The Deadly Daylight: An Alice England Mystery

Ash Harrier

The Deadly Daylight: An Alice England Mystery
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Pantera Press
Country
Australia
Published
2 August 2022
Pages
200
ISBN
9780648987673

The Deadly Daylight: An Alice England Mystery

Ash Harrier

Twelve-year-old Alice England is curious, truthful and smart, but when you work in your father’s funeral home and you get messages from the dead, it can be difficult to make friends.    

When she comes across the peculiar case of George Devenish, who was allergic to sunlight, Alice is convinced there’s more to his death than meets the eye.    

With the help of George’s niece, ‘Violet the Vampire’, who shares her uncle’s allergy, and a boy named Cal, who has secrets of his own, Alice begins to investigate. Who were the teenagers under the dock when George died? How is the sinister Doctor Grampian involved? And what about George’s wife, Helen, whose baking is delicious but possibly poisonous?    

It seems the truth of George’s death may never see the light of day - unless Alice and her companions can put the clues together and solve a mystery much bigger than anybody expected.    

Quirky, dark and delightful, I loved trying to solve this truly engrossing mystery.  Shirley Marr

Review

Twelve-year-old Alice England is a clever and curious girl with an unusual secret. She’s grown up working with her father in their family-owned funeral home, where she discovers some of their clients’ old belongings are ‘resonant’, meaning they allow her to see moments from a deceased person’s life. But working in a funeral home can make it hard to make friends – that is, until Alice meets Violet, an equally unique girl who suffers from a severe allergy to sunlight.

When Violet’s Uncle George passes away from the same allergy, Alice’s special gift shows her that his death may not be all it seems. What follows is an exciting and sometimes spooky investigation, as Alice and Violet try to uncover what was really going on in their little town that contributed to George’s death.

The first in a new middle-grade series, The Deadly Daylight is a fun and charming read that will keep you on your toes. Despite its macabre undertone, there are plenty of quirky puns and an overriding sense of adventure that balance out the novel. Alice and Violet are intelligent and inquisitive characters who learn to embrace their individual disabilities (Violet has a sunlight allergy and one of Alice’s legs was injured at birth), stand up for what is right, and develop a meaningful friendship.

Perfect for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Enola Holmes and Coraline, The Deadly Daylight is recommended for kids aged 10+.

Celeste Deliyiannis is from Readings Emporium

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