Yay!!! Murder mysteries!!!! Woohoo!! I myself am an avid reader, but most of what I read is just fantasy and action and adventure. And the occasional (aka one book every three months) middle-grade horror…. However, I’m also a huge fan of mystery books!!! I practically grew up with The Boxcar Children, so of course, I have a soft spot for any middle-grade mysteries!!! Especially murder mysteries, since those are always ever so much more thrilling!!!!
I definitely have not found a lot of murder mysteries in middle-grade (which is incredibly disappointing since I just absolutely love that genre!), but I did find two series!!!! Hurrah! And they’re all on Kindle Unlimited! Double hurrah!!! And the book I shall be reviewing today is from one of those two middle-grade murder mystery series I found – Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Sevens!!!! To be more specific, book six in the series – A Spoonful of Murder…
🙂
I just really, really love this book!!! (I love the whole series). A Spoonful of Murder follows the adventures of two detectives in the 1930s, Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, after Hazel Wong’s grandfather passes away. And of course, Daisy is all too happy to accompany her friend to Hazel’s family estate in the beautiful, bustling, busy (and possibly SLIGHTLY dangerous) Hong Kong! I say slightly dangerous because… well, of course, there’s a murder. But once they arrive, Hazel discovers something none of them ever expected – a new member of the Wong family, her brand new baby brother, Teddy. But soon after they arrive in Hong Kong, someone’s cruelly murdered and Teddy has been kidnapped. And this time, Hazel isn’t just the detective. She’s been framed for murder. The two girls will have to confront dangerous gangs, mysterious suspects, and private detectives to solve the murder and clear Hazel’s name, before it’s far too late…
Sounds thrilling/un-put-down-able? It’s all of those three! The Murder Most Unladylike series is definitely one of my favorite middle-grade mystery series, and one thing I just really love about it is that the books are actually easy to follow and yet not so easy that you completely guess who’s the murderer!!! Trust me, I’ve never ever succeeded in guessing. 😅 Unlike most murder mystery books I’ve read.
One thing I really love about this book is that the main character, Hazel Wong, is Asian, and she’s from Hong Kong. And yet the book doesn’t focus on cultural identity since, of course, it’s a murder mystery. But I have to say, it’s kind of refreshing to see an Asian character in a novel that’s not completely about cultural identity!!
The characters in this book were so much fun!! They all had their really unique personalities and quirks, and they all just feel so much like real people! Hazel’s worries about her new baby brother ‘replacing’ her in the family feel very real and very much justified, and it was really intriguing to see what she’d do when she was the one being framed for the murder! I also really loved the character of Daisy Wells, and to be honest, she’s my favorite character in this book!!! She has this very strong personality that I’m not entirely sure how to describe. But she’s incredibly smart and rather good at feigning allergies (as you’ll see later in the book. ;D)
The way this book was written was amazing too!!! As I’ve said, it’s a really good murder mystery that’s easy for middle-graders to follow without getting too confused, and yet also not so simple that you guess the murderer on page 27!! Which, personally, I think is a rather hard balance to do, but Robin Stevens does it perfectly!!!! The descriptions of the setting/characters/anything else important in this book were amazing too. They made me feel like I was right there in 1930s Hong Kong with Hazel and Daisy! And the way Robin Stevens writes the book, it’s like she really plants all of the clues in the writing. Clues that feel like they should be obvious and yet you can’t figure out what until it all comes together in the end!!!
The setting of this book was definitely really interesting too! I have no idea how historically accurate this is (I know nothing about 1930s Hong Kong), but I loved the way the setting was crafted! There are all these family relations, the dangerous gangs, and all of that just really made it feel like a real place, which is always amazing to read!!!
My favorite scene in this book… Oh my goodness, how can I chooooose?!?!?! This book is so good!!! And there’s no way I can just pick a favorite scene!!! Ack, I’ll try though. I suppose I do like the scene where Hazel manages to convince her father to take her and Daisy out for dim sum, and she and Daisy need to do some investigating there! I myself love dim sum (it’s delicious!!!), so it was nice to recognize some of the foods that they ate! And of course, they needed to investigate. I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll just say that Daisy is incredibly good at feigning allergies. Even I wasn’t certain if Daisy had actually gotten an allergy or if she was just still feigning it!!! And I wasn’t even there in person!
But yeah! Overall, this is a fantastic murder mystery series for any middle-grade reader who’s a fan of mystery but want a slightly more complicated mystery that won’t have you guessing the culprit by page 27! (which I actually did once in MANY of the Nancy Drew books………hehe…) A definite must-read for anyone who’s a fan of murder mysteries and for fans of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mysteries by Elizabeth C. Bunce, which is also a murder mystery series, and a fantastic one at that!!!!
I also promised to share with you guys what I’m currently reading! So here they are!!!
Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova! Finally old enough to be reading this (I recommend it for upper-middle grade readers) and it is ever so much fun!!! A brilliant, hilarious, and heartwarming graphic novel! 🙂
Better Place by Duane Murray and Shawn Daley. A fantastic graphic novel (I’ve been trying to get into graphic novels) that deals with loss. It’s so beautiful, and I cried while reading it! Definitely recommend it for upper-middle grade readers.
Book two in The Secret Zoo series by Bryan Chick! All the books are now on Kindle Unlimited, and they are fantastic!!! I mean, a secret society and a secret, slightly dangerous but very whimsical and adventurous zoo? Count me in! Perfect for middle grade readers all around!!!
The Swami’s Ring, book 61 in the Nancy Drew series! Quite an intriguing mystery – I haven’t guessed the culprit yet, which is good!!!
UPDATE on 4/14/2025: I finished all those books!!!! Hoorah! They were amazing, fantastic reads, and now I am moving on to more books!!!! hehe.
Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee!! I’ve seen Barbara Dee mentioned SO. MANY. TIMES in the middle-grade book community and surprise, some of her books are on Kindle Unlimited which is the most amazing thing ever! I’m only a few pages into this one and I’m enjoying it a lot!
Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet also by Barbara Dee!! It’s in my Kindle library – I’ve yet to read it, but it looks fantastic! There are also way more books I’m reading but um, it would be too much to put in this blog post so….
I suppose this wraps up this blog post! Thank you guys so much for coming, I hope you enjoyed reading this book review and finding out what I’m currently reading!!! I also hope you’ll check out the Murder Most Unladylike series!! They’re quite intriguing indeed!!! 🙂 (note, Murder Most Unladylike was first published in the UK and then later published in the US by Simon and Schuster, so it’s basically the same book but with different titles and covers).
And if you liked this blog post, don’t forget to check out MMGM!!! They’ve got some wonderful stuff going on over there!!! Perfect if you want to find more middle-grade books to add to your to-be-read list! And I suppose I shall see you again in the next post!!!!! Adios!
Isabelle
I loved the Boxcar Kids. This sounds like a fantastic mystery series especially because it’s historical and has a great setting. I just reserved the first book at my library. Thanks!
That is awesome!!! Hurrah! I’m glad I’ve convinced you to start reading the series – it’s fantastic!!! Thank you so much for reading!
I’ve had this series on my reading radar for way too long. Your review has convinced me to get started. I think you will enjoy the Barbara Dee books. Such great stroy telling. Happy MMGM!
Then go read it!!! It’s a wonderful series!!! And yes, Barbara Dee’s books are quite incredible! I’m already done with the first one I mentioned!!!! Which tbh is a RECORD breaking reading speed, even for me! Thank you so much for reading and for having me on this week’s MMGM!!!!
I love mysteries, and this sounds so interesting with the 1930s Hong Kong setting. And it does sound hard to put down. It’s got to be good if you can’t guess the murderer. Thanks for featuring this!
Then you should definitely check this out!!! It’s a fantastic book – and I really do love the 1930s Hong Kong setting! 🙂 Thanks for reading!!!
Ooo…murder in middle grade. Add your wonderful review and the setting, and I’m going to add this one to my list. I do like a good mystery.
I’m glad you enjoyed the review! Thanks for reading – and definitely add it to your TBR!
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? This one sounds great. Thanks for the heads up on it.
I love mysteries! Thanks for reading!!
Have you read Unstuck by Barbara Dee? It’s a lovely little novel about a writer. And also the only book I’ve read where a character had the same name as me! You would probably like it.
Sadly, I haven’t. T.T I simply must! I’ve heard about it!! But it’s not on Kindle Unlimited. Totally adding that book to my TBR! Thanks for reading and for the recommendation!
My word, Isabelle! As if your fantastic review wasn’t enough of a treat, you’ve given us a plethora of other intriguing recommendations!
I too, appreciate when identity isn’t the entire focus of a novel. I’m looking forward to reading a mystery set in 1930s Hong Kong, a city I know almost nothing about. And I have to read this book for the title alone. Murder Most Unladylike? Yes, please!
I love murder mysteries, too, and you’re right: a good MG murder mystery is hard to find. So I’m glad to have come across your review@
Haha! I was reading a lot, so I just had to share them. XD Barbara Dee’s books are really good!! And I definitely agree with you on the title! Murder Most Unladylike is undoubtedly a must-read for murder mystery fans! Thank you so much for reading!!! I’m glad this helped you find this book! 😀