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A review by katykelly
Running Girl by Simon Mason
5.0
There have been teenage detectives before. But not always done well. Sometimes they can be precocious, annoying, unrealistic. I would argue that Garvie Smith can be pretty annoying, but in a rather cool-and-misunderstood anti-hero type-of-way.
He's not Junior Bond. He's not Alex Rider. Garvie is a pretty normal teenager, lazy and anti-authority, cheeky and nosey. He does also happen to have a photographic memory, the highest IQ ever seen at his school, and a mind that channels
Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek.
This book rests on the believability and likeability of Garvie. He is placed smack in the middle of a Holmesian mystery when a girl from his school out running goes missing and is later discovered dead. Refusing to get out of bed to revise for his exams, to the frustration of his mother, a nurse, Garvie is galvanised into action to investigate the mystery. Much to the annoyance of the policeman in charge of the investigation, for whom Garvie keeps turning up like a bad penny.
And there's a great future twosome in children's literature here, as this is destined to be the first in a series. DI Singh is young, with a lot to prove to his superiors breathing down his neck. He's competent but restrained and not at all happy about the teenager who constantly seems to show up and know more about the case than he does. Their relationship grows and changes through the book and isn't just a straight man/funny man partnership. It will develop. Singh is also a great creation for YA fiction - it's not often we see Sikh policemen. Mason takes care to mention his bullet-proof turban, his prayers, tenets of his faith that flesh him out. Singh and Garvie start out as antagonists but by the end you can see much more mutual respect.
And the murder itself. Chloe Dow, out running, beautiful and blonde. Ambitious for fame. Who would have killed her and why? Nothing new plot-wise here, but you are encouraged to suspect and discount several potentials, with Garvie doing a Creek looking at the evidence and deducing where the police can't. It's twisty and clever. And the climax is exciting and not wholly expected.
Garvie treads the fine line between know-all smart-alec and likeable lead well, Mason gives him scenes where he demonstrates his decent nature, honour and courage that manage to tip him the right way.
By the end you're willing DI Singh to trust Garvie and his reasoning and for them to work together. You want them to be a partnership.
I would love to see this as a film. It would be a dream for a couple of actors. I will also be looking out for the next Garvie Smith mystery. Great to guess along with him, but I want to see Garvie and Singh again.
Great job Simon Mason, intelligent and superior writing for young people.
He's not Junior Bond. He's not Alex Rider. Garvie is a pretty normal teenager, lazy and anti-authority, cheeky and nosey. He does also happen to have a photographic memory, the highest IQ ever seen at his school, and a mind that channels
Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek.
This book rests on the believability and likeability of Garvie. He is placed smack in the middle of a Holmesian mystery when a girl from his school out running goes missing and is later discovered dead. Refusing to get out of bed to revise for his exams, to the frustration of his mother, a nurse, Garvie is galvanised into action to investigate the mystery. Much to the annoyance of the policeman in charge of the investigation, for whom Garvie keeps turning up like a bad penny.
And there's a great future twosome in children's literature here, as this is destined to be the first in a series. DI Singh is young, with a lot to prove to his superiors breathing down his neck. He's competent but restrained and not at all happy about the teenager who constantly seems to show up and know more about the case than he does. Their relationship grows and changes through the book and isn't just a straight man/funny man partnership. It will develop. Singh is also a great creation for YA fiction - it's not often we see Sikh policemen. Mason takes care to mention his bullet-proof turban, his prayers, tenets of his faith that flesh him out. Singh and Garvie start out as antagonists but by the end you can see much more mutual respect.
And the murder itself. Chloe Dow, out running, beautiful and blonde. Ambitious for fame. Who would have killed her and why? Nothing new plot-wise here, but you are encouraged to suspect and discount several potentials, with Garvie doing a Creek looking at the evidence and deducing where the police can't. It's twisty and clever. And the climax is exciting and not wholly expected.
Garvie treads the fine line between know-all smart-alec and likeable lead well, Mason gives him scenes where he demonstrates his decent nature, honour and courage that manage to tip him the right way.
By the end you're willing DI Singh to trust Garvie and his reasoning and for them to work together. You want them to be a partnership.
I would love to see this as a film. It would be a dream for a couple of actors. I will also be looking out for the next Garvie Smith mystery. Great to guess along with him, but I want to see Garvie and Singh again.
Great job Simon Mason, intelligent and superior writing for young people.