Montgomery Bonbon: Death at the lighthouse by Alasdair Beckett-King. Illus. by Claire Powell

This is a quirky, twisted tale involving a lighthouse, far from believable characters, onions, an ice-cream van and a fake moustache! Something is decidedly ‘odd’ on Odde Island when Bonnie arrives with her grandfather for a holiday. She didn’t think her alter-ego, Private Investigator Montgomery Bonbon, should need to make an appearance on her holiday, but murder most foul and onions have created a foul-smelling scenario that drags the erstwhile sleuth back into action. Bonnie must hide her real identity while solving a series of crimes. Her intelligence and problem-solving skills are again far greater than those of the adult characters, but it is the silly factor that wins out in this Primary years story.

This is book 2 in Montgomery Bonbon’s whodunnit sagas, but it could easily be read alone. It is light-hearted and spoof-like in character, so despite the serious crimes it is easily consumable by Primary years readers. They will love the twisted wisdom of the Odde Island adults and the trouble that Bonnie and her alias have in maintaining control of their identity (and the fake moustache). The scattered illustrations throughout the book by Claire Powell have a Quentin Blake-like caricature quality and broadcasts that this is obviously a book to be read for fun! Young readers aged 8-11 will enjoy this romp in the world of whimsy and sleuthing.

Themes: Murder mystery, Detectives, Humour.

Carolyn Hull