Title:
Shirley Link & The Safe Case. (US.)
Author:
Ben Zackheim.
Genre: Kids, Crime.
Series: Shirley Link (#1)
A
few starting notes:
I grabbed this on special offer to read on my new Kobo, on a fairly random whim.
I'd say this was suitable for anyone over nine or ten, and possibly even younger. The protagonists are about 14, but the content and style definitely feels more suited to a slightly younger audience.
Premise:
Shirley Link, kid detective and expert at deduction, is called in by the principal of her school to solve a crime which may put his job on the line.
Best
bits:
Shirley is pretty much Sherlock Holmes in 14-year-old girl form. This actually works pretty well - clearly teenage girls lend themselves to sociopathic character traits very easily. I actually really enjoyed Shirley's snarky attitude - though she's not a 'nice' person exactly.
This book was generally nice and light and fairly entertaining. Which was perfect for my Christmas dinner induced chill out in front of the TV with Kobo in hand.
Not
so great bits:
I think that the mystery itself could have done with some beefing out - a few more clues, maybe some more involving red herrings, and just a smidge less 1960s style Scooby Doo, (not that I don't totally love Scooby,) and it would've been so much better.
Verdict:
Light-hearted and very entertaining, this was a decent start to the series. I can imagine 11-year-old mystery hunters loving it.
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