Murder Most Unladylike

This review is for the edition I read, the edition published specifically for readers in the United States.

The title was changed from the originally published English edition. The original title is Murder Most Unladylike. Much of the vocabulary in the story has also been Americanized from the

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original British English. I hate when this is done. When I’m reading an English boarding school story I want to feel as though it is taking place in England. Readers are being underestimated in what they’ll be able to understand. Especially in modern times it is very, very easy to look up words, school grades, etc. British English to American English. I do not want that done for me. Some of the joy for us readers in the United States is to feel immersed in the culture from other countries, and I like the original vocabulary from the UK, England, Australia, etc. when I read a book with events taking place in those countries just as I like regional dialect when reading about different states/areas within the United States. My enjoyment was diminished because of the changes made. Also, the events were supposed to be taking place in the 1930s but except for one aspect of the mystery, a very few references, a phrase or two, and the lack of computers, cell phones, etc. it could have been taking place at many times. There was no good sense of place. Also, it was not a page-turner for me. It dragged at times. I had to rush to finish it before my library e-copy came due.

I was surprised at how scary I found it at times. It was not a cozy mystery (although there was no violence on the page) and it didn’t have that much humor in it.

As I read I thought I had most of it figured out. I was wrong.

I did like the narrator Hazel. She was the best thing about the book for me. The other half of the friendship pair Dairy kind of gave me the creeps but there were good things about her and their friendship story was interesting.

I felt like either an idiot or a heroine for finishing this. My goal is to read only 5 star and 4 star books and I could tell not too, too far into the book that I would rate this book either 3 or 2 stars, and not 5 or 4.

I would have liked it a bit more had I read it as a kid and I think I would have liked it a lot more had I read the U.K. edition.

I found the book to be disappointing.

2-1/2 stars. I did like it but it took me forever to read it because I struggled to get through it. It’s hard for me to choose 3 stars (I liked it) or 2 stars (It was okay.) (I think 3-1/2 stars had I been able to read the UK edition and possibly 4 stars had I read it at ages 9-11.) I wont read more books in the series unless I can find UK editions. I just looked through my list (not that many) of 2 star rated books and this book is better than most of them so I am rounding up even though I think I’m being generous.

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The story of two girls in a boarding school in the 1930s. When one of them discovers a body in the gym, they decide to use their wits to detect the truth. The body disappearing complicates their case.

The two, Daisy Wells, who is clever but tries to hide it, and Hazel Wong, sent from Hong Kong to

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England to study, providing the perfect outsider to comment on boarding school in England. The story didn't really work for me as well as it might.

Could do better. Not bad but could do better.

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Well say hello to a combination of Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars and Blyton's boarding school books. Add to that a touch of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot and you've got it made!

Only this time it is 1934. Thirteen-year-old girls Hazel Wong(from Hong Kong) and Daisy Wells (from the English upper

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classes) have formed their own secret club, the Wells and Wong Detective Society at the Deepdean

School for Girls in England. They are quite successful in digging up secrets from everybody in school, with Daisy the number one snoop. She is the perfect English girl, highly popular, and knows everything about

everyone and she's good at it.

Hazel Wong is her side-kick, initially the quiet, polite one, meticulously clean and precise in everything she did. Until she discovered the secret to melt into the mass of girls in the school. Sloppiness and less-clean

appearances were expected. It was the secret of the rich girls in school. Never show wealth! Whatever you were, never strive to be the brightest girl in class either! Mediocrity is the name of the game. Fake it. Act. Be

good at it. Hazel was not only extremely intelligent, she also turned out to be the second best pretender in school. Daisy was the best. And that is the reason why they became the best of friends.

Prestige, honor, and tradition draw the best of the best to the school. Teachers were strictly selected for positions at the school. It was just the perfect set-up. Life was perfect.

But then Miss Bell was no longer at the school. She resigned, was the official announcement. Hazel knew better. She found Miss Bell's body in the gym, went for help, and when she returned, the body was gone!

The Wells and Wong Detective Society had suddenly their work cut out for them and they had to act fast to prevent the murderer from getting away with it. But oh dear, for every murder there is a murderer, and more

skeletons appear out of nowhere in the closets! What to do!?

COMMENTS: Hazel Wong is the young narrator of the tale and never ceases to keep up the lively, vivid energy of two thirteen-year-old girls. There's nothing childish about the story. The prose is funny, witty, innocent,

wise. I constantly smiled and sniggered for the actions of these two ambitious girls and their dorm mates.

I loved this whodunit. The drama managed to keep me totally immersed in the atmosphere of the time, the labyrinth of suspects, the guessing of motives and the neverending suspense.

The other reason why I loved this book, is because I attended a similar girls school. I felt so at home in the halls and dorms of the age old buildings and its occupiers. I totally identified with the characters. It was a

superb trip down memory lane. Even the church pipe organ in the hall of Deepdean School for Girls was familiar.

Overall I am of the opinion that this book is just as enjoyable for grown-ups as it is for teenage girls. Well-written, well-plotted and well-done.

The ARC was made available by Simon & Schuster through edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com for review.
Thank you for the opportunity. What a delight!

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Hazel Wong, born in Hong Kong and now a student at an English boarding school, is dragged along in the wake of golden girl Daisy Wells, who wants to be a detective. When Hazel finds a dead body, which promptly disappears, the girls investigate.

Kind of fun, but very definitely a kids' book. Add a

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star if you're under the age of twelve.

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A middle-reader murder mystery set at an English boarding school in 1934 with a Chinese protagonist? So much catnip. Sadly, the mystery fell flat and Hazel Wong allowed herself to be used by her "partner" in detectiving, Daisy Wells. If there are further Wells and Wong mysteries, I'll probably give

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them a try, mostly to see if Hazel stops allowing herself to be overshadowed and bullied by Daisy.

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This is a very fun, light, well-done middle grade mystery, The main characters, Daisy and Hazel, are great female leads, strong in their own right, and remind me of Friday Barnes, another middle-grade mystery series I really enjoy. In this first entry in the series, Daisy and Hazel must solve the

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mystery of the murder of one of their teachers, even though no one else believes she is actually dead.

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This is a chipper sort of book for having a murder mystery at the center.

I was honestly a little bit shocked that there actually is a murder, because it's treated so lightly, and this is a book for children. I think that many of the kids I know in the target age wouldn't do so well with the murder,

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being sensitive sorts, but that might also be helped by the way the book doesn't dwell overmuch on the traumatic nature of witnessing the immediate aftermath of a murder.

For the most part, I did enjoy reading the book. It's set in the 1930s in an English boarding school and is narrated by 13-year-old Hazel who is originally from Hong Kong and is best friends with the perfect specimen of English girlhood, Daisy. It reads a little like the smart books from the era, but also has a modern point of view that alludes to or outright discusses things like racism and sexism. It also talks about bullying and trying to fit in with others by hiding your true self.

If anything, other than my vague shock at there being an actual murder to put a shadow on my enjoyment of the book, I was disappointed to realize the author is white. About halfway into the book, the comments Hazel made about being treated as an "Oriental" curiosity made me wonder about the author, so I looked her up. I also felt, just a little bit, like Hazel's family in Hong Kong were being disdained in a way that was more than typical teenage rejection of parents. I appreciate the call out of racism and treating people badly, but it's uncomfortable for me to read these things coming from a white woman, no matter how accurate it might be. I mean, it's great to have more diversity in books, but it's weird to me to see a white women speaking for Asian women.

I don't know if I'm interested in continuing the series, but other than the disappointments I've listed, it was a fun adventure to read, and I think it has made me more interested in trying murder mysteries from the 1920s, when I typically try to avoid procedural mysteries altogether.

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I’ve known about this series for a while and I’ve been slightly interested in it. Not to the point of rushing out and buying it but curious enough to enter a giveaway for the third book. I didn’t think I would actually win, but if I did I would have that little push to pick up the first two

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books. To my surprise I actually won, an even bigger surprise is that I really enjoyed this book.

Going into it I was expecting to like it. A possible two, maybe three star read. I was completely wrong. I could not put this book down and ended up flying through it. It was such a fun read, with an amazing plot and witty characters. I love Daisy and Hazel and I love everything they get into while trying to solve the mystery.

Unfortunately I did guess the ending but that didn’t take away from how good it was. I still was wrapped up in the story. I wanted to know how it would end and if I was right.

When I first finished reading Murder is Bad Manners I gave it three stars, even though it felt like it deserved four stars. At first something was just holding that fourth star back. Now that I’ve read the second and third book, I can’t stop thinking about how much I loved this one. I had to go back and bump it to the four stars it should have had from the beginning.

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Great fun, most enjoyable, but with an added layer of irony would be elevated to a better book for adults than it in fact is for children.

An honest-to-goodness mystery for middle grade- there is a murder, but the tension between the two girls, one the president of their detective club and the other the secretary, feels true. Also takes place in a boarding school in the 1930s so the setting is appropriately grim.

Murder is Bad Manners is a murder mystery set in a 1930s boarding school in Britain. Daisy and Hazel have formed a detective club and, up till now, their mysteries have been pretty simple. Then, Hazel finds one of her teachers murdered and, after rushing to get daisy, returns to discover the body

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has disappeared. Everyone is a suspect.

The story is fun and interesting, and one of the few murder-mystery books I’ve seen for kids. The two characters are extremely different and both completely believable. The mystery is challenging and doesn’t talk down to kids, like some books do. The two characters really have to work and deduce to figure things out. I won’t give away the ending (it is a murder-mystery, you know), but I will say it is not one you predict from page one. I would definitely recommend it for anyone, even adults, who loves a good mystery.

5 out of 5 stars

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Pretty good mystery with a conveniently large amount of clues. There is the usual luck and fumbling of amateur detectives but since they are two girls, it is understandable. The main character is well developed as is her best friend but the "friend" acts superior and mean to the MC a bit much for

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my taste. There is a glossary at the back for anyone that is out of touch with British school girl slang. Unfortunately, I didn't find it until the END of the book.

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The first in a new series of mysteries featuring schoolgirl detectives Wells and Wong. Well written, exciting and full of action. The second book is due in early 2015.

Oh, I'm so torn! I liked this book. I liked the story and the characters -- yay for kid British sleuths, yay for a smart, Asian girl main character. But.

This is so very much an American's version of a British school -- the author is constantly going out of the way to explain words to us and then

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even includes a glossary at the end -- that is overkill, and it feels like a condescending voice in the middle of the story "educating" the audience, since we're too dumb too know what she's talking about. Kids are more sophisticated than that. If you use the terms in context, the kids will figure it out. If you want to include a glossary afterwards, that's great -- but you don't need both. And there are a lot of British boarding school books out there. This book? Is not inventing the genre, so does not need to explain all the words.

No British school system uses grades. They use the word Form and the numbering system is completely different from American schools. It's glaring, especially given how pedantic the writer is about using authentic terminology in other places. Either it's a British boarding school or it isn't. Make up your mind.

Hazel is great as a character, except for the self-hate thing. Despite the fact that she is a plucky, intelligent girl, she constantly describes herself as fat and unappealing and uses words that emphasize how bad she feels about herself, in contrast to her lovely, perfectly English friend of the beautiful blue eyes and blonde, blonde hair. Really? The stereotyping is over the top, Daisy is a bully, and at no point in the story is there any indication that Hazel is wrong to feel that way about herself.

I'm not sure if I'm annoyed or delighted with the frequent references to lesbianism -- on the whole, I think it's kind of cool that it is blatant in this story -- between teachers, between older girls, and in the pashes that girls have on one another -- but I think that may be part of why the book isn't reading as British to me -- all of those elements would be in a British version of this story, sure, but they would be more subtle, not openly acknowledged. Is this meant to be present-day? If so, then the open acceptance of homosexuality would be a lovely and refreshing thing. Since it doesn't seem like it, that doesn't really work.

That's the other hazy thing. When is this book meant to take place? Clearly the fashion is for cloche hats. They have automobiles, and women live independently. Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie are known writers. However, there is a huge stigma on out-of-wedlock children, and teachers can be dismissed for marrying, so I don't know. It's really unclear, and I think that leads to some of my confusion about all the rest of the things.

Aaaaand I see now that it's supposed to be 1934. Nope. I don't buy that even a little bit.

The plot is great, the characters are endearing. If someone would edit this book with an eye towards specificity, it might be worth recommending. And I'm sorry for being so harsh about it, but my disappointment is the keener for enjoying the book as much as I did.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

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I was given this book as a sort of joke Christmas present by someone who has always been amused by my passion for crime fiction, whether of the traditional, vintage or ‘cosy variety, or of the more hard-bitten realistic genre. I was, however, immediately smitten by it.

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong,

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respectively the President and Secretary of the Secret Detective Agency, are pupils in the third form (what might now be termed Year 9) at Deepdean School in 1934. Daisy is one of the darlings of the school: beautiful, wealthy and both the daughter and niece of powerful establishment figures, her life has been one of ease and entitlement. Hazel is from Hong Kong, and has been sent to such a prestigious school as a consequence of her father’s desire to outdo one of his business rivals in the lavish provision he can offer his daughter.

As an Asian pupil, Hazel is exposed to racism, both overt and covert, from pupils and teachers, but this diminishes when she is accepted as a close confidante of Daisy. Having become close friends, and sharing each other’s trove of ‘golden age’ crime fiction, they become obsessed with the idea that they might be good at solving crimes, and form their agency. As the novel opens, their only investigation so far has been into the case of Lavinia’s missing tie. As this proved to have ben misplaced rather than stolen, their crime-fighting experience is limited, although that is about to change.

Having forgotten her pullover, Hazel returns to the school gym one evening, just before dinner and finds the body of one of the teachers. Shocked, and unsure what to do, she rushes to find Daisy, who she is sure will know how to deal with the issue. By the time they return to the gym, just a few minutes later, the body has gone. This sets the scene for the girls’ adventure that follows.

I found the story delightful, and thoroughly enjoyed the various adventures that the girls go through before the denouement. The plot moves forward briskly, and the relationship between Hazel (who narrates proceedings) and the more bossy Daisy is excellently captured.

I know that some readers have been concerned about the author’s treatment of some of the attitudes in the book, and how a young adult readership (at which the books clearly aimed) might respond. She clearly decries the racism, which I fear would have been endemic and long-established in most levels of British society in the 1930s. She gives Hazel various speeches in which she makes clear how abhorrent the attitudes were, and how hurtful for those who were the object of such views. I am confident that any sensitive reader, of any age, would clearly see how we should respond to them. I a certainly keen to move on to the next in the series, and have no qualms about sharing the book with my young niece and goddaughter.

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This book is obscenely racist. I assume this is supposed to be historically accurate but frankly I'm surprised any publisher agreed to print a middle grade book with such controversial views. As an adult I can recognise what I believe the author was trying to do (historical accuracy) but I highly

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doubt most middle grade readers would. (And frankly a waste of time because I can't say I particularly believe the historical accuracy in terms of setting, behaviours and fashions.) At no point does the author properly condemn Daisy's casual racism or bigotry or her lack of self acceptance and utter contempt for anyone not conforming to the status quo. Ergo, letting middle grade readers think this behaviour is normal and therefore right. I'm not big on positive messages being rammed down your throat but if there's one place positive messages are important it would be middle grade fiction.

But that's only one issue with this book. Frankly I don't even know where to begin. None of the characters actually make a point of learning about or accepting Hazel's heritage. At worst they mock her and at best, they ignore her - pretending she's English. There is one part in the book where Hazel actually says most people when they get to know her, simply ignore her heritage. Like what the hell? Yes, let's just dismiss your entire background, that's not traumatic or anything. Only one character - Beanie, goes so far as when making a racist comment - apologising for forgetting that Hazel may be offended. Hazel doesn't even really feel offended - she basically brushes it off - only mentioning that it can make it hard to be polite. Yes because I'm sure that someone insulting a rather central part of my makeup wouldn't hurt or anger me at all.

Daisy is a complete and total jerk. She is selfish, dismissive, disparaging and somewhat vicious. The one nice thing she says to Hazel (apparently Hazel is clever) is diminished by her actions. She orders Hazel around and continually ignores her ideas and suggestions. But the worst character would have to be Hazel herself. She has no self confidence or self worth and constantly disparages herself. She not only accepts her role as a lesser being but embraces it. It's like she honestly believes she is worth less than Daisy. When they have a fight, Hazel actually proceeds to apologise as though it were her fault. Then there is what I suppose is to be the positive message - Daisy stops her apology and makes her own - but it seems contrived and insincere. Furthermore it diminishes Hazel herself because she didn't do anything wrong and she appears weak willed and needy.

The fact is although Hazel does have some moments of clarity and insight into Daisy's character - she mostly is just as obsessed with Daisy as everyone else. Apparently if you're not blonde hair and blue eyes you may as well just drop dead. There is constant talk of how pretty Daisy is and how smart and funny, etc. But Daisy is petty and biased and manipulative. And somewhat a total and utter psychopath. Or a spoilt brat. It could go either way I guess.

The mystery itself was interesting enough and perhaps the only redeeming feature of the book. I'll likely read the rest of the series as it's brainless entertainment. To be honest I just really love the covers and the idea of this series - hopefully the rest of the series will tone down the racism. Seriously how did this book get published? I am honestly shocked that a publisher would agree to publish something so controversial in middle grade fiction.

I'd suggest that this should be given to older readers who can discern between fiction and appropriate behaviour.

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Hazel Wong narrates this mystery about a murder of a teacher at Deepdean boarding school. She and her best friend Daisy Wells have formed the Wells and Wong Detective Society and this turns out to be their first real case (other than The Case of Lavinia's Missing Tie). Hazel comes across Miss

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Bell's body in the gym but when she and Daisy rush back to find it, the body is gone, save a blood stain in the hardwood floor. Daisy is the more impetuous, outgoing and headlong of the two. Hazel is thoughtful, quiet and the one who takes notes on the clues they discover. At times, Hazel resents Daisy's dismissals of her thoughts and ideas, and she's very aware of others' reactions to her as Deepdean's only Chinese student. Her introspection adds an extra dimension of personality.

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I came across this series while I was visiting the UK, and I absolutely fell in love with it. They've changed the titles a little bit for the US editions, but the books are still wonderful. It would be great, particularly, for middle grade girls with a somewhat dark sense of humor! The two heroines

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are girls at a British boarding school in the 1930's. The reader is absolutely transported into the world of wealthy "public" schooling-- the glossary in the back explaining all the boarding school terms is absolutely critical. The characters (especially the almost sociopathic Daisy Wells and the meek but clever Hazel Wong) will make you want to read every book in the series!

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