The Detective's Guide to New York City

 

Fans of The Detective's Guide to Ocean Travel won't be disappointed with the sequel, The Detective's Guide to New York City. This time Pepper finds herself reunited with her old friends from the voyage of the previous book, but their new adventure takes place on dry land, in 1920s New York.

Once again, observant Pepper, her bold friend Norah, sweet Sol and new acquaintance shy, artistic Elliott find themselves caught up in a mystery, this time centred on a case of poisoning in the restaurant where Sol works. Nicki Greenberg has a wonderful time whisking her cast from high society soirees to Broadway theatres to seedy New York slums and everywhere in between, as Pepper also struggles to resolve her feelings about her father's new girlfriend... 

The mystery is satisfying, the scenery is colourful and the characters sympathetically drawn. I particularly enjoyed the episode where the children climb up inside the Statue of Liberty, just as the children did in recent read, PL Traver's I Go By Sea (albeit about fifteen years earlier). That book's account of the sights of New York in the 1940s made it a lovely, coincidental companion piece to The Detective's Guide.

I wonder where Pepper will end up next? I suspect Elliott has been introduced to be her new sidekick, because she can't come zipping across the Atlantic to Norah and Sol for every adventure -- I'm predicting she and Elliott might find themselves in an English country house during the Captain and Emmaline's honeymoon for the next installment!