The Mystery of Smugglers Cove (The Mystery Series, Book 1) (the Mystery Series, #1)

by Paul Moxham

Bit simplistic for my own tastes but will no doubt be a hit with young children who enjoy a bit of mystery and adventure. Reminds me a bit of The Three Investigators series or Teen Power Inc - inspires a nostalgic feeling of old school mysteries. And maybe a bit of Scooby Doo with the stereotypical bad guy. The four main characters fall into an easy friendship although I found the first meeting with Will to be kind of awkward. But it establishes the friendship and this allows the plot to move on at a fast clip.

And this is probably irrelevant for most readers but as an adult I have to say Joe not leaving a note really irritated me. It was so dumb. I know, it's fiction but ARGH! If you're going to look for danger - at least let someone know where you are. Of course the mother then sending her eight and ten year olds to look for him is also ridiculous but I get that it's aiming for a historical vibe. And to be fair, the kids aren't idiots. They have some practical and creative ideas to deal with their problems.

The mystery was pretty straightforward, bit of a comedy of errors though. There's lots of hiding running and falling. But it's all wrapped up nicely with no loose ends or lingering questions, so all round a satisfying read.

3 stars.