In book #2 of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, the 12-year-old crime sleuth is off on holiday with her governess who she gets on well with and anIn book #2 of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, the 12-year-old crime sleuth is off on holiday with her governess who she gets on well with and an aunt who. she does not. Of course, Peony the cat goes along too.
The train journey is scenic and eventful and the train station scenes made me think of the Harry Potter films. The whole point of the trip is so Myrtle can "have a break from crimes."
There's plenty going on on the private purple train. I thought the detail of the train's luxury interior was original and was drawn to it as purple is my favourite colour. I am not into trains at all but these details added atmosphere to the scenes and made the journey and surroundings even more vivid in my opinion.
In book #1, Premeditated Myrtle, I did think the author Elizabeth C. Bunce had a good eye for detail and it is good that that carries on in this book.
A green and purple crown is the object of desire in this book and a thief must be caught. Miss Bloom, an investigator, is someone Myrtle is happy to meet, but then she disappears....
And that is before the holiday has begun.....
The scenery and quaintness of the seaside town is very realistic.
As with book 1, tension and action are good and the writing style flows well.
Thanks to Elizabeth C.Bunce for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
I wanted to experience another genre and, when Algonquin publishers emailed me about a series, I decided I wanted to experience the books they were of
I wanted to experience another genre and, when Algonquin publishers emailed me about a series, I decided I wanted to experience the books they were offering.
Those books are book 1 and 2 in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries by Elizabeth C. Bunce.
This review is for Premeditated Myrtle, Book 1 in the series.
Myrtle Hardcastle is 12 years old, but she is not any 12 year old. No dolls and childs play for her. Myrtle has a very curious mind and loves anything law and justice-related. These things run in the family as her father is Crown Prosecutor.
The town where she lives is a traditional English town and it is a pretty quiet, uneventful place to be. That is, until an elderly neighbour passes away in what Mrytle knows are suspicious circumstances.
She is very concerned about what happened to the neighbour and why and she wants to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Her father is busy in the courtroom and the housekeeper is nice enough to Myrtle but has all the housework to do.
Who will solve the mystery? Myrtle thinks she is the best person for the task. But she cannot do it alone. Together with an eccentric mix of characters, she sets to work.
Will she do it in time? Join Myrtle and friends as they fight to solve their first mystery. There are ups and downs, challenges aplenty and many obstacles along the way. And there's another mystery-where IS Peony the cat?
Premeditated Myrtle is the first of a 2-book series and many people liken it to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I cannot comment on that as I haven't got a copy of the book. Nancy Drew is another book series it is likened to but I don't have those either. I did get some insight into the Nancy Drew series through the character of Claudia in The Babysitter's Club novels by Ann M. Martin as she was the character hooked on the mysteries.
Overall, a fun start to the series. Myrtle is a passionate main character and all the others complement her well. The pace and writing style are perfect for the type of book it is.
Thanks to Elizabeth C. Bunce and Algonquin for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
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