Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2018 Gr 5–8—For the first time since the "Wells & Wong" series debut, sleuths Daisy and Hazel are back at Deepdean School with friends Beanie, Kitty, and Lavinia in 1935: their ninth-grade year. During the Guy Fawkes Day bonfire at school, the Detective Society encounters their newest case: Head Girl Elizabeth has been killed, and the only possible suspects are her five closest friends. As Hazel, Daisy, and their friends investigate, they discover that each suspect had her own potential motives for the murder. Elizabeth was holding secrets over her friends' heads, ranging from fairly innocuous (one student dyes her hair) to more serious (an eating disorder and a romantic relationship between two girls at a time when this would have been extremely taboo). As in prior installments in the series, Steven's storytelling and suspense-building are top-notch, though the killer's motive is not quite as compelling as other suspects'. The fast-changing nature of friendship between girls is a constant theme throughout; the gossipy secrets Elizabeth uses to blackmail other students and Daisy's insecurity when Hazel shows interest in a boy are prime examples. This realistic depiction of student life may make the 1935 setting a little more relatable for readers, while also providing appeal to an older audience than previous books. VERDICT An appropriately complex depiction of adolescent friendship gives this well-crafted mystery appeal beyond its genre alone.—Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2018 The fourth installment of the A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series, set in the 1930s, finds Daisy and Hazel back at their British boarding school, ready to begin a new term. But things have changed. Head Girl Elizabeth Hurst and her bullying band of prefects are making life miserable for the younger girls. Then, at a bonfire, Elizabeth winds up dead, and clues come to light making it clear she was terrorizing her friends as well. The Detective Society quickly realize this is murder, and once again go to many lengths to solve the mystery. There are lots of characters running around, and it’s sometimes hard to keep them straight (though there is a list of players at the book’s beginning). This is also more about clues and capers than the personal lives of Daisy and Hazel, which takes this story down a notch from previous entries. Still, there’s plenty of good fun here, as well as some dastardly deeds, and readers who like solving the mystery along with the detectives will find themselves stretching their powers of deduction. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.