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glitterkitter's review against another edition
3.0
This was a case of I really wanted to like this book more, because there's so much about the plot that I really enjoyed. But I didn't enjoy the characters, in ways I can't entirely put my finger on.
And it included a few of my pet peeves about things:
1. the protagonist is vaguely dismissive towards her mother's nerdiness even though the protagonist is nerdy in a different way, as if being into mystery novels is better than being into sci fi/fantasy. (there is nothing outright said, but it felt implied to me) (also, I've only played one game of D&D, but I have friends who play a lot, and there's a thing that happens that I don't think is actually how D&D goes)
2. There's a case of the protagonist being unaware of her actions until she's actually done them. This is like the not-aware-she-said-it-out-loud thing for me. I don't mind characters doing things impulsively before they stop themselves, but not being aware of it until it's done? No.
3. Love interest kisses the protagonist to shut her up.
4. kissing someone solves all the relationship problems. No, you need to communicate.
And it included a few of my pet peeves about things:
1. the protagonist is vaguely dismissive towards her mother's nerdiness even though the protagonist is nerdy in a different way, as if being into mystery novels is better than being into sci fi/fantasy. (there is nothing outright said, but it felt implied to me) (also, I've only played one game of D&D, but I have friends who play a lot, and there's a thing that happens that I don't think is actually how D&D goes)
2. There's a case of the protagonist being unaware of her actions until she's actually done them. This is like the not-aware-she-said-it-out-loud thing for me. I don't mind characters doing things impulsively before they stop themselves, but not being aware of it until it's done? No.
3. Love interest kisses the protagonist to shut her up.
4. kissing someone solves all the relationship problems. No, you need to communicate.
asmushy's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.25/5
Disclaimer: I found this picture while I was not looking for sexy guys with glasses, and I think he is perfect for Toby.
Favorite quote:
I think I’m in love with Aussie authors. And don’t let the cover or the title misleads you, they make perfect sense once you read the book. Especially the cover *swoon*
Every single book I read was absolutely brilliant, with wittiness and funny dialogues and characters adorably engaging.
Beatrice Bee Ross has been a mystery-novel hardcore fanatic since her 11 years old birthday. She knows by heart every work of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. She even has the notebook, the magnifying glass and the lipstick to go with it.
For her summer job, she’s working as an assistant in the taxidermy lab of the natural museum. Just day after a new, annoyingly cute and trivia-nerd university boy with knee-melting kisses comes to work in her lab, her boss Gus is found dead in the Red Rotunda, with a bottle of mercury chloride in his hand and pocketful of glass eyes.
While everything points out that Gus committed suicide, Bee can’t shake the feeling that his death is a not self-inflicted: so she decides to embrace her Nancy Drew side and takes it upon herself to uncover the truth and solve the case.
Easier said than done.
This book was not the cheesy or a poor imitation of a teenage spy-detective I thought it would be. Bee was smart but not a genius; she had good instinct was very methodic by listing her thoughts and asking questions and trying to figure out the missing pieces of the puzzle but not every clue fell in her lap. She kept reminding herself that her life is no detective novel and she wasn’t after all perfect Nancy or Trixie. She had common sense but her flaws made her a very likable girl.
The mystery she was working on was a good one; Wilkinson did a very good job with messing with my head in an Agatha-Christie-ish way and then baffled me at the end; I admit that I didn’t see that one coming at all!
The relationship with Toby was crush-worthy and melt-your-heart-with-cuteness; he was such a nerd with his fascination for animals mating habits and trying to be the Watson to her Holmes. They had very good chemistry and their banter and flirtation was cunningly sweet and sexy.
Disclaimer: I found this picture while I was not looking for sexy guys with glasses, and I think he is perfect for Toby.
Favorite quote:
Life wasn’t a detective novel. You couldn’t just be objective and stand back and believe everything would work itself out. Life was messy and had a way of tangling you up in its messiness and making everything all knotted and confusing. Not every crime had a villain. Not every question had an answer. Not every mystery had a neat solution.
I think I’m in love with Aussie authors. And don’t let the cover or the title misleads you, they make perfect sense once you read the book. Especially the cover *swoon*
Every single book I read was absolutely brilliant, with wittiness and funny dialogues and characters adorably engaging.
Beatrice Bee Ross has been a mystery-novel hardcore fanatic since her 11 years old birthday. She knows by heart every work of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. She even has the notebook, the magnifying glass and the lipstick to go with it.
For her summer job, she’s working as an assistant in the taxidermy lab of the natural museum. Just day after a new, annoyingly cute and trivia-nerd university boy with knee-melting kisses comes to work in her lab, her boss Gus is found dead in the Red Rotunda, with a bottle of mercury chloride in his hand and pocketful of glass eyes.
While everything points out that Gus committed suicide, Bee can’t shake the feeling that his death is a not self-inflicted: so she decides to embrace her Nancy Drew side and takes it upon herself to uncover the truth and solve the case.
Easier said than done.
This book was not the cheesy or a poor imitation of a teenage spy-detective I thought it would be. Bee was smart but not a genius; she had good instinct was very methodic by listing her thoughts and asking questions and trying to figure out the missing pieces of the puzzle but not every clue fell in her lap. She kept reminding herself that her life is no detective novel and she wasn’t after all perfect Nancy or Trixie. She had common sense but her flaws made her a very likable girl.
The mystery she was working on was a good one; Wilkinson did a very good job with messing with my head in an Agatha-Christie-ish way and then baffled me at the end; I admit that I didn’t see that one coming at all!
The relationship with Toby was crush-worthy and melt-your-heart-with-cuteness; he was such a nerd with his fascination for animals mating habits and trying to be the Watson to her Holmes. They had very good chemistry and their banter and flirtation was cunningly sweet and sexy.
stephlg's review against another edition
4.0
"Simple things were deceptive and amazing because behind them were millions of layers of meaning and complexity, all hidden beneath the facade of simplicity."
b_robinson's review against another edition
4.0
“Just because the world was simple, it didn’t mean there wasn’t any room for the occasional mystery”
Bee Ross has a summer job at the Melbourne Natural History museum in the Taxidermy Lab. A cute uni boy starts working there, and on the same day, her boss commits suicide. But she doesn’t buy it, and pulling from her childhood passion for mystery and detectives, she and Toby (aforementioned cute uni boy) start the hunt for Gus’s murderer.
Overall, I give this book a 3.5. I think Lili Wilkinson did a very good job tying together all the clues and creating a well thought out and surprising ending. I loved Bee because she tried to look at things logically, but sometimes she couldn’t always keep to her objective approach.
I felt like the story would very abruptly change from a crime/mystery to a romance and back again. It’s probably just me, but I got a little bit annoyed with that, because Toby and Bee would be doing some serious detective work, and then all of a sudden they’re in this moment of passion. AND THEN they have some disagreement and we’re back to Bee fuming about what happened and serious detective work. But as I said, it’s probably just me.
This book made me laugh so hard whenever Toby came out with some ridiculous and unnecessary trivia, and it had an ending that was so simple it made me want to throw my hands up, say “How did I not see that?!” And then laugh. All in all, I did like it. I think she did a good job of mixing detectives, YA and a bit of romance, and I would recommend this to people who love mystery with a little something extra on the side.
Bee Ross has a summer job at the Melbourne Natural History museum in the Taxidermy Lab. A cute uni boy starts working there, and on the same day, her boss commits suicide. But she doesn’t buy it, and pulling from her childhood passion for mystery and detectives, she and Toby (aforementioned cute uni boy) start the hunt for Gus’s murderer.
Overall, I give this book a 3.5. I think Lili Wilkinson did a very good job tying together all the clues and creating a well thought out and surprising ending. I loved Bee because she tried to look at things logically, but sometimes she couldn’t always keep to her objective approach.
I felt like the story would very abruptly change from a crime/mystery to a romance and back again. It’s probably just me, but I got a little bit annoyed with that, because Toby and Bee would be doing some serious detective work, and then all of a sudden they’re in this moment of passion. AND THEN they have some disagreement and we’re back to Bee fuming about what happened and serious detective work. But as I said, it’s probably just me.
This book made me laugh so hard whenever Toby came out with some ridiculous and unnecessary trivia, and it had an ending that was so simple it made me want to throw my hands up, say “How did I not see that?!” And then laugh. All in all, I did like it. I think she did a good job of mixing detectives, YA and a bit of romance, and I would recommend this to people who love mystery with a little something extra on the side.
jowillread's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
“She had carried a detective kit everywhere she went, containing a magnifiying glass, a pair of rubber gloves, a notebook, a sharpened pencil, a battered Miss Marple novel and a lipstick, because, as Nancy Drew had taught her, lipstick wasn’t just for glamour….”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
This book was fun fun fun but now I have the overwhelming urge to go to the Manchester Museum.
High Points.
Museums. Taxidermy. Mystery. Murder. Stuffed tigers. Glass eyes. Fun facts. Wheelie chairs. RPG mums. Detective worship. Ms Wilkinson’s sense of humour. Frozen koalas. Glass cabinets. Conspiracy. Science. Nobel Prizes. Girls who are happy to be intelligent and don’t dumb themselves down for a boy. Cut boys in glasses. Cute boys in glasses eating doughnuts. Corruption. Beetroot. Porcupine urine. Sheep vaginas….yeah, those last two probably need more explanation.
Low Points.
I am a huuuuuge detective fiction fan. If it is to do with detectives… there is a safe chance that I will watch/read/live it and love it unconditionally. There has only been one occasion where that is not true (Sherlock… there’s something about Benedick Cumberbatch that doesn’t sit with me…he looks like I imagine Mister Mistoffelees would look like without the make-up. *cough* Yeaaaah…).
I took a module called ‘Detective Fiction’ at uni and got my highest mark in it, writing a bitchin’ essay on Sir Holmes, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. I have had my picture taken next to 221B Baker Street and posed like a complete fangirl and bought a leather bookmark with a mandolin on it and tried on a deerstalker, and then politely placed it back on the shelf when it was like A MILLION POUNDS.
I worship at the altar of Detective Jack Frost, Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and Gil Grissom.
I also do a mean impression of Taggart’s famous line. Although, there’s a lot of spittle involved when I try and roll my ‘r’s.
But anyway, back to this book. I am the first person to admit that sometimes fictional mysteries are a bit ridiculous and implausible (practically every episode of CSI, but I still adore it). But the mystery in this book was completely ridiculous and a bit silly and really implausible.
BUT… I didn’t guess it, which I think counts for a lot. And I still really loved this book... but it did bother me quite a bit.
Also, I could have done without the whole best friend/ ex- boyfriend shenanigans.
And, what the eff is a spearmint milkshake? Nearly lost my lunch when I read that.
Heroine.
Bee. You are a girl after my own heart. You are the Australian Veronica Mars. You work in a museum. You like mysteries. You ask yourself ‘What Would Poirot Do?’ when you’re in a jam. You see yourself as Nancy Drew. You like science. You read detective novels. You reminded me of a young Temperence Brennan (in the TV serious, Book Brennan is a bit more intense) in the earlier series when you were actually cool and not completely oblivious to everything in the entire world. You are inquisitive.
But you don’t like theme parks? Or popcorn? What is wrong with you?
And you also are extremely indecisive and flaky when it comes to boys. Just kiss the cute boy dammit. No need to ask questions.
I think if she had met Toby, Agatha would have approved. And Poirot would have given you a high five.
Love Interest.
Oh Toby. I couldn’t read your name without thinking of Olivia Flaversham and her ridiculous Scottish accent in Basil the Great Mouse Detective (coincidence? I think not!). But that’s fine, because I love that film regardless of the fact that Rattigan used to scare the pants off me.
ANYWAY.
OK, I completely fell in love with you from the first time you were on the page. And it wasn’t just because of the doughnuts. Well, OK, maybe a little bit because of the doughnuts.
You are sweet, cute, sound HOT, clever and you are adventurous.
And I’ve always had a thing about scientists…
But… please lose the hipster glasses. They upset me greatly. Unless they are prescription because that’s fine.
Our babies would just be blind as a blind bat.
Theme Tune.
Seeing as it’s Australia Week, I have given myself a quest to pick Theme Tunes from Australian bands/artists.
So…
Inject the Venom by ACDC
No brainer.
Also. Because I cannot believe I forgot to mention this next band in my Favourite Things About Australia list ……I have set myself another challenge.
Strictly Savage Garden Story Song
Yeah, I might work on that alliteration.
THAT’S RIGHT. They were my favourite band when I was younger. Me and Darren…. We’ve been through a lot. (Also used to fancy theleather pants off him.)
For every book I read I have to reluctantly trawl through my Savage Garden albums and come up with a song.
Such a chore.
*fist pump*
Some of them will be a little… uh.. abstract.
The Animal Song by Savage Garden.
Because about 75% of my knowledge of animal mating habits (and animal sexual organs) have come from this book.
Boy Angst.
6/10. There was a lot of backward-and-forwarding with Bee and Toby and it got a bit ridiculous. If a boy wants to make out with you in exciting and completely bizarre places.
Just go with it.
Also… this Fletch chap? WHAT. Boring. Move on to said adventurous kisser.
Sadness Scale.
1/10. Nada. Well.. I tell a lie. There was a bit of a pulling of heartstrings when the big reveal was… um revealed. But other than that… nada. This book was heaps of fun and if you are looking for a nice, quick read… definitely pick this one up.
Recommended For.
People who have been craving a fun YA detective book. People who like it when their heroine is clever and doesn't pretend not to be when a cute boy is in the vicinity. People who have always wondered how they make the stuffed animals in museums. People who find tigers oddly arousing. People who always manage to get half of their sandwich down them when they are eating. People who like to learn about the mating habits of molluscs. People who live in the sixteen states in America where necrophilia is a considered a crime… the rest, is it just frowned upon/strongly advised against?! People who are bored with having ‘kissing in the rain’ as the epitome of hot, sexy kissing. Boys who kiss in the rain… you have officially been usurped.
“She had carried a detective kit everywhere she went, containing a magnifiying glass, a pair of rubber gloves, a notebook, a sharpened pencil, a battered Miss Marple novel and a lipstick, because, as Nancy Drew had taught her, lipstick wasn’t just for glamour….”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
This book was fun fun fun but now I have the overwhelming urge to go to the Manchester Museum.
High Points.
Museums. Taxidermy. Mystery. Murder. Stuffed tigers. Glass eyes. Fun facts. Wheelie chairs. RPG mums. Detective worship. Ms Wilkinson’s sense of humour. Frozen koalas. Glass cabinets. Conspiracy. Science. Nobel Prizes. Girls who are happy to be intelligent and don’t dumb themselves down for a boy. Cut boys in glasses. Cute boys in glasses eating doughnuts. Corruption. Beetroot. Porcupine urine. Sheep vaginas….yeah, those last two probably need more explanation.
Low Points.
I am a huuuuuge detective fiction fan. If it is to do with detectives… there is a safe chance that I will watch/read/
I took a module called ‘Detective Fiction’ at uni and got my highest mark in it, writing a bitchin’ essay on Sir Holmes, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. I have had my picture taken next to 221B Baker Street and posed like a complete fangirl and bought a leather bookmark with a mandolin on it and tried on a deerstalker, and then politely placed it back on the shelf when it was like A MILLION POUNDS.
I worship at the altar of Detective Jack Frost, Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and Gil Grissom.
I also do a mean impression of Taggart’s famous line. Although, there’s a lot of spittle involved when I try and roll my ‘r’s.
But anyway, back to this book. I am the first person to admit that sometimes fictional mysteries are a bit ridiculous and implausible (practically every episode of CSI, but I still adore it). But the mystery in this book was completely ridiculous and a bit silly and really implausible.
BUT… I didn’t guess it, which I think counts for a lot. And I still really loved this book... but it did bother me quite a bit.
Also, I could have done without the whole best friend/ ex- boyfriend shenanigans.
And, what the eff is a spearmint milkshake? Nearly lost my lunch when I read that.
Heroine.
Bee. You are a girl after my own heart. You are the Australian Veronica Mars. You work in a museum. You like mysteries. You ask yourself ‘What Would Poirot Do?’ when you’re in a jam. You see yourself as Nancy Drew. You like science. You read detective novels. You reminded me of a young Temperence Brennan (in the TV serious, Book Brennan is a bit more intense) in the earlier series when you were actually cool and not completely oblivious to everything in the entire world. You are inquisitive.
But you don’t like theme parks? Or popcorn? What is wrong with you?
And you also are extremely indecisive and flaky when it comes to boys. Just kiss the cute boy dammit. No need to ask questions.
I think if she had met Toby, Agatha would have approved. And Poirot would have given you a high five.
Love Interest.
Oh Toby. I couldn’t read your name without thinking of Olivia Flaversham and her ridiculous Scottish accent in Basil the Great Mouse Detective (coincidence? I think not!). But that’s fine, because I love that film regardless of the fact that Rattigan used to scare the pants off me.
ANYWAY.
OK, I completely fell in love with you from the first time you were on the page. And it wasn’t just because of the doughnuts. Well, OK, maybe a little bit because of the doughnuts.
You are sweet, cute, sound HOT, clever and you are adventurous.
And I’ve always had a thing about scientists…
But… please lose the hipster glasses. They upset me greatly. Unless they are prescription because that’s fine.
Theme Tune.
Seeing as it’s Australia Week, I have given myself a quest to pick Theme Tunes from Australian bands/artists.
So…
Inject the Venom by ACDC
No brainer.
Also. Because I cannot believe I forgot to mention this next band in my Favourite Things About Australia list ……I have set myself another challenge.
Strictly Savage Garden Story Song
Yeah, I might work on that alliteration.
THAT’S RIGHT. They were my favourite band when I was younger. Me and Darren…. We’ve been through a lot. (Also used to fancy the
For every book I read I have to reluctantly trawl through my Savage Garden albums and come up with a song.
Such a chore.
*fist pump*
Some of them will be a little… uh.. abstract.
The Animal Song by Savage Garden.
Because about 75% of my knowledge of animal mating habits (and animal sexual organs) have come from this book.
Boy Angst.
6/10. There was a lot of backward-and-forwarding with Bee and Toby and it got a bit ridiculous. If a boy wants to make out with you in exciting and completely bizarre places.
Just go with it.
Also… this Fletch chap? WHAT. Boring. Move on to said adventurous kisser.
Sadness Scale.
1/10. Nada. Well.. I tell a lie. There was a bit of a pulling of heartstrings when the big reveal was… um revealed. But other than that… nada. This book was heaps of fun and if you are looking for a nice, quick read… definitely pick this one up.
Recommended For.
People who have been craving a fun YA detective book. People who like it when their heroine is clever and doesn't pretend not to be when a cute boy is in the vicinity. People who have always wondered how they make the stuffed animals in museums. People who find tigers oddly arousing. People who always manage to get half of their sandwich down them when they are eating. People who like to learn about the mating habits of molluscs. People who live in the sixteen states in America where necrophilia is a considered a crime… the rest, is it just frowned upon/strongly advised against?! People who are bored with having ‘kissing in the rain’ as the epitome of hot, sexy kissing. Boys who kiss in the rain… you have officially been usurped.
missusb21's review
My two favourite detectives - Trixie Belden & Veronica Mars. Nice.
maree_k's review
5.0
This is a really fun book and something fresh on the YA scene. I love a quirky, smart protagonist (who's a bit of a dag as well) and Bea is just that. The pace is fast, dialogue is pitch perfect and each of the characters is well-rounded. The mystery really is a mystery and although there were clues along the way the ending came as a surprise to me - but it all made sense! If I had to nitpick, (and this is nitpicking) the mother character was a bit annoying - maybe she was just a little too different. But this is a great read, witty, clever and lots of fun. Highly recommended.