The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth

The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth was a real delight to read! Fast-paced and yet suspenseful, it is full of intriguing characters and an even more intriguing plot. A wonderful mystery for older children and young teens alike.

There are twists and turns galore as the story slowly links together the lives of three very different groups; the Lim family from Chinatown, amateur detectives and shop girls Sophie and Lilian, and débutante Veronica. The icing on top of the cake was the Edwardian London details - from Chinatown and the Baron's gang in the East end, to the expectations to be 'prim and proper' placed on young girls in high society at the time, these details all really added to the story.

I read this book without having read the first in the series (The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow) and the author's recaps throughout the story made it perfectly easy to follow without them feeling forced. However, I imagine it would be even more exciting to see the return of favourite (and perhaps most hated!) characters if you have read the first book.

Mysterious disappearances, dastardly villains, cryptic secrets and enthusiastic amateur detectives. What more could you want?

Loved this! Perfect continuation of the story, brilliant plot and interesting new characters. Cannot wait for the next one.

Another great story from Katherine Woodfine, fast establishing herself as a significant name in MG writing, with this second mystery. I missed the character of the shop in this title, compared with the Clockwork Sparrow, but the characterisation of our main team of four, along with the personalities they meet as they go about resolving the mysteries within this books was great.