Preamble
If you’re interested in reading my academic work about detective and crime fiction (free PDFs available), check it out here. Or you can take a look at my short story collection of cosy mysteries featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Review
I have (much) younger siblings as well as nieces and a kiddo, so I am always interested in the children’s and teen book market, if only so I know what is (or isn’t) going to be a good buy for one of them. A bit tired and grumpy of slogging through a very serious non-fiction book that I’m reading (and will eventually review here when I finished it!), I found this on Libby and thought it might be a nice palate cleanser.
I haven’t read any of the others, so am light on context of quite how Bonnie Montgomery comes to moonlight as Montgomery Bonbon, an unusually short, mustachio’d detective of dubious accent who solves crimes in and around Widdlington. A cast of recurring characters accompany, Dana, her best friend and the secretary of the official fan club, Grandpa Banks, who takes care of them both, and the bumbling representative of the official police, Inspector Sands (an excellent joke). Monsieur Bonbon here is invited to a manor house, owned by renowned crook Croke (yep!), to deliver a parcel. The parcel contains a priceless diamond, and Croke is setting up a competition between his three “apprentices” in crime. Whoever wins will inherit his whole fortune, including the diamond.
Of course, Croke croaks (told you…) and does so in the monkey house. It’s all gone a bit The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Did a monkey do it? Surely with so many crooks in the house, one of them must have done the deed? Bonbon sets out to find the killer before Inspector Sands can fumble the case, but has to contend with a magician who flummoxes her, an arsonist who keeps blowing things up, a best friend who knows a little more than her and can be very irritating, and some really baffling behaviour from the staff to boot.
This is a really well-constructed and entertaining read, with Bonnie playing up to the Poirot type and everyone playing their part wonderfully. There are ‘heart of gold’ moments for our crooks, as well as a nice breadcrumb trail of clues and red herrings. It’s a little old for my 6yo, I think, but I’m going to give it a go with an earlier book and find out for sure. I think with some funny voices thrown in it might suit.
See also
These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!
- Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh)
- Murder Most Unladylike (Robin Stevens)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
Take a look at my short story collection featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now!
Dominique Gracia 
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