Children's Writer, Book Reviewer, Teacher, Artist
Well, this terrific book has really risen to surpass my expectations. Out this August, 'Alice Eclair: Spy Extraordinaire, A Recipe for Trouble' is a brilliant bake of crime, capers and cake. It's like 'Bake-Off' meets 'Agatha Christie' in 1930s France; a marvellous, page-turning whodunit that twists and turns like a steam train. I loved it!
Baker by day, spy by night - Alice Eclair leads an exciting double life! A mysterious message sends Alice on a mission aboard France's most glamorous train. She must uncover an enemy agent before they reach their final stop. But everyone on the train seems to be hiding something... Armed with her whisk, her wits and her will to succeed, Alice has a spy to catch.
Sarah Todd Taylor has really gripped me with this MG spy mystery, written beautifully like a classic crime novel but with a tight pace to keep you hooked. Codes and cake makes for quite the combination, and Alice herself is an ingenious creation: smart, observant and brave like Holmes with baking skills to surpass Prue Leith. I was surprised to find some scenes so tense as Alice bakes on a train while trying to spy.
This is a really ingenious story and I had to keep reading to find out who the spy was that Alice was looking for. And oh, the ending! So dramatic and unexpected with a super set-up for sequels that I simply cannot wait for! This is really fantastic story-telling. Fans of 'Adventures on Trains' and Fleur Hitchcock will love this too.
Thank you to Nosy Crow for my copy to review.