Crime Waves:
The
Three-Pronged Dagger
Lothian Books 2001
96p pbk $12.95
0-344-0259-7
The story is that Kevin Friend has been attacked in the stomach and thrown into the seal pool at the zoo where Penelope and Benjamin are on work experience. Kevin is then thrown into a coma. Benjamin has marks on his forehead, which are similar to the marks Kevin has in his stomach. This makes the police believe Benjamin attacked Kevin.
Determined to prove his innocence Penelope plays ‘Private Investigator’. She goes around interviewing Kevin’s family and friends. With the help of the Internet she solves the crime and saves Benjamin.
The plot had a few twists and some humour in it, which made it enjoyable. My favourite part was the ending which promotes the need to help protect wildlife.
I give it a score of 7 out of a possible 10 and recommend it to anyone who likes crime fiction.
Aparjit, aged 12, Canberra,
ACT
Crime Waves: Scam
Jenny Pausacker
Lothian Books 2001
96p pbk $12.95
0-7344-0277-5
Justine
and Uncle, from “Looking for Blondie”, go detecting again, this time
to help their neighbour, Phil Macy, who has just been caught up in an
Internet-based ostrich farming scam. In the process they come across more
blondes, an ostrich, a Crocodile Dundee lookalike and some very twisted
clues.
Scam is an exciting and captivating novel addressing an every day situation and turning it into an intriguing novel. The novel is structured in a way so it is easy to read and follow. The story line is simple to follow but it is slightly exaggerated and ponders on the issue so as you are dragged into the story. Although this novel does not include illustrations the context of the story presents a clear impression of what is happening making it easy to picture. This story would be great for a novice reader as it is easy to read and is of a large text. However I would strongly urge an age group from about eight up to read this book, as it is an interesting story. This book is a crime solving come adventure book, so it is ideal for all you budding detectives. This book is only one in many from a series called Crime Waves so if you have read one of the previous books from the series and enjoyed it then this book is guaranteed to be a fantastic read. However this makes a great novel to start with if you wish to start reading the series or even just as a fun book.
Victoria,
aged 13, Canberra, ACT
Crime
Waves: Blind Fear
Brian
Ridden
Lothian
Books 2001
96p pbk $12.95
ISBN: 0-7344-0276-7
I
ceased to care about anything. I just lay there, with my eyes wide open
staring at the concrete underbelly of the yacht club. A boat was coming
nearer. The motor slowed. The thugs were coming back.
Blind
Fear is one of the Crime Waves series published by Lothian books. It
tells the story of Nicky and Marc, the children of Gold Coast Marina King
and car enthusiast Theo Spyratou. When Marc and his sister are threatened
during the lead up to the international motor race, Marc and Nicky find
themselves in deadly danger…
Blind
Fear is a gripping novel, which is difficult to put down. If you enjoy
thrillers you will love every minute of Blind Fear.
With
the curse of the pharaohs, sophisticated museum robbers and a gang of BMX
riders - Bill O’Brien has created a great new thriller novel. Full of
spooky exhibits, crazy mystery and close shaves, Jaye creeps into the
mysterious adventure of the mummies. Jaye’s suspicions are aroused after
seeing some of the museum’s Egyptian artifacts in a New York catalogue.
Can Jaye and his BMX friends get the funeral mask back - and can a simple
email stop the mask from leaving the country, or will the mummy be
unmasked forever?
This
fantastic novel is suggested for those of you that love a bit of history
and mystery.
Charlotte, aged 11, Canberra, ACT
Crime
Waves: Unmasked
Bill
O'Brien
Lothian
Books
2001
96p
pbk
$12.95
ISBN: 0-7344-0303-8
My
first thought was “What a disgusting name for a book.”
I expected it to be a really gorey book but after reading some of
it I got hooked. It was such a mysterious plot that I was a little confused
for the first few chapters. I
re-read those chapters and it all became clearer.
The
story is based around the main character, Jack, who wants to restore his
beloved Harley and win the big race with Susan.
After a dead body is found and a fiery car crash has occurred,
their dreams of winning the race have to be put on hold.
Jack and Susan must battle ruthless killers in the attempt to solve
a deadly puzzle. They must
solve this puzzle in order to save their own lives and to save millions of
dollars.
I
really enjoyed this book because it was different from what I had
expected. I would give this book a 7 out of 10 as it was a little
confusing in the beginning but it got heaps better as you read on.
I would recommend this book for children 13 years and older.
Dale,
aged 12, Canberra, ACT
Crime
Waves: Road Kill
Ken Catran
Lothian
Books
96p
pbk $12.95
ISBN:
0-7344-0258-9
Crime
Waves: Blood On The Microphone
Ian
Bone
Lothian
Books
95p
pbk $12.95
ISBN: 0-7344-0170-1
Something
funny is going on at The Big Joke and Saffi is determined to get to the
bottom of it. With the help of old Ted next door, who starred for years as
a TV cop, Saffi decides to investigate. She must find the secret behind
the Big Joke, she must stop Ted from talking about his TV days and she
must save her sister before there’s blood on the microphone!
Blood
On The Microphone
is a very funny and interesting book. It’s very exciting and you can
never guess what’ll happen next. It also shows the relationships between
sisters. Ian Bone knows how we, kids feel about everything from sisters to
mysteries, this makes Ian Bone’s books very enjoyable to read.
Any reader would love Blood On The Microphone as it is very entertaining. Blood on the microphone simply means the audience doesn’t like what’s happening on stage. This book is totally the opposite, since it’s a fantastic book to read.
Tharsiga, aged 11,
Canberra, ACT
