Eleven-year-old Cora Flash is ecstatic when she finally convinces her mom to let her take a train ride by herself to visit a relative in the mountains. Once on board, Cora meets a cast of intriguing characters, and stumbles upon her very own mystery: A valuable diamond has gone missing, and only one of her fellow travellers could have stolen it. It's up to our novice detective to solve the crime before the train reaches its destination – or the thief reaches Cora. This is the first book in the 'Cora Flash' series.
Ages 9-12
Review
When I was eleven years old,
I'm usually pretty picky about the kind of mysteries I love reading, so here are five clues that'll help you figure out if Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar is your kind of mystery!
1. It features a fun and young heroine
Cora Flash is probably a slightly mature version of your average eleven year old and I loved that! I can see Cora growing throughout the series and it's so great that she's a eleven year old amateur tween detective!
2. Quirky whodunnit anyone?
Whodunnits are my favourite kind of mystery! Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar was great at being a traditional whodunnit for the younger generation. The cast is colourful and quirky. The suspects range from a moody teenager, a couple on their honeymoon to an old woman with a cute dog and they ALL have a motive (who wouldn't want to steal a super precious diamond and get super rich, anyway?). I also loved how the author didn't shy away from explaining the whys and hows of different situations.
3. It's all in the cover
It's a great cover! If you like what you see, you'll probably like this book because the cover spells out what the book is all about!
4. It's a neat mystery
Everybody seems to have equal motive and the clues are there from the beginning. I hate it when mysteries are resolved by suddenly introducing a new character or are filled with red herrings... Cora Flash does not do that! From the start, you are given the suspects and everything happens in the train. I must also say the resolution was refreshing!
5. IT'S A SERIES
Oh yes, there's more. If you're looking for a simple and fun mystery series that doesn't pretend to be anything else, Cora Flash seems to be a great choice! I cannot wait for the second book in the series. The cover looks equally cute and we already know the mystery takes place in Topaz Mountain, where Cora's uncle lives.
Publication date: 3rd February, 2012
Publisher: Brown PAW Press
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Source: An e-copy of this book was provided as a part of the blog tour
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar? Well, there are two ways to enter...
- Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Cora Flash tour page.
- Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I've posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.
About the author:
Tommy Davey spent his youth writing mystery stories and plays, and watching reruns of Three's Company until every line of dialogue was permanently burned into his memory. When not writing, he enjoys traveling to favorite destinations including New York City and Paris, which he plans to feature in future stories. He lives in Toronto, where he was born and raised, with a Norfolk Terrier named Calvin. "Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar" is his first novel. Connect with Tommy on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.
Get Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Aw, this sounds like a really sweet read! I loved mysteries when I was a kid/teen too!
ReplyDeleteI loved Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew when I was growing up!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great read.
I great up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys too. My mom had the complete collection and continued to buy them to pass on. I had ALL of them! Now I try to find series as an adult. I think this would have been great if I had a little younger child! I think they would really enjoy it. WAIT I KNOW I did!Maybe I can talk the 13 year old into reading it!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Pooja. So cute including clues! I loved Cora Flash. It was such a fun read, and I'm... 27. So give it a try, folks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining us on this tour, and please take a moment to cross-post your review to Amazon and GoodReads.
Thanks,
Em
Gee, this book sounds very ADORABLE and QUIRKY, Ajoop! <3 Like you, I adore the cover very much! It seems so cute, and aww, you grew up on steady diet of Nancy Drew, Sammy Keyes, and Hardy boys? No wonder you're very creative, Ajoop! ;) I grew up reading Enid Blyton's books and Harry Potter, that's just normal I always have a thing for dormitory school. :P
ReplyDeleteAnyway, fabulous review, Ajoop! This book seems like so much fun! <3 Glad you enjoyed it a lot! :)
Hehehe, like Hilda said, this book sounds ADORABLE! I remember reading a lot of MG books when I was younger and those books really got me into reading besides YA of course ;) Cora Flash sounds like an amazing character and I'm really liking the cover so I think I'll love the story too if I get the chance to read it ;) AND YES! I LOVE MYSTERY TOO so count me in!
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Ajoop! ♥ SO glad you enjoyed it!
I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys too..this sounds like a lovely series. I am adding them to my Christmas list for my niece..i think she would love them.
ReplyDeleteAwww, this sounds so cute! I have always loved mysteries from a very early age on. Nancy Drew was my girl. I murder mystery reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express? I loved that book and movie (I've seen many versions). This wonderful for any age but I bet one of my nieces would love this! I love this blog tour Ajoop! Thanks for the amazing giveaway. :)
ReplyDelete