too long to get to the investigating. But stoll s very good book.
April 11, 2025
read it on a late night still good though
June 27, 2025
loved this little mystery will read more
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews