Death in the Spotlight

If your children are reading this book, it's important to know that they focus on lesbianism. One of the characters discovers that she has feelings for a woman and it is mentioned often. I was okay with the brief mention of a relationship between two girls in a previous book, but felt that this was too much for my daughter to read.

This book it quite interesting, my child kept going on and in about how much she loved this book and even insisted on me reading it

Another exciting adventure for amateur detectives, Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, who this time encounter murder and mystery in a theatre setting. Sent to the Rue Theatre by Daisy's Uncle Felix, who wants to keep the two girls occupied and out of mischief, Hazel and Daisy find themselves playing bit parts in a new production of Romeo and Juliet and are soon embroiled in the excitement and rivalries of theatre life. Before long, one of the cast members is murdered (of course!) and the body is discovered by our intrepid duo. Can the girls work out who murderer is and stop them before they move on to their next target? And what will Uncle Felix say when he learns that Daisy and Hazel have become involved in yet another dangerous escapade?A very readable and enjoyable story and a seventh mystery for our two indefatigable amateur detectives who continue to entertain their readers with their investigative endeavours. As usual, the two girls complement each other well, with Daisy being the more daring and intuitive of the duo and Hazel being the more cautious and practical; however, this story (like its predecessor) is an interesting one in that we see Hazel becoming more confident in herself, and the normally overly-confident Daisy feeling rather unsure of herself when she becomes attracted to the feisty Martita; in fact the author looks at more than one same sex relationship in this book, in addition to focusing a little more on people of different race/colour. Although reading this as an adult there were areas where I had to suspend my disbelief - for example, how likely is it that a police inspector would allow two young girls to assist him in his murder enquiries and allow one of them to hide in a cupboard to listen to witness/suspect statements? That said, I very much enjoyed this little story, despite not being the target age of the book and, more importantly, the young person I bought this for thoroughly enjoyed it and became totally caught up in the story. We are now looking forward to another adventure with Hazel and Daisy - so, book number eight: 'Top Marks for Murder', here we come!4 Stars.

For me there is nothing more joyful than a new ‘Murder Most Unladylike,’ story. I am and will always be, a loyal member of the Detective Society.  This time I had to wait patiently ( I was definitely not patient) whilst my youngest daughter read it. There were lots of sharp intakes of breath and exclamations of how much I would enjoy it, reader let me tell you this did not do much to improve my patience. ‘Death in the Spotlight,’ transports our marvellous heroines Daisy and Hazel to the dark and dingy world behind the glorious façade of the theatre. Cast into tiny roles to keep them out of mischief and danger (they really never learn, do they those grown ups?) they soon find themselves embroiled in a world filled with jealousy, dark threats and intense rivalry. Naturally this comes to head with the shocking death of one of the cast members and as opening night looms closer can they solve the crime before it’s too late. Once again I failed miserably to spot the culprit, this deliciously dark mystery will keep you guessing right to the very end. Wonderfully diverse, I wish there were more contemporary stories as thoughtfully written. Robin excels in creating intriguing , compelling characters who readers wish to engage with. I am already eagerly anticipating the next book in this magnificent series, bravo Robin another triumph in storytelling.

“Everyone knew how to play a part. How could I be sure which of their emotions were real, and which were for the audience?“In this latest Murder Most Unladylike mystery, Hazel and Daisy are forced by Daisy’s kind uncle and aunt to become part of the Rue Theatre’s production of Romeo & Juliet to keep them occupied and out of danger. Though of course, danger has an uncanny way of finding them.Like the classic Christie mysteries, this tale sets up its characters and the setting brilliantly. It’s a fun book for younger readers that doesn’t shy away from meaningful issues. Stevens also does a great job of weaving in text from Shakespeare's plays and there's even a dash of Poe.The ending left me slightly cold at its implausibility though I can of course say no more. The ending wouldn’t turn me off reading more of these books and indeed, this is the seventh I have read in the series.A real page-turner in a fabulous London theatrical setting with great characters!

My 11 year old daughter loved this book. It was different to her usual choice but it came highly recommended so she decided to give it a try. She has since read the following 3 titles in the series as it was so good!

Good book to read. Soft cover. Darker paper pages as made of recycled paper.