More thoroughly satisfying mischief and mayhem are afoot.
In which our delightful heroine, equal parts Eliza Bennett and Veronica Mars, finds herself yet again incommoded by intrigue, villains and reversals of fortune in this sequel to Palace of Spies (2013).
“One of the great frustrations of a maid of honor’s life is that her time is not her own,” Peggy Fitzroy tells readers ruefully. “That frustration is multiplied when the maid is supposed to be engaged in conspiracy and robbery.” And indeed, Peggy’s attempts to spy for the crown are continually stymied by the semiotics of life in the Princess of Wales’ court. The tricky part of any sequel is to acquaint new readers with the shenanigans that transpired previously without trying the patience of dedicated fans. Zettel dispatches the tension easily, and by the third page, readers are hurtling sympathetically along with Peggy as her espionage leads her yet again headlong into mortal peril. Much of the humor comes from Peggy’s gaffes and narrow escapes. But when the quick-witted girl sets out to intentionally make a spectacle of herself in order to entrap and defeat an adversary, the results are gratifyingly suspenseful. Along the way, the tale is woven with historical detail to amuse and educate—as with the introduction of tea into court society—but always in service of the plot and never so pedantic as to bog down the swift-paced action.
More thoroughly satisfying mischief and mayhem are afoot. (Historical mystery. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-07409-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
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
BOOK REVIEW
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