by Nicki Greenberg
Publisher: Affirm Press 2023
Publisher’s blurb
It’s springtime in Paris, and crime is in the air …
Pepper Stark and her friends came to Paris for the glamour, the gâteaux and the good times. But intrigue seems to follow the young detectives wherever they go. When an American tourist and a priceless Russian treasure both disappear from their hotel, Pepper is sure the mysteries are connected and is determined to solve them both. But this time she has competition: former thief-turned-amateur-detective Georges Rème is also on the case. And her friends seem to be more interested in croissants than in crime.
Pepper will do anything to beat Rème to the punch and prove herself as a proper sleuth – even if that means misleading the people closest to her. In this unusual hotel, where everyone has secrets to hide, who can Pepper trust to lead her to the answers? And how far will she go to get them?
1920s Paris bursts to life in this captivating return to the world and characters of Nicki Greenberg’s The Detective’s Guide mysteries.
Review
by Liz Filleul
When a priceless Faberge egg is stolen from the Paris hotel where young sleuth Pepper Stark is staying, naturally she wants to investigate.
With her father, ‘the captain’, away at sea and her stepbrother Elliott and their trusty friends Norah and Sol also in Paris with her, Pepper is optimistic about tracking down the thief. After all, she and her friends have foiled villains before, and this time there’s just Pepper’s easy-going stepmother in charge of the group.
But soon there are obstacles to overcome as well as clues to search for and suspects to spy on. A criminal-turned-detective who’s also staying at the hotel is also on the case. And Pepper’s friends are reluctant to go sleuthing – Elliott doesn’t want to lie to his mother about their whereabouts, and budding actor Norah and aspiring chef Sol have other things on their mind.
Pepper, who’s decided that her true calling is to be a detective, grows increasingly exasperated with her friends. “When you two wanted to go climbing after your dreams, I was there holding the ladder for you. But now you’re telling me I’m not supposed to have any ambition of my own!”
Of course, as Sol points out, there’s a bit of a difference between wanting to create delectable pastries and sneaking into the Paris streets at night to try to foil hardened criminals, who may have murder on their mind…
Fortunately for today’s young crime readers, Pepper manages to cajole her pals into helping her solve an intriguing case, which involves investigating an eccentric set of hotel guests, and sneaking out to glamorous and seedy locations at night. As with her previous mysteries, Nicki Greenberg brings the 1920s alive, with fabulous descriptions of Parisian and European life in that era.
This clever mystery will appeal to readers at the lower end of the Young Adult range (i.e. aged 13-15) as well as to its intended Middle Grade audience – and it can be enjoyed by the young at heart too. Although it’s the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone – however, readers might like to check out the previous books first, to find out how the little group became friends.