Cluedle – The Case of the Golden Pomegranate by Hartigan Browne

It is time to solve another mystery, this time on board a ship in the Case of the Golden Pomegranate. Alota Vibratto’s safe has been broken into and it is up to you to solve the puzzles and follow the trail of the golden pomegranate.

The second book in the series follows the same format as the first whereby in order to solve the crime, you have to solve a series of puzzles, each one leading you towards the culprit. Again, there is a good range of puzzles to appeal to all age ranges – this is the perfect book to read and solve together as a family.

I really liked the setting and found it very educational for younger children with an introduction to the Ancient Greek civilisation. Younger history fans will love the use of Greek letters and gods to help solve the puzzles. I also loved how there is an element of map reading involved with some puzzles requiring a knowledge of co-ordinates. Although some of the puzzles can be challenging, there are clues given throughout which are really helpful.

A great second book in the series!

With thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books and Net Galley for my copy.

Cluedle – The Case of the Dumpleton Diamond by Hartigan Browne

You are now a member of the Hartigan Browne Detective Agency, Browne being arguably Britain’s greatest detective. His success in previous cases has led to him being overworked and in need of some assistance – this is where you come in. Dave the dog has been pup-napped and it is up to you to find out why and who the culprit is. This is the first of many puzzles that will, hopefully, lead you to the discovery of the Dumpleton Diamond.

Although this has been published by Macmillan Children’s Books, it is most definitely not just for children. The puzzles are challenging enough for adults to get enjoyment from with clues to help younger children if they get a bit stuck. There is a good range of puzzles, from codes to logic problems, picture puzzles to anagrams so that there is something here for everyone.

The story that runs through the book is a good one and kept me engaged throughout – this is one of those books where you keep telling yourself, ‘one more page…’ until you have finished it in a couple of sittings!

If you are looking for a slightly different read, one that will get the old grey matter working, then this is the book for you. Great fun for all the family, I am pleased to see that there is already a second book in the pipeline!

With thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books and Net Galley for my copy.

Monthly Round Up – March 2024

Happy Easter! A varied set of books were read in March!

Books I Have Read

Dig Two Graves by Helen H Durrant

In this, the first of a new series, we meet Hedley Sharpe, a detective of the old school. When two bodies are found near each other only days apart, Sharpe is convinced that there is a link to a notorious criminal. When a connection is made to another case he is investigating, he realises that this is a bigger story than he originally thought.

Gin and Phonics by Clara Batten

Despite being oblivious to the author’s Tik Tok fame, this looked like my sort of book. A hilarious look at motherhood and her determination to become an actress, I loved this light-hearted audiobook. Fans of Gill Sims will find this really enjoyable.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

When Annie is summoned to meet her great-aunt Frances, she was not expecting to find her dead. Discovering that Frances knew that one day she would be murdered, Annie sets out to investigate, putting her own life in danger in the process. Taking the features of a classic whodunnit but with a more modern twist, this is a great read and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Cluedle: The Case of the Dumpleton Diamond by Hartigan Browne

Although this is a children’s book, puzzle-loving adults will love it! Told in several linked mysteries, readers have to solve problems and puzzles in order to progress to the next chapter. A really fun book with just the right level of challenge that makes this a great read for the whole family.

Books I Have Acquired

Can you work out Cluedunnit? For mystery fans, a brand new puzzle book for code-cracking families and skilful young super sleuths.

Team up with world famous private investigator Hartigan Browne and crack the curious case of the Dumpleton Diamond by solving 50 fun brain-busting puzzles.

A funny and intriguing mystery story sets the scene in the village of Dumpleton where detectives need to discover:

– Who pup-napped Dave the dog?
– What is important about The Flying Goat?
– How the Dumpleton Diamond went missing?
– Why a missing key can unlock this case?

Packed full of codes to crack, evidence to evaluate, clues to unravel and maps to navigate, Cluedle – The Case of the Dumpleton Diamond is puzzling fun for the whole family.

She must solve the ultimate riddle…

DI Jan Talantire is called to a cottage in Ilfracombe, where the female occupant is found dead, impaled with a crucifix. The woman, who had been renting the house for a few months, is well known locally. Documents found at her house indicate her name is Ruth Lyle. The name means nothing to the young PC who found her, but DI Talantire knows that this cannot be true.

Fifty years earlier, sixteen-year-old Ruth Lyle was murdered – stabbed by a crucifix, in exactly the same location. It is impossible for this to be the same woman, and yet all the records are a match.

With a brutal killer at large, DI Talantire must work quickly to solve the most complicated case of her career: how can a woman die twice?