A fast-paced and engaging historical mystery.
A historical mystery set in a remote monastery and featuring supernatural elements, a cheeky thief, and an earnest monk.
In 1911, Gabriel is a monk at the Benedictine Monastery of St. Ambrose in Switzerland who knows very little of the outside world, having been left in their care a decade earlier when he was about 4. His closest friend is fellow teen Percy St.-John, a lay-brother and temporary addition to their monastery, sent there as an attempt to reform his wicked, thieving ways. When a precious, ancient, and mysterious book goes missing, suspicion falls on Percy, who must use his skills to uncover the mystery and uses all the help he can get, including that of Gabriel and Elizabeth, a French pilgrim recently arrived at the monastery with her parents, who hope for a cure for her disability. But who is the real culprit: a monk or one of the many pilgrims currently visiting? Perhaps the answer lies in the occult, since Gabriel knows full well that guardian angels and demons do exist. Told in Gabriel’s first-person narration, this short novel is reminiscent of literary classics, with a healthy dose of supernatural elements, endearing characters, and an intriguing, well-devised mystery at its core. All characters are assumed White. The depiction of Elizabeth’s changing feelings about her disability is positive, but repeated use of the descriptor lame strikes an unfortunate note for contemporary audiences.
A fast-paced and engaging historical mystery. (glossary) (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-59211-084-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Histria Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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