Jolly Foul Play: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery

I really enjoyed this, more than the previous books in the series. The character development, especially for Hazel, was very good; I'm enjoying seeing her maturing, and realising that she doesn't have to do everything Daisy wants, whilst still maintaining a close friendship with her. I also liked

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that some of the other girls played a bigger role in this book, which I think adds something too. The mystery itself kept me guessing and there were quite a few twists along the way; and although I read these books more for the characters than the mysteries, this aspect was also enjoyable. I don't think I'll wait so long next time before picking up the next book...

(I listened to the audiobook narrated by Katie Leung, which I also recommend.)

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This is the fourth instalment of the ‘Murder Most Unladylike’ series by Robin Stevens, and sees the intrepid Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong back at Deepdean School at the start of a new academic year. I presume that this series is aimed at a young adult, or possibly even pre-teen, and probably

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predominantly female, readership, but I have enjoyed reading them along with my goddaughter, who does fall within than demographic.

To be fair, I felt that this was the weakest of the four that I have now read, but the competition has been strong, and this volume was still highly entertaining. I don’t propose to offer much of a plot synopsis as condensed into a few stark sentences, the storyline would look rather ridiculous. However, I have always enjoyed stories set in school or university, and once through the school gates I found no difficulty in suspending disbelief.

Robin Stevens has done a marvellous job pitching the tone of the story. There is no gratuitous goriness, but the story does acknowledge that serious crimes have been committed, and does not attempt to gloss over the clash between right and wrong. This novel is set in 1835 (one of the senior girls in the school is a highly accomplished sportswoman, and is a contender for inclusion in the squad for the 1936 Berlin Olympics), and there is passing reference to the political currents of the time.

Ms Stevens also addresses issues of racism, although not in a blatant manner. Hazel is Chinese, and is subject to stereotypes that were current at the time. As the stories are narrated by her, she is able to describe how hurtful these are.

I am looking forward to my goddaughter and I tackling the next in the series

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