A Sycamore Hill Mystery: The Vanished Girl
Fans of the intrepid trio of Clare, Rose and Molly will be delighted to make their acquaintance again in this second instalment of the Sycamore Hill Mystery series.
The girls are back for a new term and with a new mysterious student in their class. Set in 1963, with references to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and to the NASA Space Programme, the time-sensitive cultural references set the scene for the young reader and help to ground them in an era so different to modern times. Of course, our detective trio do not have access to mobile phones or the internet for their research on the various villains or to summon help in an emergency. This allows the author to explore the resourcefulness of the girls and to develop layers of intrigue which will keep the reader guessing.
The action moves along at a good pace and the characters are interesting and appealing. Lovers of the traditional boarding-school genre will be delighted by the tried and trusted presence of hockey, prep, prefects, dorms and tuck boxes in this story. Clare, Rose and Molly are well-developed characters, each bringing her own charm and individuality to bear on events as they unfold.
This is a great read for those who enjoy adventure, intrigue and a frisson of peril all wrapped up in a good school story. The Vanished Girl can also stand alone and is a satisfying read in itself for newcomers to the series. Fans will be eagerly anticipating the next instalment.
