200 minutes of mystery by Jack Heath

This is the latest of Jack Heath’s ‘Minutes’ books and is a thrilling new addition to the series.

There are 10 short stories each timed to take around 20 minutes for the average reader to finish – it’s a clever approach to hooking reluctant readers or making the most of a limited reading time in class.

Each story is completely stand-alone, and each follows a different tween or teenager embroiled in a mysterious situation. The stories unfold in diverse parts of the world and involve both male and female protagonists, from ordinary kids through to spies, pirates and mountain climbers. A timer in the margin starts at 20 minutes with each new story and counts down relentlessly as the pages turn.

The reader can piece together clues to try to solve each bite-sized mystery before the timer hits 0. Some of the mysteries are relatively simple to solve (with a very satisfying ‘aha’ moment) but others have a surprise twist that makes the guessing game difficult. Happily, even if you don’t manage to figure it out yourself, each story wraps up very nicely leaving no mystery unsolved.

With multiple short stories in one volume there is sure to be something to appeal to everyone. My 11-year-old son read this book too and (predictably) he and I could not agree on which mystery was the ‘best’ – although all the stories were full of adventure we each found some more believable or intriguing than others. He ended up skipping through two of the stories that he found less engaging but pored over others seeking clues he might have missed the first time.

Overall this is a fast paced, well-written and heart pounding book for anyone who feels ready to embark on a succession of death-defying mysteries and adventure.

Themes: Danger, Mystery, Adventure, Short stories.

Kylie Grant