I picked up A Pocketful of Eyes with doubt in my heart – I was thinking “light-weight, predictable, boring”…. Bee is working a summer job at the Museum of Natural History, her best friend is not talking to her, the new guy at work is making eyes at her and her boss and mentor is found dead in the Red Rotunda. Suicide or murder?
Yes – it is a fairly light-weight, gentle crime story for teens with a bit of romance and a bit of humour thrown in. However Wilkinson does a superb job at laying red herrings and false trails Agatha Christie style.
The clues are carefully planted by Wilkinson as the ghosts of Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes provide Bee with detecting perspectives. And the gorgeous new guy on the block – is he as genuine and interested as he makes out?
This story was funny & upbeat, it was page-turning and thoroughly enjoyable. Publication date is May 2011 – something to look forward to.
Lili’s website and blog
Beatrice May Ross is smart, observant, and analytical, so when a dead body is discovered in the taxidermy department at the museum where she’s interning, she’s determined to use her sleuthing skills to solve the case. A dead body in the Red Rotunda, a mysterious benefactor, a large stuffed tiger in the catacombs, a handsome boy with a fascination for unusual animal mating habits, and a pocketful of glass eyes.
Can Beatrice sift through the clues to discover if there is a murderer in the midst? This sharp, sassy mystery has plenty of twists and turns, a dash of romance, and a splash of funny, and will keep the reader guessing right to the very end.
bronasbooks.com 