Publication Date: 10th Oct 2024
Genre: Middle-Grade Mystery
4 Stars
One Liner: Enjoy the chilly mystery!
Young George is excited to spend Christmas with his Dad and Grandpa at the rented house named Wintertide. When he sees a sudden light on the cliff and hears about a dead body found in the sea, George wonders if the events are connected. Isla, his cousin, seems to have the same doubts. Soon, the tweens band together to find out more and solve the mystery, not realizing that it could very well put their lives at risk.
The story comes in George’s first-person POV in the present tense.
My Thoughts:
The book starts with a short prologue about a body drifting in and out of the sea in the third-person POV. Then, it switches to George’s first-person narrative in the present tense. The kid and his dad are traveling to meet their family for joint celebrations (Grandpa’s birthday and Christmas).
There’s a bit of a mystery right in the beginning about some people arguing on the road. We slowly get more information about the family dynamics, new members, the boy’s favorite ones, etc. Since it is in his POV, we don’t always know much about the others. However, this slowly changes and the undercurrents become clearer.
The setting is perfect for the mystery. Lyme Regis is a coastal town, a bit away from the mainline. It has high cliffs, an extensive beach, and beautiful streets. The weather alternates between windy, rainy, snowy, and chilly. Naturally, this makes the mystery more interesting.
The other kid, Isla is sweet. George is a different kind of sweet. Both are easy to like and root for. Their contrasting personalities and the slowly budding friendship between the new cousins add a nice personal touch to the plot. Of course, there are many other personal elements since this is a family trip.
The mystery blends archeology, history, action, adventure, danger, some attempted sleuthing, and all the things children would love. As expected, the kids get into situations that could be way dangerous in real life. At least, the adults here are not fully absent. They do try to keep the children safe, and the kids also realize they are getting into tricky stuff (even if it doesn’t stop them).
The culprit is easy to guess thanks to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) clues scattered throughout. It should keep the young readers engaged and make them guess about the whos and whys.
There’s some light humor sprinkled at random, making George an entertaining narrator. I like the subtle change in him as things change towards the end.
The ending is heartwarming and sweet, just as how it should be for the target age group. There are some bittersweet moments too, but hope and love do triumph over everything else.
To summarize, Murder at Wintertide is a steady-paced mystery with young sleuths solving a crime and discovering more than what they want. This is my first book by the author, and I’m curious to read more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Nosy Crow, for eARC.
#NetGalley #MurderAtWintertide
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