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Reviewed by:
  • The World's Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson
  • Elizabeth Bush
Carlson, Caroline The World's Greatest Detective. Harper/HarperCollins, 2017 [368p]
Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-236827-0 $16.99
E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-236829-4 $9.99
Reviewed from galleys         R Gr. 4-7

Hugh Abernathy, detective extraordinaire (whose Holmesian exploits are chronicled by his assistant, Watson-esque Mr. Peartree), does brisk and lucrative business, what with Slaughter Lane and its criminal population just a street over from Detective Row and a steady stream of escapees from Chokevine Prison on the loose. Now Abernathy is ready to pass the torch in a rather dramatic fashion, handing over $10,000 and his title of Greatest Detective to whichever invitee solves a staged murder mystery at Coleford Manor. Eleven-year-old Toby Montrose is determined to win the money to help support his guardian, Uncle Gabriel, a lesser-known detective fallen on hard times. When the staged murder turns out to be all too real, however, Toby joins with detective wannabe Ivy Webster, agemate and daughter of the manor, to unmask the villain. Unlike many child detectives in current kid lit, Toby and Ivy are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, which makes their bumbling investigational techniques easy to follow for mystery newbies, and easy to stay three steps ahead of for more seasoned sleuths. The cast never rises above caricature, but that's not really the point; their exploits are entertaining enough to make this a congenial whodunnit, and the trip to Coleford is worth the fare. [End Page 403]

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