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Monday, 11 March 2024

Review: Death at the Lighthouse

This brilliant whodunnit is the second title in the Montgomery Bonbon series by comedian, Alasdair Beckett-King. A new voice in children’s writing, his previous title, Murder at the Museum, was a huge success as this one is sure to be.

Clever dialogue and outstanding characters form a read you can’t put down till the last word.

Ten-year old Bonnie and her alter ego, detective Montgomery Bonbon, lead the show, with all the secondary players perfectly positioned.

Now that they aren’t investigating one thing or another, Bonnie decides it’s time to go on a holiday to Odde Causeway, as Gramps Banks longs to see the last working clockwork lighthouse in the world.

They set out in Bessie, Gramps' old, converted ice-cream truck, for their B & B & B & B.

On arriving at their destination, they find the lighthouse is closed due to an accident the previous day. The lighthouse keeper, Maude Craggs, was found dead. Bonnie and Gramps are told that due to severe winds that night, she was blown off the top of the lighthouse.

Bonnie immediately assumes her alter ego. Donning the long yellow coat and beret, and fixing on the big moustache, she becomes Montgomery Bonbon, super sleuth, and moves into investigation mode with her assistant, Mr Banks.

When the accident becomes a murder, and one murder becomes two, it is no longer coincidence.

Who is the culprit amongst the many suspects that Bonnie and Gramps have mapped out to examine? More importantly, what could be the motive?

Bonnie is determined to solve the case although there are others that also seek the same glory.

Full of fast-paced action, lots of loose threads, and outstanding writing that includes fun, puns, and word play, makes this is book a delight to read.

Claire Powell’s fabulous caricatures of the characters are impressive, complementing the existing humor in this fabulous book.

Look out for Montgomery Bonbon:
Mystery of the Manor: Book 3,
which is due later this year.

Title: Death at the Lighthouse
Author: Alasdair Beckett-King
Illustrator: Claire Powell
Publisher: Walker Books, $16.99
Publication Date: 10 October 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781529505818
For ages: 9+
Type: Junior Fiction