Suddenly, they are forced to stay longer because Nick has just been bitten by a brown snake and rushed to hospital by ambulance. 

Ruth is NOT happy about no contact with the outside world, but she has studied the large book collection in her step-grandmother's bookcase and chosen an Agatha Christie book to re-read because she considers herself an amateur sleuth.

To set the scene, they all congregate in the kitchen to discuss and prepare the evening meal, while elaborating on how long Nick will be staying in hospital. After dinner, Ruth goes to bed and takes the Agatha Christie book wth her and she soon becomes immersed in the plot.

As the following morning dawns, it is with the sudden realisation that GG has died during the night. It becomes apparent that her death is suspicious, which sets the whole family is on edge. 

Ruth jumps into action as the amateur detective she is, with the help of Dylan, to discuss the recent events, the movement of the various members of the family overnight and looking for clues in the house. 

During the course of their investigations, which are undertaken in a clandestine manner, avoiding the eyes of the grown-ups, they uncover several family secrets, 'skeletons in the cupboard', and how GG died. 

Their investigations involve the neighbour from the farm next door, a trip into town to question GG's friend, Laura, the librarian, and time spent with the police, who were also investigating the same crime, as well as peripheral enquiries. 

The writing, as mentioned earlier, is just how I would expect a fourteen year old girl to talk (from memory of my daughter at that age). It is fast pacing, enthralling and a real page turner which I found it difficult to put it down. 

There are many asides, most are sarcastically funny and quite a few are enlightening. There are an abundance of humorous situations, some made me laugh out loud. Ruth also uses the asides to create a conversation with the reader as to the continuing development of the story (including advising if you have missed any clues, to look at certain previous page numbers...).

Unfortunately there are a few typos, including where the author has referred to Detective Peterson as 'Detective Pearson'. 

The book is peppered with Aussie words, which is great, but I did come across several American words, including the word 'gotten' which is disappointing. The only time gotten should be used is in the word 'forgotten'.

Although it is recommended for young adults, I would also recommend this book to any 'whodunnit' fan and, indeed, anyone who likes a good 'murder mystery'.

The Author

Kate Emery lives in Perth and works as a senior reporter for the West Australian. Her first novel, The Not So Chosen One was shortlisted for the 2020 Text Prize, the Aurealis Awards (Best Fantasy Novel) and longlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Older Readers.