The Hornville Museum in Widdlington is a stunning place to visit, especially if you like looking at taxidermy created by someone with a disinterest in making sure the front half of the creature matches the back half. But then the lights go out, and when they come back on again, the famous Widdlington Eagle, a heavy statue, has disappeared without trace and the security guard lies dead on the floor, killed with a poisoned dart. Oh, and the door was very, very locked.

Luckily, Bonnie Montgomery, a 10 year-old girl was in the museum at the time. And even better, so was the world renowned detective Montgomery Bonbon – especially as they are one and the same person, give or take a coat, a hat, a false moustache and an accent that ricochets about Europe at will. And this will be her greatest case yet… she might even manage to make a new friend!

You may recall I reviewed the fourth Montgomery Bonbon mystery, Sabotage At Sea on my blogging buddy Jim’s recommendation and absolutely loved it and decided to go back to the beginning. And it’s a wonderful beginning.

There’s such a clear love for the genre from Alastair Beckett-King. The solution to the murder is more complicated than most cosy mysteries and yet still perfectly clear and followable. And clever. Yes, there’s a whiff of one or two of the classics – one in particular but silly old me completely missed it – but the pieces are put together in a clever way.

This is far more than just a mystery though, it’s a perfect book for kids who like to read. Bonnie is a lovely character, a lonely girl who finds something of a release behind her false moustache. The parts of the story where she finds a new friend her own age (rather than her grandfather) are just lovely, as is her excitement at meeting someone who’s one of her heroes.

And the pictures are great too – and it’s not just the pictures bringing the book to life. The sections during the blackouts are white on black rather than the norm is one of the lovely touches that enhance the book.

All in all, a lovely way to indoctrinate the young ones into the ways of the mystery novel – and us old ones will have a great time too.