MONTGOMERY BONBON

Bonnie and her grandfather go on a well-deserved holiday, but instead of relaxing, they discover a murder.

Bonnie Montgomery and Grampa Banks, whom readers met in the first series entry, have solved many cases together. Now on vacation on Odde Island, they’re eager to enjoy “a week without murder” and to visit Leerie Lighthouse. But they find it closed because Maude Cragge, the lighthouse keeper and Grand Maven of the Order of the Golden Fleece, died in a fall the night before. Discerning Bonnie spots that it wasn’t an accident, but since 10-year-olds don’t usually solve murder mysteries, she dons her false mustache and adopts “the foreign accent most mystérieux,” becoming the unusually short detective Montgomery Bonbon. When a second death occurs, Bonbon and Grampa Banks must determine who among the resident Oddities is the culprit. This case finds the white-presenting duo, plus Bonnie’s friend Dana Hornville, who presents Black, running around the craggy island while together they uncover an Order in disorder, an onion (smuggling) ring, and a peculiar pageant. Powell’s bold and humorous illustrations capture the dizzying terrain and eccentric cast of characters. Despite the red herrings she confronts, readers will never doubt that Bonnie will reveal the murderer tout de suite.

A jolly good cozy mystery with a cliffhanger reveal.