Half Moon Investigations (review)

His name is Moon, Fletcher Moon, and he's a private detective; in his twelve years he's seen a lot of things that would shock a lesser kid. Hard-bitten as he may seem, even Moon is unprepared for his newest mystery, and his own starring role as prime suspect in it. Now Fletcher, or "Half Moon" as he is not-so-affectionately called by his peers, has twenty-four hours to solve the case, and the only help in sight is the biggest crime family in this Irish town. To top it all off, a ten-year-old dame and her ring of girly, pink-loving friends seem to somehow be involved in the whole shady deal, but Moon can't quite put all of the pieces together. In the end, he solves the case, absolves himself and the criminally suspect Sharkey family, and even gains a new partner for his now-official business. Although Moon struggles through most of the book in pain because of an early assault, the general mood is one of light-hearted pastiche; Moon's dry and witty narration effectively balances the occasionally heavy but genuinely touching moments. Colfer has created a character who is the perfect combination of Sam Spade and Encyclopedia Brown; Moon is hardened enough to be interesting and edgy, but the book's provision of ample clues along the way helps the audience to solve the mystery along with him if they choose. Readers will fervently hope that this town suffers a crime wave in the future so that Moon can put his official PI badge to good use.