High-Rise Mystery

A brilliant, thrilling detective adventure with a fast, modern pace and style. Two sisters (Nik and Norva) turn into sleuthing siblings when a local art teacher and friend is found dead. Within their urban community , the tower block - The Tri - where they live, the shocked and suspicious sisters begin to identity possible suspects within their close community. Even their own father finds himself noted down as part of their unofficial (yet highly organised) crime busting.

High Rise Mystery is the classic mystery genre brought sharply and cleverly up to date. A diverse cast of characters, all with potential for a motive, lays the foundation of the plot. I loved the use of a tower block as the backdrop as it demonstrates a more relevant reality of many of today's close neighbourhood settings.

Technology replaces old fashioned detective notebooks; these two sassy sisters are adept at creating online files and using apps to gather their evidence!

Sharna Jackson does a fantastic job of creating likable, relatable characters . As much as Nik and Norva want to be seasoned, serious detectives, they are also normal young girls dealing with embarrassing crushes and embarrassing (possibly dating) dads. There's a real sense of fun and warmth in the narrative towards all the quirks of the cast we meet.

This was an exciting, intriguing and fresh adventure - lively and clever. It definitely leaves the reader eager for the next crime to solve!

352 pages / Reviewed by Jennifer Caddick, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+