I've just finished The High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson, which I got through in just one evening. It was a brilliant page-turned and exactly what I needed after another weekend in lockdown.

The detective due Nik and Norva live on The Tri Estate where a murder has just occurred. They are on the case right away, meticulously documenting their evidence, narrowing down who the suspects could be, and interviewing witnesses. Bit, it soon turns out that they're in a race against time as the police are treating their own dad as the prime suspect!

It's a wonderfully fast-paced and thrilling story, filled with witty dialogue and an amazing cast of colourful characters. (I personally loved that one of them was was an old Polish lady, Mrs. Kowalski, who reminded me of my grandma.) I was immediately drawn to the main character Nik's unique way of summarising the scene at every stage:

Now on the floor:

• dusty crumbs from stale biscuits
• three chocolate wrappers
• a crumpled tissue

Norva knelt down to look through the debris. 'Ah, there it is.'

• a small black hair pin

'Norva,' I could feel my eyes rolling, 'that's not a thing that works in real life.'

(...)

There was a satisfying clunk as the lock released itself. We look at each other, amazed.

If you or your children love a mystery story, this one should be top of your list! I wholeheartedly recommend it!