by Cynthia Murphy Published in the UK by Scholastic Children's Books
Mudlarking & street carts with caramelised nuts are totally new & fascinating to Niamh. Who knew London could introduce things so simple but so foreign to a young Irish country girl?
Fast-paced, gripping story from the start & a shocking discovery in chapter ONE set you up for an intriguing, creepy read!
Are you ready?
16 year-old N-I-A-M-H (Neve) has always wanted a life as an actress. This summer starts as a dream come true & she arrives in London to join a 6-week summer Performing Arts program. It's a HUGE deal just to be there but is her summer going to pan out how she expected? Not exactly! Niamh has a shaky start to her precious time in London but persuades her family to let her stay on. A volunteer drama course placement is in a museum & she's so pleased not to end up in some cheesy place.
Meeting new, like-minded people, Niamh is able to make friends, including the library manager. The library seems in the running for her comfortable / happy place from the outset.
Mysteries & so much history just waiting to be discovered & Niamh wants to know everything. The puzzles just have so many missing pieces along the way they have to live each element to complete the story.
It just isn't the version of drama that Niamh was planning to fill her summer weeks in London.
Danger & creepy-factor weave their way throughout the book taking us along for the ride. Kindness & friendship make an appearance but who can we really trust? How do we know or choose? Just when you're ready for Niamh's next course project things take another turn & details emerge but the whole picture is hidden in a metaphoric London fog. Is the portrait of an historic figure at the museum a coincidental Niamh look-alike?
Details & crumbs of mystery are sprinkled through the chapters but how do we connect the dots?
Clever writing & use of scene-switching like very well-executed edits on a Casey Neistat video, make for very exciting reading.
You'll have to keep reading once you've started this one. You just can't help but like Niamh & cheer her along.
Expect the unexpected.
* Also: look out for Cynthia Murphy's next book 'Head Girl' *
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