Review: 'A Spoonful of Murder' by Robin Stevens

When you make a promise to the triads - you had best live up to it. Something the Detective Society is about to discover..

When Hazel received a phone call from Hong Kong, she is devastated to learn that her grandfather, Ah Yes, has passed away. Within days she, with Daisy at her side, is on the way to Hong Kong to see her family and mourn his passing. After weeks on a ship, the two dock in Hong Kong and find themselves in a world that is completely different to what they left behind.

Stevens builds an amazing image of Hong Kong - showcasing it's vast transformation and the contact between it's traditions and the influences of modernity and the West, and creates the picture of a place full of magic and excitement that makes you want to join the girls on their latest adventure!

Back on her own turf, Hazel really comes into her own and the story twists the usual roles of the two girls - as it is Hazel who has social standing and leads the day.

Hazel's return to Hong Kong is frought with tension and surprises. The home she left is not one she returned to, and the surprise of a baby brother has turned her family against each other. When a trip to the doctors for her baby brother results in a kidnapping and the death of Hazel's beloved maid, family tensions reach boiling point and Hazel finds herself framed for murder.

The two girls must outsmart Hong Kong police, meet with the triads and engage in a mystery that is closer to home than ever, in order to save Hazel's baby brother.

I really loved this adventure. Hong Kong is a brand new setting for the girls and it creates some great imagery and great opportunities for character development - with Hazel's mind put to the forefront for the first time. Stevens cleverly paints a story that reflects the realities of life in Hong Kong and I love how she draws on the dangers of the triads, the traditions and religions of Hong Kong in contrast to England and Hong Kong as westernisation.