The Mystery of the Silent Nightingale

Three Cousins Detective Club #2

by Elspeth Campbell Murphy

When Sarah-Jane spots a silver locket in the antique store window, she decides it would be perfect for Kelly. But then the locket mysteriously appears on her babysitter's doorstep! Who gave Kelly the necklace? It's a job for the Three Cousins Detective Club.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Christian, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Chapter Books

62 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

Elspeth Campbell Murphy is often asked about her first name. It is a Scottish form of Elizabeth, and is pronounced just like it's spelled, with the accent on the El.

Elspeth was born in Hamilton, Scotland, near Glasgow. She moved with her parents to Canada were she spent her early years. But most of Elspeth's life has been spent near Lake Michigan.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read four books in this series to get an idea of what they’re like.

They’re fine, but in my opinion, not worth the shelf space. The titles are full of Christianese (some of which I disagree with), and the “mystery” can hardly be called such. Charlotte Mason followers would call this twaddle.

Ages: 6 - 9

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Andrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly, Sarah-Jane's used-to-be babysitter, is graduating. With a present already purchased, Sarah-Jane spies another 'perfect' gift in the Antique Shop's window. It's a nightingale locket. When the T.C.D.C. (Three Cousins Detective Club) visit Kelly's dad's office, there is a lady there who appears to recognize them but they have no clue what the connection is. Then, the locket is given anonymously to Kelly as a graduation gift. Who is the mysterious giver?

As the children solve the case, they (and we) learn how a random act of kindness can really change someone's life. You may forget it but the receiver may never. What a great lesson to teach young children. Truly delightful story. We borrowed this book from our local library and read it aloud. Thanks, Liz

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series brings back a lot of good entries. I found the mystery a little thin in this one, but still a fun, fast read.

We discussed it further on Howe's Things: https://youtu.be/r9OOegmw9U0

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another adorable book about the T.C.D.C. The cousin's babysitter, Kelly, is moving away to college but ends up receiving a very pretty locket from an anonymous person. They soon find out it is from Kelly's father's new secretary, Janice. Years ago, Kelly had helped Janice find the class in the library that was teaching people to read and Janice had never forgotten that moment. The story is a reminder that even in the small things, and even if we don't remember it, we can bring people joy just by our kind actions and words.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out this has Christian references in it.... I was pleasantly surprised!