The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet

Mizzy is 12 ¾ and desperate to show her family that she’s not a baby anymore. She longs to be a great detective like her TV hero, but that’s easier said than done when there are never any ‘real’ mysteries around to solve.   

Then, staying with her cousins for the holidays, she discovers secret diaries belonging to her great aunt – with the last entry written just before she died. And Bingo! Mizzy finally has her mystery – in fact, possibly even a murder. Can she uncover the truth? And will all her relatives finally start to take her seriously?  

Mizzy is a delightful hero and a determined junior detective. Any young reader will relate to the way she pursues adventure and intrigue, and her frustration when she gets things wrong. Mizzy has Down’s Syndrome, but (apart from still having to wear armbands) this really doesn’t hold her back, although (frustratingly for the near-teenager) it does sometimes bring out the protective nature in those around her. The author has many years’ experience working with children who have Down’s Syndrome. 

This absorbing, accessible story makes for a perfect ‘first’ murder mystery – packed with all the right ingredients like clues, red herrings, twists and turns, but nothing gruesome or gory. A total delight!