Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Amber Lee Dodd - We Are Giants - Author Q&A Interview

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books is really pleased to be sharing with you the following Q&A with Amber Lee Dodd. Her latest book, We Are Giants, was published on the 7th April 2016 by Quercus Children's Books. The book deals with topics that will be familiar to a lot of 9-12 year olds. It is a refreshing and a heartwarming story, and very sensitively written.  I hope that this interview piques your interest and encourages you to purchase a copy and read it. Thank you Amber. 

Tell us a little bit about We Are Giants? 
It’s about love, family and being proud of who you are. 
It’s the story of Sydney, her sister Jade and her mother Amy who has dwarfism. When the family are forced to leave home and move to a new city, Sydney worries she will forget her Dad (who died a few years before) without the memories of home around her. To add to that, her new home is barely a home, it’s more of a shoe box and her new school is clearly run by mad teachers. With everything changing around her Sydney is determined to keep some things the same. Namely she wants to stay little, just like her Mum. 

Who would love reading We Are Giants, and why? 
Anyone who’s ever wanted to be different.

We all need a hero! Tell us about your protagonist(s)? Was there a real-life inspiration behind him or her? 
Sydney is shy and thoughtful and has a huge imagination. But she also has a fierce side she call ‘The Wild Thing’. Jade is brave and bold and is never more than five minutes away from throwing a wobbly. And Amy is creative and stubborn and force to be reckoned with. 

I think all the characters where inspired by the children and teens I worked with, or people I knew. 
In the book Sydney and Jade have to deal with bullies. 

How much research did you do into this subject? 
I used to tell people I hardly did any research, but that’s not true! I researched everything; it just never felt like work because all the things I found out where so interesting. Most of the research went into Amy’s dwarfism and Sydney’s fairytales. Things like place, school and the bullies are all drawn from my own childhood. 

What tips can you share in writing a believable world/background? 
I think in creating a world you have to give a voice to it as much as you would a character. Even in the craziest fantasy you have to ground your story in a place that feels real. 

For me writing about Portsmouth, where We are Giants is set, was easy as I grew up here. It’s largely a working class city with a strong, proud identity and was the perfect setting for a family struggling in post recession Britain. 
Do you have any strange writing habits? 
I write in bed because I don’t have a desk I can use. I’m also a very messy writer. I once walked out the house with several sticky notes stuck to the back of my leg! 

What do you think makes a good story? 
Oh gosh, this is such a hard one. I think great stories have their own voice. They couldn’t have been written by anyone else but that person. 

What genre of books do you like to read? do you limit yourself to only the genre that you write yourself? 
I read everything! From plays to memoir, to short stories and literary fiction. My favourite books are Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout, Matilda by Roald Dahl, The play The Memory of Water by Shelia Stevenson and the short story collection How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. I come back to these books again and again. 
At the moment I have a tbr pile that includes the biographies of some lady adventures, a couple of crime novels (I love an Agatha Christie) and some smashing Middle grade books. 
If you were to look for me in a bookshop you would find me by the picture books. It is pretty much impossible to be unhappy flicking through a good picture book. 


As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? 
The first thing I desperately want to do was be a surgeon. I like to think it was because I wanted to help people, but I think it might have been more to do with the fact that I loved blood and guts. But sadly I wasn’t very good at science or maths. However, I was very good at telling stories. So that’s what I decided to do instead. 


Is there anything else that you would like to tell us, like new writing projects? 
I’m working on some more short stories. You should hopefully get to listen to my story The Love Songs of Foxes on BBC radio 4 again soon. And I’m also working on a new children’s book, staring lady adventurers, Scottish islands and a dyslexic hero with a very unusual gift. But Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Ali Benjamin - The Thing About Jellyfish - Book Review

It's peculiar how no-words can be better than words. How silence can say more than noise, or a person's absence can occupy even more space than their presence did. 

Suzy is 12 when her best friend, Franny, drowns one summer at the beach. It takes two days for the news to reach Suzy, and it's not something that she can accept: Franny has always been a strong swimmer, from the day they met in swim class when they were just 5. How can someone all of a sudden, just no longer be there?

Suzy realizes that they must have got it wrong: Franny didn't just drown - she was stung by a poisonous jellyfish. This makes a lot more sense to Suzy's logical mind than a random drowning - cause: a jellyfish sting; effect: death. 

Suzy's journey to acceptance is quiet - she resolves to either say something important, or say nothing at all. But it's also bursting with bittersweet humour, heart-breaking honesty, big ideas and small details.

Suzy is haunted by the loss of her former best friend due to a final argument that passed between them before she died. As a result, she retreats into the silent world of her own imagination. This is a thought provoking and striking read which will make you think from the very first footprints that you take into this brilliant and creative plot. The narrative strikes a natural voice deep inside your head and heart; you will easily be drawn into the mindset of a child. The main character makes a number of incredibly painful and socially awkward choices which leaves the reader with much to talk and think about. 

Suzy embarks on a quirky plan to prove the truth about Franny's death. There might be another and more logical solution to her best friend's death, rather than it being a random drowning. The deep fascination for jellyfish in this book sparkles and shines its way to the heart of the book. This part of the book is written exceptionally well. Science and logic is used factually, in a detective sort of way, to prove a theory which is really well researched and works very well, in my opinion. It makes this book a magical experience for me and stands out to everyone who reads it. The thought process and the character's journey is heartbreaking and truly gripping to read. 

I read this book in super quick time as it's a wonderful book for 8+ age. It is one that would be amazingly good to read out loud in a classroom or book group, so that everyone can talk about it and discuss the topics within the book. It's sensitively told through a strong and believable main character. This debut story focuses on acceptance, despair, grief and wonder. It is a fantastic read for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, especially from the perspective of a child. It is not depressing, but shines with a deep undercurrent of hopefulness and has some uplifting moments of humour. 

This book pulsates like a jellyfish; the beating transparent heart will resonate deep into your fantasy brain and stay with you for a very long time. It's very sad through its brutal and honest look at friendship and family. It is an extraordinary view of the world through the eyes of Suzy, as she realises that life can be scary, but if you look hard enough there's also beauty there too.

This is another brilliant read and is Mr Ripley's recommended read for March 2016. It is published by Macmillan Children's books and is available now. Thank you to Macmillan for sending this to me to review...

How can someone all of sudden, just no longer be there? 

Chris Callaghan - The Great Chocoplot - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Book Review

Jelly and her family live in Chompton-on-de-Lyte, where everyone loves a Chocablocka bar or two. So when the end of chocolate is announced, she can't believe it. Determined to investigate, Jelly and her gran follow a trail of clues to a posh chocolate shop and its owner, the pompous Garibaldi Chocolati. Gari's suspiciously smug, despite his failing business and yucky chocolate. Is it really the chocopocalypse, or is there a chocoplot afoot?

The Great Chocoplot is a fantastic debut book that will hit bookshops across the chocolate landscape early March 2016. The book was written for the author's 8 year old daughter as a Christmas present, and what an amazing present to give her. The adventure was then entered into Chicken House's open coop, which is a one-day amnesty for unpublished writers and was immediately chomped up for publication.

This is a fantastic Easter treat for all the family to get their hands on. With the teasing shiny Dairy Milk-like cover (other brands are available) produced by the amazing Steve Wells, it will certainly get your literary tastebuds going and enhance your low calorie diet. You will also find some fantastic illustrations by the talented Lalalimola, so check out more of her great work here: http://www.lalalimola.com 

The plot is like dipping your hands into a tub of Quality Street, as you never know what is going to happen from page to page. It is a brilliantly fast paced and funny rampage of chocolate madness. Just think about a world without chocolate, can you imagine that?  If it all was to disappear - NO MORE CHOCOLATE - what would you do .....? Would you grab a bag of cheese and onion crisps instead?

The story is so infectious that everybody and everyone will fall in love with this book, regardless of their age. It's very quirky and so immersive that it will make you smile and laugh out loud. Jelly is a plucky heroine - she's very well written and can be related to. Jelly and her crazy grandmother, who lives in a caravan on the families front driveway, take on an evil villain. Can they foil a devilish plan filled with a cataclysmic cocoa catastrophe? You'll have to buy a copy and read it, as I'm certainly not going to tell you. 

You will fly through this plot like a trolley dash in a sweet shop. It is an amazingly imaginative story, which is told with the heart and emotions of daily life struggles whilst still instilling a large slice of realism  You will hurtle head first into a chocolate fountain of mayhem and ride the non stop nightmare.  

This is another cracking book from Chicken House - the home of good stories told with creative ability. It is my recommended enchanted read this Easter... so go and grab yourself a copy.

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Most Wanted Read 2016 - Tahereh Mafi - Furthermore (Penguin)

I think that this is a cracking book cover, but what do you think? From what I have read about this book, it sounds like a fantastic story and one that I'm very much looking forward to reading. The wife of Ransom Riggs and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series has written this middle-grade-like fairytale, where magic is a must, adventure is inevitable and friendship is found in the most unexpected places. Just like the book cover, it sounds like a very colourful plot; it might radiate like a rainbow once under the cover.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it’s been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit—and with a liar by her side in land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

Twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow has only three things in the world that matter: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; triplet brothers, who never knew her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him, so some said he’d gone to measure the sea. Others said the sky. The moon. Maybe he’d learned to fly and had forgotten how to come back down. But it’s been almost six years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other. No matter the cost.

• Hardcover
 
• ISBN 9781101994764
 
• 416 Pages
 
• 30 Aug 2016
 
• Dutton Books for Young Readers
 
• 9-12 years

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. You can find her online just about anywhere at @TaherehMafi or on her website, www.taherehbooks.com.

M. G. Leonard - Beetle Boy (The Battle of the Beetles) Book Review

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Chicken House Ltd (3 Mar. 2016)
• ISBN-10: 1910002704
• Age: 9+

Darkus is miserable. His dad has disappeared, and now he is living next door to the most disgusting neighbours ever. A giant beetle called Baxter comes to his rescue. But can the two solve the mystery of his dad's disappearance, especially when links emerge to cruel Lucretia Cutter and her penchant for beetle jewellery? A coffee-mug mountain, home to a million insects, could provide the answer. 

Darkus and Baxter are brave enough to find it.

The diversity of beetles is very wide; they are found in all major habitats and this one can be picked up from all good bookshops from March 2016. I know this is an early book review, but when a book is this good it's so hard to keep quiet about it. It is such a flapping great read that it left me feeling flighty just even thinking about it. This book is already destined to be one of the greatest middle grade children's reads of this year.

You may have seen the book cover before, as it was a recent winner of "Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books" annual book cover wars for 2015/2016, and has been fantastically illustrated by Julia Sardia. The finished copy has been lovingly embellished inside with small black and white illustrations which adds a really nice touch to the story inside. The paper edges are very eye catching with images of small beetles; no expense has been spared as this is very rarely used in production. I would like to congratulate Chicken House on a great production of the overall book; it makes it a book to pick up and cherish. 

Beetle Boy is the first book in the trilogy written by M.G. Leonard, who works in London as the senior digital producer for the National Theatre. Her fondness for coleoptera has transpired into a fantastic family read that will have you feeding on the nectar of some great fantasy moments. From the first page you are richly transported into a Dahl-esque adventure that will have you addicted with every

page that you turn.

The story is deeply heartfelt, but has a clear mystery to solve involving a cornucopia of bugs. With a cast full of lovable and relatable characters, who are all up against the evil Lucretia Cutter (mad scientist/bug exterminator), the plot will have you hooked. Her eccentric character and gross shenanigans are all entertaining and delicious thrilling to read. 

You start out on a brilliant adventure with the characters, but in a heartbeat you find yourself visiting Furniture Forest hiding behind a wardrobe with Darkus and the gang. Then the next minute you are scuttling to Beetle Mountain in search of Humphrey and Pickering spying on their mad thieving scheming plans. It's all delivered in a Disney-like cinematic world, which will be loved by all ages and genders. 

The narrative explores aspects such as family and friendship by following the children's bold and gross plans. No stone is left unturned and no beetles are harmed when faced with the wings of one's imagination. You will laugh and cry as you are strapped in this rollercoaster of an adventure. The science-fiction twist will have you buzzing with delight right until the last page is turned and will leave you wanting more. This is one of the best debut reads that I have read in a very long time. Imagination with wings, fantastic. 

Unofficial Gamer's Adventures by Winter Morgan -The Endermen Invasion/ Treasure Hunters in Trouble (Minecraft) Bloomsbury 2015

Winter Morgan is not a real person, it's the pen name for an author of numerous books. The author has a Minecraft-addicted son, who inspired the story, and a daughter who is very accommodating since her little brother monopolizes the computer creating mods and mining for diamonds.

Experience all the action beyond the game in this exciting Minecrafters series for the young. Search temples filled with treasure, battle against Griefers, Creepers and skeletons, and protect your buildings from invasion. These stories are a brilliant way to enjoy the world of Minecraft from the computer screen.

The Endermen Invasion
Steve is invited to compete in an elite building competition on Mushroom Island, much to the joy - or jealousy - of his neighbours. His dream house is about to be judged when events are disrupted by an Endermen invasion. Who is their leader, why have they come and will they succeed in destroying the competition?

Treasure Hunters in Trouble
During Steve's journey he must encounter spiders in a cave, face hostile chicken jockeys, and get stuck at sea. If he rescues them they will all be rewarded with treasure. But if he doesn't.

Published by Bloomsbury in Paperback on 2nd July 2015, £4.99 each.

Cassie Beasley - Circus Mirandus - Book Review (Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books)

The Circus is coming to town under a magical veil of mystery, magic and intrigue. This is a fantastic story that has been picked from the publisher that has wings and will easily soar into the heart of the reader through the emotionally charged energy that it holds. It is sensitively told; tackling some of the challenges of life and the sadness of dealing with hope and death. 

Micah's beloved grandfather is gravely sick and close to death. His elusive past brings a magical world of Circus Mirandus to his grandson (Micah) which is stunning and rich in detail. It will have you engrossed from the first to the very last page. The rights have already been sold to be made into a film, even before publication. This story should easily translate to the big screen in cinematic quality.  

Micah and his best friend, Jenny, find themselves on an action journey to uncover the mystery and the truth about Circus Mirandus before it's too late. Does it really exist? Great-Aunt Gertrudis has arrived to take care of Grandpa Ephraim, but she is very bitter and has a personality which is harder than a bag of nails in a boxing ring. It makes you feel for the characters, but it also brings a greater sense of sadness which instills some reality into the fantasy world and poses many questions as to what might happen. 

Mr Lightbender is a great circus magician who can bend light and grant miracles. However, is he able to deliver these? This story is a stroll down the imaginative path with twists and turns to make you temporarily stumble. It's a timeless classic for the future. Fuelled with excitement, Micah has to navigate a balloon flight of madness, wrestle giant white tigers and meet an elephant who can do maths! The strangeness continues to unfold the more that you read on. 

This is such a thrilling debut voice, in my opinion, and is reminiscent to early Cornelia Funke books (also published by Chicken House). The narrative will appeal to the middle grade audience 9+ and both genders. This book is very funny and yet, only minutes later, it can then become rather sad. However this is the joy of reading such a clever book. A book that rejoices the power of seeing magic in the world through an illusion of hope right until the unexpected end. 

The eye-catching book cover is stunning. The spiral striped edges will help the book to be selected from the bookshelves and tempt all would-be readers, whatever the age. This is a recommended family read with a sequel that will be at the top of my list. 

Published by Chicken House Ltd (4 June, 2015) and Dial Books in the US (2 June, 2015)

Book Review: Angie Sage - TodHunter Moon: PathFinder - Book One (Septimus Heap)

I've decided to review the US copy of TodHunter Moon:Pathfinder by Angie Sage. You can see by the above front cover that it is inkeeping with the previous books. It is lavishly illustrated with brilliant pencil drawings by the talented Mark Zug - you can see some of these in the book trailer below. In comparison, the UK copy IS VERY disappointing, in my opinion, as it is published without the drawings and the book cover does not reflect the story inside. Perhaps the book publishers wanted a totally different look in order to gain a greater adult audience, but I'm not too sure. 

PathFinder is the first book in this series and begins 7 years after Fyre ends. In my opinion there isn't really a need to read the previous books first. However, if you haven't already read these then I would really recommend them as they too are equally fantastic. Though new fans will welcome this new adventure which introduces three different characters; Alice TodHunter Moon (Tod) and her best friends, Ferdie and Oskar Sarn, the book still features most of the well-loved characters that have graced the previous books.  

The series will be a trilogy and will span a short period of time. In fact, as long as it takes to recover the stolen Egg of the Great Orm. Although a mountain of magic spells may be required to achieve this. This new story is very imaginative and light-hearted; the author has a great ability to throw your imagination straight into a fantasy place and time of her choosing. It's another great slice of family fun, which I absolutely loved. The new characters really fit in well and the flow of the story is just about perfect. The climatic ending is funny, action packed and slightly bizarre, but brilliantly written.  

This is another great read by Angie Sage which is brimming with magical power. Every page will put a spell on you as you find your way through this fantastic adventure. Adult or child, male or female, you will definitely enjoy this book at your own reading pace. Mr Ripley's Recommended Read - the power is in the story. 

From the Back Cover

When Alice TodHunter Moon was five years old, she saw a beautiful golden Dragon Boat fly over her PathFinder village. She knew at once that the boat was Magykal. That was years ago, before her mother died, her father disappeared at sea, and the Garmin took her best friend, Ferdie.

Now it's up to Tod and Ferdie's brother Oskar to rescue Ferdie from the Garmins' keeper, the malevolent Lady. Their journey takes them to the Castle, where they receive help from ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap and ex–ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand.

But the Lady's brother, the Darke sorcerer Oraton-Marr, has a plan that will put everyone Tod holds dear in danger. To save her people, Tod must embrace her identity as a PathFinder and navigate the Ancient Ways, mysterious Magykal paths leading to unfamiliar—and sometimes dangerous—lands.

Taking place seven years after the story arc of the original bestselling Septimus Heap series, PathFinder celebrates the joy of discovering one's own personal Magyk and of choosing the path that lets that Magyk flourish and grow.

Published by Katherine Tegen Books (October 14, 2014)

Mr Ripley's Book Review: Mind Blind by Lari Don - KelpiesTeen

Lari Don's Mind Blind is another offering from the newly formed  KelpiesTeen.  This is a brand new teen fiction imprint showcasing Scottish books with attitude. Launched this March, the publishing company has award-winning authors Roy Gill, Gill Arbuthnott and Lari Don discovering the dark side of Scottish fiction through their spectacular stories.

This is new territory for Lari with her first venture into teenage fiction. This story is told from the perspective of a teenage boy called Ciaran and has been particularly well achieved, in my opinion. The story unfolds inside Ciaran's head and/or when he's inside Lucy head, which might not make sense to you yet but it will once you have read the book.

The opening part of the story is immediately captivating with the opening lines ' I killed a girl today, just after the school bell.' This opener literally drags you into the story head first. Although, I did find the first part of the book a little slow going but it was still very intriguing - I really wanted to know more. After the first two chapters, I soon started to glide along once I had got to grips with the first person perspective of seeing the world through Ciaran's eyes, but also alternating between the two different voices of Lucy's feeling and emotions told through the eyes of Ciaran.

Ciaran Bain is a criminal with a special talent: he can read minds. This also comes at a price, emotionally and physically with gripping consequences that makes for brilliant reading. Ciaran's voice punched away in my head and fuelled  me with adrenalin all the way through this adventure. I felt like I was part of the world that Lari had written.

Lucy Kingston Shaw is another main character. However Lucy's sister is dead - she was killed for a secret that Ciaran's family want to bury.  Both characters are thrown together in an epic voyage of discovery as they journey to uncover the deadly secret between their families. They can run but they can't hide; not even from their own minds.

There is enough in this story to keep every reader hooked. It is told through a realistic setting with no magical scenario involved. It is just the pure concept of mind reading which, in this set of circumstances, is an hereditary skill. The deep family turmoil and unlikely friendship both feed off the strong themes of hate, fear and family loyalty which thread through this book. It is a story that will make you think more deeply than most - this is normally something that I might have run away from, but in this case I absolutely loved it. 

This is a great story that has been published by KelpiesTeen. It is a book with attitude, freshness and a story that teens will relate to very much. It has a memorable and fascinating theme that is unique to other current teen fiction that is around at the moment. There's nowhere to hide when your mind can be read. This is available to purchase  in bookshops now - go and grab yourself a copy now.

Book Review: John Mcnally - Infinity Drake - The Sons Of Scarlatti - HarperCollins

                    

This is a very big debut book for 2014 which will go down a storm with the 8-12 year age group. It is a story that boys will definitely love and a book that girls will be intrigued to read. I have to say that I was definitely looking forward to reading this book. Fortunately I received a speedy review copy from the publisher. Many thanks for sending this to me and enabling me to have such a fantastic January reading experience. 

This is a big adventure involving a really small hero, 9mm tall to be precise, who is called Infinity Drake (aka Finn). He is every inch a hero with a really big heart. I like to compare this book with 'The Borrowers' meets 'Arthur and the Invisibles'. In my opinion, this is the biggest family read for years which is fast-paced, smart and also slightly zany e.g. Finn's psycho-knitting Grandma!

Finn is off on holiday with his mad-scientist uncle, when they are summoned to a crisis meeting. This leads to a madcap plot that will have you hooked to the point of no return. Meanwhile Scarlatti, which is a lethal bio-weapon and an ϋber-wasp killing machine, adds a dash of dark horror and some fantastic reading moments. Released by a pitiless villain which soon results in incalculable consequences for mankind. 

Fortunately Uncle Al comes to the rescue and shrinks a military team to be able to track down and kill the beast. However disaster soon strikes – sabotage! Finn has to jump in a tiny Apache helicopter with three soldiers in a desperate race to destroy the beast that's out there, which is very angry and many times their size…

This book was very infectious to read. It is full of explosive action with many crazy elements threaded through the storyline. Whilst still retaining humour to captivate the audience which adds another dimension. This is a huge cake wedge of fantasy immersed in layers of biology and science fiction themes with an oozing filling of serious action. Bugs on a large scale, people on a small scale and the world waiting to be saved from global destruction. Can they do it? Will they do it? You'll have to find out.

Book Review: Simon Mason - Running Girl ( A Garvie Smith Mystery) - Published by David Fickling

                         

After a recent mission to find a book to review, I came across this one in Waterstone's Bookshop. I was pulled in by the book cover appeal which was bright, bold and very retro. I was instantly attracted to it - I really loved the look. Book Cover by Lorenzo Etherington. This is my first review of the year of, to be honest, a book that has instantly filled a hole from last years appetite. It really was an absolute joy to find and read.

This is a crime thriller mystery written in the Young Adult genre with a fresh and engaging plot. However, in my opinion, it will also attract an older audience - it really is that good. Simon Mason appears to have written a variety of books that I've not read or heard of before. I believe that this particular book is the the first in a series. 

The main character is Garvie Smith who is a likable character and one that the reader can relate to, especially if you have a teenage son. One of his characteristics is his very high IQ, but unfortunately he is also bone-idle. Until one day, a close school friend, Chloe Dow's body is pulled from a pond, and slacker Smith's life will never be the same again.

Another influential and important character is DI Singh who brings a range of interesting skills and beliefs to the story, which I really enjoyed. Ambitious, upright and methodical he's determined to solve the mystery and get promoted, but the case does not run his way. As a result 'Slacker' Smith and 'Methodical' Singh go in search for answers to bring one of the most dramatic crime roller-coaster adventures that you will have read. 

I would definitely recommend that you give this book a read - it certainly has a lot going on in within the 400 pages. There is a great plot with lots of twists and turns, as well as suspense and danger which are all told within a real life environment to create a very plausible crime. I loved the police transcripts that were written in to the story and the portrayed family life that all the characters have. Real characters depicted emotionally and psychologically to intensify the story. These elements really stood out to me and enhanced the plot.

The solving of the crime takes a fresh and non-stereotypical approach to keep you on your toes. There are many suspects and angles to take into consideration which will keep you guessing as well as introducing more danger in order to spice up the plot. All of this is delivered within a contemporary and modern day setting.

What a brilliant start to a series - wonderfully engaging and entertaining. Full marks for this book....