Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum

Product Information

You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot! Quickly, she identifies several suspects, all of whom are singular characters with individual quirks and questionable connections with the museum. Will Bonnie be able to keep her identity a secret or will Widdlington’s most dasterdly villains discover what she’s hiding?

Montgomery Bonbon begins to take statements from the suspects and gather evidence before following a few clues that have been left behind to try and solve the mystery. When a second death takes place on the other side of the island, Bonnie is sure the two are connected.

Almost a mix of the Malamander series by Thomas Taylor and Alex T Smith’s penguin detective, readers will enjoy the word play as Bonnie and her grandfather arrive at Odde Island, with its Leerie Lighthouse. Suspects, clues, red herrings and secret identities are revealed with charm and so much personality. Claire Powell is a bestselling children’s book maker, character designer and illustrator who started out designing for television brands before she got her first book deal in 2016 and has never looked back. The illustrations by Claire Powell make the book feel more like case notes and they also support the reader by providing maps, suspect snapshots and clues. And lo and behold, behind a locked door are three dodgy suspects, a dead man, and an empty space where a prized exhibit ought to be.

As Montgomery Bonbon- complete with beret, moustache, dubious European accent- she’s solved a wealth of crimes with Banks, her sidekick.

His videos on youtube are hilarious, his podcast Loremen is one of my favorites, and when I saw he had written a book, I couldn't wait to check it out! It might not always be a chuckle a line but the comedy is definitely here, including some family-friendly observational stuff using Bonnie's sense of logic that could easily make this a book for the whole family to share.

When Bonnie Montgomery finally gets a break from cracking cases as her alter-ego, Montgomery Bonbon, something terribly fishy happens the moment she and Grampa Banks arrive on Odde Island for half-term – and it's not just the smell of the harbour. All told this is a lively affair, with wit and just about enough exuberance to both get and keep those pages turning. What a great read aloud this would be and an opportunity to create your own persona, disguise and mystery to solve! The illustrations that weave throughout the pages of the book are fantastic and just add to the story. But they might have heard of the great Montgomery Bonbon, the well-dressed gentleman detective who (apart from the hat and moustache) looks suspiciously like a 10-year-old girl.Bonnie Montgomery has the brains, the indulging grandfather, and the fake moustache she needs to become Montgomery Bonbon, a slightly short middle-aged male detective with faux-European accent of no fixed abode. He has several big cases solved and though the local law enforcement, Inspector Sands, is not a fan, Bonbon is on the case. I loved the crime element and how its portrayed, it feels suspenseful without feeling silly or too dry. They’re so compelling and they really have you rooting for the main character and Bonnie was definitely one you could get behind. After the Murder at the Museum, Bonnie was hoping for a nice quiet holiday away with her Grampa but once again she has to don her fake moustache and beret and become Detective Bonbon as there has been a mysterious death on the island of Odde.

The cheery wit and humour are just as strong here as they were in the first book - plenty of good puns - creating a charming and fun world that just happens to be filled with murder and mystery that will keep readers guessing and wanting more.

I sit on the National Executive Committee for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and run an OU/UKLA Teachers as Readers group!