London Eye Mystery Review

Book talk: What goes up, must come down—which is why the police don’t believe Ted and Kat when they say that their cousin Salim went up the London Eye but never came back down.  But that is exactly what happened.  Ted and Kat followed his pod up and around but when it came back down, there was no Salim.  The police are exploring other possibilities, but Ted and Kat were there; they saw it happen with their own eyes.  Ted doesn’t see the world like everyone else, so perhaps his unique perspective will help him see clues that others overlook.  Ted and Kat are determined to crack the case and find their cousin, but they have to work quickly if they ever want to see him alive again.

Rocks my socks: Many novels with young detectives have premises that require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but in The London Eye Mystery Dowd created a believable premise that led to a wonderful story that is recognizably a mystery while setting itself apart in a class of its own.  Ted describes his brain as ‘running on a different operating system’ that is never explicitly named in the novel but sounds like Asperger’s Sydnrome.  The novel is told from Ted’s perspective and it is interesting to hear about the way he sees the world.  He has difficulty reading body language and social clues which adds another layer to the mystery as he tries to decipher the actions of those around him.  This first-person narrative would be great for helping tweens understand what it is like to be someone like Ted but the plot is engaging and never preachy so that they will enjoy the novel for its story primarily and learn a lesson in empathy in the process.

Rocks in my socks:   I listened to the audiobook and because the novel is narrated by Ted who is not emotional in the traditional sense, the narration comes off as very monotone.  I can see why the reader chose to do this and it makes sense but listening to a monotone for so long was difficult. I kept listening because the story was so engaging but I think this one is probably better read than listened to.

Every book its reader: I'd give it to mystery fans in grades 4 and up.

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