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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A different kind of book than some of the others in this series, i recommend death in the spotlight or first class murder if you likes this, its a better impression.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Murder
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Top Marks for Murder, the eighth of Robin Stevens's Wells and Wong mysteries, landed on my Kindle last week and because I was definitely in the mood for comfort reading I ended up starting it almost straight away. This one sees Daisy and Hazel returning to Deepdean School after their adventures in Hong Kong and London, where they find that both they and the school have changed in subtle ways. At the end of a rather awkward half-term, Daisy in particular is delighted when their dorm-mate Beanie sees what appears to be a murder from the window of the dorm, and the Detective Society swing into action to solve their next murder case.
While I think I'm coming to prefer the books in the series that are set outside Deepdean, in particular for their obvious dialogue with different classics of Golden Age detective fiction, this was still great fun. I enjoyed seeing Daisy and Hazel working with their schoolfriends to solve another crime, and the return to Deepdean really highlights how much Hazel has grown as a character over the last few books. Of course, the only problem with having read this one straight after release is that I have no idea how long I'll have to wait for the next one!
While I think I'm coming to prefer the books in the series that are set outside Deepdean, in particular for their obvious dialogue with different classics of Golden Age detective fiction, this was still great fun. I enjoyed seeing Daisy and Hazel working with their schoolfriends to solve another crime, and the return to Deepdean really highlights how much Hazel has grown as a character over the last few books. Of course, the only problem with having read this one straight after release is that I have no idea how long I'll have to wait for the next one!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The final mystery set at Deepdean School for Girls definitely went out with a bang! With the future of their school at stake, the Detective Society had its most important case yet. A bit like Death in the Spotlight, nothing adds up in this case until the Detective Society think about everything in a different way.
Although Top Marks for Murder is set at Deepdean, this is a very different Deepdean to Murder Most Unladylike and Jolly Foul Play. Everything has changed in Daisy and Hazels’ absence (which involved A Spoonful of Murder, The Case of the Missing Treasure and Death in the Spotlight). This is interesting to read, as it had been over 3 years since Jolly Foul Play when Top Marks for Murder was released (Jolly Foul Play was released in April 2016 and Top Marks for Murder was released in August 2019). But for Daisy and Hazel, the time between the two books was just over 6 months. It shows how Deepdean has rapidly changed, for good and for bad.
As I’ve said previously, this murder was the most important case that the Detective Society have had to solve. This really did ramp up the tension to a whole new level, especially on the Sunday and on the Monday, when the case was still yet to be solved. I’d say that the end of Top Marks for Murder was on par with the ending of Murder Most Unladylike (from the scene in the cloakroom onwards), in terms of tension.
This mystery was intriguing and complex, and I loved its parallels with Arsenic for Tea. Although the actual murders were similar in a way, Daisy and Hazel are very different girls from what they were like at Daisy’s 14th birthday.
Just like Death in the Spotlight, Top Marks for Murder was a series of connected mysteries that all had to be solved in sequence to find out who the murderer was. This made the book even more interesting, as there were multiple theories that could have worked – but there was only one solution to the whole murder mystery.
Overall, I really enjoyed Top Marks for Murder. I loved the new sprayed edges, and how lovely Death in the Spotlight looks next to Top Marks for Murder on my bookshelf. This was such an enjoyable and tense read, which I highly recommend to mystery fans.
The final mystery set at Deepdean School for Girls definitely went out with a bang! With the future of their school at stake, the Detective Society had its most important case yet. A bit like Death in the Spotlight, nothing adds up in this case until the Detective Society think about everything in a different way.
Although Top Marks for Murder is set at Deepdean, this is a very different Deepdean to Murder Most Unladylike and Jolly Foul Play. Everything has changed in Daisy and Hazels’ absence (which involved A Spoonful of Murder, The Case of the Missing Treasure and Death in the Spotlight). This is interesting to read, as it had been over 3 years since Jolly Foul Play when Top Marks for Murder was released (Jolly Foul Play was released in April 2016 and Top Marks for Murder was released in August 2019). But for Daisy and Hazel, the time between the two books was just over 6 months. It shows how Deepdean has rapidly changed, for good and for bad.
As I’ve said previously, this murder was the most important case that the Detective Society have had to solve. This really did ramp up the tension to a whole new level, especially on the Sunday and on the Monday, when the case was still yet to be solved. I’d say that the end of Top Marks for Murder was on par with the ending of Murder Most Unladylike (from the scene in the cloakroom onwards), in terms of tension.
This mystery was intriguing and complex, and I loved its parallels with Arsenic for Tea. Although the actual murders were similar in a way, Daisy and Hazel are very different girls from what they were like at Daisy’s 14th birthday.
Just like Death in the Spotlight, Top Marks for Murder was a series of connected mysteries that all had to be solved in sequence to find out who the murderer was. This made the book even more interesting, as there were multiple theories that could have worked – but there was only one solution to the whole murder mystery.
Overall, I really enjoyed Top Marks for Murder. I loved the new sprayed edges, and how lovely Death in the Spotlight looks next to Top Marks for Murder on my bookshelf. This was such an enjoyable and tense read, which I highly recommend to mystery fans.
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes