Loved this one because Hazel gets to stand out as it is set in Hong Kong. Hazel's grandfather passes away and so the two girl's travel to Hazel's home where Daisy soon realises that Hazel is super rich , "You're a princess!" Hazel expects everything to be the same, but it isn't as her father has a new baby BOY, and now she ( as eldest girl) is no longer the favorite child. On an outing to the doctor's, a murder takes place and the baby boy is kidnapped! A jade pin is stuck in the body so everyone thinks its the gangs who use Jade pins as their calling cards, but Hazel knows better - its HER pin she lost - someone is trying to frame her for the murder! Hazel and Daisy must try and work out what's happening even when Hazel's father locks them in the house, and when some of the suspects are members of Hazel's own extended family. A riot of fun and loved how Hazel got to shine in this one. Great stuff. ( )

As I said in my earlier post, the "chooser" in our monthly book group has set a challenge. We are reading 3 cozies that all share the same title. I reviewed the first here, here is the second, and the last will shortly follow.

The year is 1936 (we know because as Hazel and Daisy are sailing to Hong Kong via the Suez Canal the news comes that King George V has died), and so the time frame is almost 80 years ago. It is therefore before World War II and Hong Kong then is very different to the Hong Kong of today.

The voyage from England to Hong Kong takes 30 days, and when Hazel arrives she finds it isn't just the absence of her grandfather that is different. She now has a little brother whom nobody has told her about, and the maid who used to look after her is now her brother's nursemaid. In addition, her baby brother now has her old room.

A few days after her arrival, Hazel's baby brother is kidnapped and held for ransom, and Hazel and Daisy begin trying to work out who has taken him.

This is essentially a book for a young adolescent reader, part of a series that presumably he/she is already hooked on. The author tries valiantly to introduce the reader to the culture of Hong Kong. We are also told the back story of the Detective Society which Hazel and Daisy have founded, and which has already successfully pursued five investigations.

It occurs to me that one of the questions I should have posed in my review of the previous book was the significance of the title. To be quite honest, I can't see any relevance in the case of this book, and only remotely in the case of the previous one. There are two murders in this one, one by stabbing, and one by gunshot, so I think the title is a bit random. ( )

Another Daisy and Hazel book and I'm not beginning to tire of them yet! These books are such fun and the characters are growing and changing with each new book. I think the decision to set this book in Hong Kong was a masterstroke on the part of Robin Stevens. Daisy is out of her comfort zone being in a foreign climate, Hazel is pushed aside by a new addition to her family and simultaneously has to fess up to the fact that she has to solve a crime involving the very same family member. There's no Alexander in this one, but there's plenty in the form of Hazel's complicated family structure to keep you going. It's a very special episode in the Wells and Wong series and I thought was even better than Mistletoe and Murder, set in Cambridge at the University. A very enjoyable read indeed. ( )