Pepper Stark is thrilled to be returning to the grit and glitter of New York City. She can't wait to go exploring with her father, the Captain, and reunite with her fellow detectives, aspiring Broadway star Norah and up-and-coming pastry chef Sol. Even when the Captain invites along his new 'friend' Emmaline and her son Elliott, Pepper is determined to make the most of her time in the city that never sleeps. But when notorious food critic Anthony 'the Shark' Sharkey is taken ill after dining at the restaurant where Sol works, Pepper finds herself entangled in another murky mystery. Pepper, Sol, Norah and - reluctantly - Elliott are facing an even bigger challenge than the Saffron Diamond affair, and the stakes have never been so high. If they don't find the culprit, Sol's career could be over ... or worse. And the Big Apple might become the place where all of their dreams turn to dust. From the bright lights of Broadway to back-alley speakeasies, Nicki Greenberg brings 1920s New York to life in this rollicking return to the world and characters of The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel.
Nicki Greenberg is a writer and illustrator with a special interest in sequential art narrative - a fancy way of describing comics.
Nicki's first books, The Digits series, were published when she was fifteen years old, and sold more than 380,000 copies. Since then, she has devoted most of her ink to comics, but has also written and illustrated fiction and non-fiction books for children.
At seventeen, Nicki fell in love with The Great Gatsby. Almost ten years later, she set out to pay tribute to F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel by interpreting it in comic art form. It took more than six years to complete this enormous labour of love.
This mad undertaking was followed by three years' passionate work on Shakespeare's Hamlet, which was finally staged on the page in 2010.
Nicki lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family, their poodle and two bad cats. In her spare time she works as a lawyer.
Polubiłam Pepper Stark - dziewczynkę, która już drugi raz wchodzi w buty detektywa i świetnie się w nich odnajduje. POWRÓT DO NOWEGO JORKU jest udaną kontynuacją serii Nicki Greenberg. Autorka ponownie zabiera nas w świat elit, gwiazd i fleszy, by - tym razem - nasza mała Pepper mogła rozwiązać zagadkę próby otrucia jednego z gości wykwintnej restauracji, w której pracuje przyjaciel dziewczynki. Dobrze się śledzi losy tej bohaterki i jej znajomych. Ciekawa jest również relacja Pepper z ojcem Kapitanem, którego oczywiście czytelnik poznał w pierwszym tomie. Książka jest napisana z polotem i nie można odmówić talentu pisarce. Ładnie buduje nie tylko fabułę i zagadkę, ale także postaci dramatu. Myślę, że barwność, z jaką Greenberg kreśli bohaterów jest najmocniejszą zaletą tej historii. Jednak bohaterem tomu drugiego jest także ktoś jeszcze - Nowy Jork! uważam, że naprawdę świetnie przedstawiono na kartach POWROTU... to miasto. Czuć, jak tętni życiem, jak jest różnorodne i jak nigdy nie zasypia. Ta opowieść ma urok starych filmów i uważam, że może z niej czerpać przyjemność i młodszy i starszy czytelnik. Seria jest świetnie wydana, w twardej oprawie - na półce prezentuje się zacnie. Nie mogę się - nadal - przyzwyczaić do tych feminatywów... DETEKTYWKA brzmi dla mnie... no powiedzmy, że niepoważnie, ale założę, że to kwestia czasu. Na tę chwilę nieco śmieszy (osobiste odczucie). Język jednak jest giętki i zobaczymy, czy nowa tendencja się utrzyma. Wracając jednak do książek z serii DETEKTYWKA W PODRÓŻY - polecam, miła, urocza, ciekawa, z interesującą zagadką i wartką akcją. Te książki uczą współpracy i spostrzegawczości a także pokazują budowanie rodziny i relacji.
Nowy Jork nigdy nie śpi DETEKTYWKA W PODRÓŻY tom 2 Wydawnictwo Kropka egzemplarz recenzencki
What I admire about both novels (The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel included) is their unabashed inclusion of real life, as it was, in that reckless, glamorous Golden Age. The dubious underworld of the speakeasies is brought into sharp focus under the blinding lights of Broadway for instance, all delivered in relatable adventure-enhanced kid speak. The balance of exposition and extravagant fictional folly is Goldilocks just-right and supremely enjoyable. Move over Trixie Beldon; looks like I need more room on my mystery-series-novels shelf. Highly recommended.
Great story! I really enjoyed this one, maybe even a bit more than the first one in the series.
I didn't work out who the poisoner was until the reveal, and the way it was revealed was excellent. There was some high stress moments as the book came it the climax which were done really well.
I also thought there were some great character development, particularly from the Captain, Pepper and Elliot. He was such a lovely character who became much more self assured as the book went on.
More suited to years 7-9 than primary school, due to the prohibition element of the mystery. I enjoyed the Ocean Travel book more but same characters appear here.
The Detective’s Guide to New York City is the sequel to Nicki Greenberg’s debut middle grade mystery novel, The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel.
In the first book, we were introduced to thirteen-year-old Pepper Stark and her friends—aspiring actress Norah and aspiring pastry chef Sol—as they solved a jewel theft aboard Pepper’s father’s steamship, the opulent RMS Aquitania, during a Transatlantic crossing in 1927.
Now, Pepper, Norah and Sol are together again in gritty, glamorous, Prohibition-era New York City, along with Pepper’s father (‘the Captain’), his new sweetheart, Emmaline, and her son, Elliott.
The group go sightseeing, dine at the exclusive restaurant Sol works at, and are looking forward to seeing Norah in her upcoming chorus role on Broadway… when a spanner in the works arrives in the form of fearsome food critic Anthony ‘the Shark’ Sharkey being poisoned at Sol’s restaurant… and it was Sol who had prepared his dessert!
With Sol’s job on the line—and Norah’s too, as she manages to get herself fired in the course of the investigation—Pepper, Norah, Sol and Elliott have their work cut out for them.
Just like the first book, this is a well-researched and riveting ‘whodunnit’ with a fascinating setting, thoroughly likeable characters and excellent writing. There are also layers of additional emotional depth in terms of Pepper’s jealousy over Emmaline’s place in the Captain’s life and fashion-loving Elliott’s struggle to be himself around his new friends.
With its sophisticated vocabulary and palpable danger (including guns), this book is perfect for confident readers aged 10+, particularly fans of Murder Most Unladylike, Enola Holmes and Adventures on Trains.
This review was first shared on StoryLinks Australia.