World Book Day – does it place books into the hands of children that need them?

Peak Peril: A High-Rise Mystery

Written by Sharna Jackson @sharnajackson

Published by Knights of @_KnightsOf

Published: 3rd March 2022

ISBN: 978 1 91331 125 4 £1.00

First Line: When Pap said leaving the city for a long weekend would be good for us, I 100% agreed.

Genre: Adventure, Mystery

Age: 9+

What’s it all about? Two sisters called Nik and Norva are given the opportunity, alongside lots of other girls from cities around the country, to go and stay for a short break in the Peak District. The idea is to give city girls a taste of the beautiful countryside. The calm and peace can’t last for long with these two around though! Whilst enjoying the grand country house lifestyle the girls discover a hidden treasure mystery and a whole host of strange characters who all (like in all great murder mystery stories) appear to be hiding something. But who is telling the truth and who is lying? The girls hunt for clues, interview suspects, and…try to stay alive.

Why should I read it? This is a super easy read, with short chapters, and only about 100 pages in length. If you are looking for a way into reading, this could be a great start. A really good story for WBD. The mystery slowly unravels as you make your way through the story. The main characters are easy to like and understand. Each of the suspects is artfully focused on, interviewed and discarded. I did find at some points that some of the other characters didn’t really stand out as much as I needed them to, and I found myself forgetting who they were, but in such a short story it must be hard to make all the characters instantly recognisable. I like the idea of halfway through the story of having a table with a list of the suspects on it and their motive and alibi etc – very Agatha Christie! It’s amazing how relaxing it can be reading about crime, and like Norva says at the end of the story: “It was just getting good…I loved this journey for us.” Well done WBD for putting out these books. In the modern climate of people worrying about money and resources, it’s great to see that these free books are still being put out there.