Summer Stars runs from Tues 4 June to Sat 31 August. Get Reading! Now that school is over you can still spark your imagination, join in activities and take part in our exciting Summer Stars challenge.
If you like a good detective story and are a fan of books like the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens check these titles out, recommended for you by our colleague Veronica. Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime and mystery fiction in which an investigator (often a detective), either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder. The Storm Keeper’s Island by Catherine DoyleWhen Fionn and his sister Tara are sent to the island of Arranmore to stay with their grandfather for the summer, Fionn discovers that the island is not quite what he expected. It is full of magic but there is also an evil lurking beneath the surface. Fionn must unravel the mysteries of the past and discover what secret Arranmore is hiding in order to fulfil his destiny.By the same author:The Lost Tide Warriors A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan. Violet moves to the town of Perfect with her parents. She soon realises that something isn’t right with the town as everyone in Perfect has gone blind and they can only see if they wear rose-tinted glasses. Strange things start happening around her and suddenly there is more at stake when her father goes missing.By the same author:The Trouble with PerfectThe Battle for PerfectThe Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher. Orphan Seren is sent to live in Wales with her Godfather and his family. On her journey there she receives a mysterious package from a stranger. When she arrives in her new home she finds herself left alone in a mansion with secretive servants who won’t give her any information about the location of the family, and her only real companion is a talking clockwork crow. She must solve the mysteries surrounding her new life.Kat Wolfe Investigates by Lauren St. John Twelve year old Kat starts a pet-sitting business, but after the mysterious disappearance of her very first customer Kat has to take matters into her own hands. It is up to Kat and her friend Harper to unravel the mystery as the local police chief doesn’t believe them when they report the disappearance. A great book for anyone who likes detectives and animals.By the same author:Kat Wolfe Takes the CaseWatch our how-to video on Borrowbox.Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link.
There is something very comforting about whodunnits. Unlike real life, there are never any unsolved mysteries or loose ends; the murderer is properly unmasked, Scooby-Doo fashion, at the end; and the whole thing is a gentle exercise for the old brain cells as we get to play along, working out clues and chasing red herrings. They’re the television equivalent of toast: warm, cosy, and easy to digest. A whole host of detective series is available on DVD in libraries now, including a pretty hefty set of Miss Marple that would make an admirable murder weapon in itself. MorseGood old Morse: the jag, the crosswords, the ale, the classical music, and of course the long-suffering Lewis. Brilliant! A Touch of Frost D.I. Jack Frost solves crimes the old-fashioned way, while battling with bureaucracy incarnate in the form of his boss, Superintendent Mullet. Foyle’s WarD.I. Foyle, and his two assistants, Sam and Milner, solve not just the usual murders but also crimes involving profiteering and the black market, relevant to the WWII setting. Great props and costumes, very authentic. Midsomer MurdersThe chocolate-box pretty county of Midsomer is somewhat overrun with gruesome crime, and by this stage there can’t be many villagers left. Nonetheless, Inspector Barnaby and his various sidekicks manage in each episode to find another body and another murderer.