Montgomery Bonbon: Death at the Lighthouse by Alasdair Beckett-King

Title: Montgomery Bonbon: Death at the Lighthouse

Author: Alasdair Beckett-King

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Walker Books Australia

Published: 4^th October 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: The second instalment in a brilliantly clever, funny and highly illustrated murder mystery series

The most troublesome thing about being a detective is that it is almost impossible to go on holiday.

When Bonnie Montgomery finally gets a break from cracking cases as her alter-ego, Montgomery Bonbon, something terribly fishy happens the moment she and Grampa Banks arrive on Odde Island for half-term – and it’s not just the smell of the harbour. There’s been a mysterious death at Leerie Lighthouse, and what everyone assumed was an accident is setting Bonbon’s moustache all a-quiver: a sure sign that something is Highly Suspicious.

When a second death takes place on the other side of the island, Bonnie is sure the two are connected. But can she solve this case alone, or will she need double the detectives to solve double the murder?

~*~

Bonnie Montgomery and her grandfather, Grampa Banks are off on a half-term holiday to Odde Island and Leerie Lighthouse. Bonnie is all set for a break from school and her crime-solving alter-ego, a detective called Montgomery Bonbon. Alas, trouble, crime, and mysteries seem to follow Bonnie and Montgomery everywhere. When Bonnie and Grampa find out that the lighthouse keeper, Maude Cragge has died, Bonnie knows that Montgomery Bonbon needs to help Especial Constable Roz Baillie find out what happened – in all the ways that Montgomery uses, of course.

So, Montgomery Bonbon starts to investigate, and everyone is a suspect, from those at the Bright Phoebus Bed and Breakfast, to the mayor, and the Order of the Golden Fleece. But Montgomery Bonbon has one obstacle – Dana, who knows that Montgomery is Bonnie’s alter-ego. Hopefully, the two friends will team up, and work together to find out who the killer is and why they killed Maude. It’s not easy – everyone on Odde Island is either too helpful or trying to hinder the investigation. Even Especial Constable Roz Baillie is having trouble as red herrings are flung at them left, right, and centre. Uncovering this killer is going to be hard work!

 But Bonnie/Montgomery is up to the challenge, and even though I came into this series with the second book, it is one of those series where the things we need to know from the first book are mentioned, but that also entice readers to go back and read the first book as well. It will be interesting and fun to do that when I’ve got time to do so. This book cleverly continues the story whilst being its own entity, similar to Agatha Christie’s books. The main link appears to be the characters – as far as I can tell – rather than an overarching plot, so this is nice, because it is the kind of series I feel a reader could pick up at any stage, go back and read what they haven’t read and not miss anything.

The clues are revealed slowly – as they should be, and the story meanders around the island. Everyone needs to reveal themselves throughout, it seems, and the pace ensures that everything is delivered when it needs to be, rather than being rushed, forced, or left out. This helped create a tight plot and one that I wanted to see play out, one that kept me reading. Bonnie as Montgomery mirrors the classic detectives and uses the tropes well – red herrings, disguises, being nosy – it all works well and a child detective like this worked really well for me. It is always interesting to see how child detectives are written and each take seems to bring something new to the table – for all readers, because I think this book and series may have wide appeal for a range of readers. It will be great for classroom reading, book clubs, or reading alone for all ages from nine or ten and over.

I like these books because they’re like a gentle break between some of the intense young adult or adult crime that I read. There is death and a mystery, but here, it has the essence of a cosy crime, where the violence doesn’t appear on the page, and there are times when this is exactly what I want as a reader. The mix shows me how versatile the crime genre can be and how different authors might approach a similar crime or theme when they are writing their stories. Montgomery Bonbon is a wonderful series and I can’t wait to see where it goes.