Laura Marlin is a very engaging character and I was positive that this would be a great 4 star book until about 30 pages before the end.

Laura's experiences have taught her to question everything, to be independent and to stand on her own two feet, so having an uncle who trusts her to be sensible, rather than lay down a list of rules, seems ideal. It’s been really fun and playful to take part in the Marlin mysteries marathon this month especially as I have been able to indulge in my creative side in making a new section of my casebook including playing with aqua brushes in my dotted journal casebook and lots of washi tape purchases (don’t tell the elf).He is horribly thin, he has bruises on his arms, and he is clearly afraid of his adopted parents the Mukhtars. It's gripping, hugely entertaining and has something special about it - I just can't put my finger on it. At one point, there’s a choice of taking a right fork and heading to the Lewis and Clark visitor center. Orphaned at birth and raised in a children’s home, she finally gets the chance to escape her dull existence when her uncle comes forward to adopt her. much more complicated and darker than expected, but it also leaves you nostalgic for a childhood you (likely) never had, full of breakfast by the sea, accompanied by a loyal Siberian Husky named Skye, roaming sand the 'colour of a Labrador puppy'.

The action of the book only really starts quite near the end and is told via some lengthy exposition. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.And when you’ve had time to enjoy the wildness and the little island, head up the trail and continue to the lighthouse. With stunning depictions of the craggy Cornish coastline and a completely compelling plot this is the perfect book to curl up with this winter. Further reading suggestion: You can read about another likeable young person who dreams of adventure and up ends solving a mystery in How Ali Ferguson Saved Houdini by Elen Caldecott, published July 2010. When Laura finds a message in a bottle, she embarks on a deadly quest, one that will test her detective skills to the limit and set her on a collision course with a gang of criminal masterminds who will stop at nothing to get their own way.

I bought this one during my vacation in 2018, so almost 6 months ago, but never was in the mood to read this one. We have been reading together and she has been reading some on her own - have found myself dashing upstairs when she is at school to catch up with where she is in the book! The heroine, 11-year-old orphan Laura Marlin, has been rescued from the children's home where she lives by her mysterious uncle, Calvin Redfern.But aside that I did love Laura and how smart she was, and that she had a dream, to become a detective. At 17, she spent a year in the UK working as a veterinary nurse before becoming a sports and music journalist. Laura longs to be adopted and eventually her wish seems to come true and she moves to Cornwall – to Dead Man’s Cove - to live with her uncle.