Murder Most Unladylike (Book 1) A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery Robin Stevens

When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own secret detective agency at Deepdean School for Girls they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.) Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress Miss Bell lying dead in the Gym.|Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.When she was twelve her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies' College reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she'd get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn't). She went to university where she studied crime fiction and then she worked at a children's publisher.Robin is now a full-time author and the creator of the internationally award-winning and bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series starring Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong and the brand-new Ministry of Unladylike Activity. She still hopes she might get the chance to do some detecting of her own one day. She lives in Oxford.|Ripping good fun|A skilful blend of golden era crime novel and boarding school romp . . . The novel works both as an affectionate satire and an effective murder mystery and Stevens can go places Enid Blyton never dreamt of . . . Top class|Friendship boarding school and a murder worthy of Agatha Christie|Plotting is what sets this book apart; this is about who was where at the time of the murder and it's about finding the chink in the alibi|An addictive debut full of wit panache and iced-bun breaks|Enormous fun|Part murder mystery part diary and a pitch-perfect snapshot of adolescent friendship . . . A sharp-witted debut for Stevens one that will leave readers eagerly awaiting subsequent instalments|I envy any young reader discovering this enchanting new series and writer. It's such a clever idea to marry the Malory Towers girls' boarding school novel with the Golden Age of detective fiction and doing it through the eyes of Hong Kong Chinese heroine Hazel Wong is an especially good touch . . . A real treat|Angela Brazil meets Agatha Christie all mixed up with some Sherlockian tips and winks that made me snuggle down and read with a contented smile. It is a jacket potato on a winter's day book; warm satisfying filling . . . This is such a glorious book and it is one which has reinterpreted the school story for the contemporary reader and opened it up with a swift moving and accessible plot line. In Star Trek terms it is the next generation as compared to the original series. It is very very gorgeous. Daisy is glorious. Hazel is awesome. I want more please. It's as simple as that|Irresistible . . . It feels both delightfully old-fashioned and current - a difficult balance to pull off but it's been done with style here. Imagine Agatha Christie visiting Malory Towers and add in some modern sensibilities and you are about there. The plot twists and turns like nobody's business and I didn't guess the real culprit for a very long time but the real draw is the relationship between the two main characters. Daisy and Hazel are like chalk and cheese but they are perfect foils for one another and together they make a brilliant detective duo|I absolutely loved it - it's charming and witty and there's so much in terms of in-jokes and she really grabs hold of all the traditions of this type of story and runs with them. You've got bunbreak squashed fly biscuits and dormitories . . . but at the same time as this thrilling murder mystery|The first marvellous murder mystery in the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series! 'Ripping good fun' The Times 'Plotting is what sets this book apart' TelegraphAt Deepdean School for Girls Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong have set up their own detective agency. But they are struggling to find any real crimes to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't.) Then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress Miss Bell lying dead in the Gym. To add to the mystery when she and Daisy return five minutes later the body has disappeared. Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove one happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence spy on their suspects and use all the cunning and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test? 'Enormous fun' Irish Times 'A skilful blend of golden era crime novel and boarding school romp . . . Top class' Financial Times'I absolutely loved it' Susie Day