by Amy Doak
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia, 2025
Review
by Deb Bodinnar
I was so excited when I heard that there was a third Eleanor Jones book and even more so when I was asked to review it. Eleanor is still in Cooinda, dreaming about kissing Troy, dealing with Tyler, her nemesis at school, and staying out of trouble (ahem!). This one starts off hot, literally. There is a fire at the end of Eleanor’s street. After calling 000 she is staring at the burning house, “Wait, what is that?” Did she see something purple slip down the side of the building?
Eleanor knows she’s in trouble again when Detective Sergeant Holly Williams arrives on scene and catches Eleanor near the road watching flames lick the walls. She also knows her mum, Min, will be furious if Eleanor gets caught up in this latest kerfuffle so she and decides it’s none of her business. She also decides she will have nothing to do with investigating the crime. Yeah right!
Enter a note dropped in her school bag.
I know you saw me yesterday. Don’t pretend you didn’t. If you tell anyone about me or what you saw, you’ll be next. Stay out of it, or else.
Now let’s face it, a note that is meant to scare Eleanor off might as well have been a party invitation. There is no way she was going to let this go.
An English assignment brings some new characters into the class group, where they are studying The Outsiders, a book about teenage rebellion and the consequences. This resonates with the boys in the group and when Eleanor encourages new girl, Olivia who hides behind her black hair and Goth appearance, to join them it makes such a difference to their dynamic.
Problems escalate in Cooinda with car thefts, arguments and community demands for action. Mixed with the elevated expectations parents have of their children, things become interesting. Amy Doak has shown how these expectations can harm kids and create circumstances that might never have otherwise occurred. It’s a thoughtful reminder for any parents who reads this book to take heed of.
Events at the Cooinda Lizards football club, whose uniforms happen to be purple, cause an explosion of trouble. How much more can this small town take?
Eleanor and her friends come from different walks of life. Amy Doak has produced a fabulous loveable bunch of characters in the Eleanor Jones series, not only concentrating on teenage relationships but interweaving the relationships of parents, community members . The country town of Cooinda feels authentic, and is a character of its own in this series. I must admit my love of rural Australia, and memories of growing up in small towns, make these places extra special.
If you haven’t read Amy’s other Eleanor Jones books, please check them out. Amy Doak deservedly won the Davitt Award in 2024 for her debut Young Adult novel, Eleanor Jones Is Not A Murderer. If you haven’t yet met Eleanor, you are missing out on something special. Eleanor Jones is one of the best characters created by an Australian author in recent years.
How good would it be for Eleanor and her friends stick together? Maybe they could venture further once school finishes. Wow, imagine Eleanor Jones Goes To University.
This is a red hot read.
Publisher’s blurb
Eleanor Jones stirs up more mystery and danger in this fast-paced YA mystery.
Eleanor Jones isn’t looking for trouble.
But someone is starting fires in Cooinda – and the first one looks like a murder. Eleanor is determined not to get involved, but when she receives a note warning her to ‘keep quiet’ she can’t help but work out who sent it.
Who had motive to murder Eleanor’s neighbour? Could it really be one of her classmates? And are the fires connected to the car thefts in town? The more Eleanor tries to do the right thing, the more danger she finds herself in . . .