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Synopsis
Award winning author, twice winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal It was the first time my mum had left me on my own. Five days of glorious freedom stretched in front of me. “Enjoy yourself,” I shouted, waving her off. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine!” I danced back into the house, whooping with delight. And half an hour after she’d gone, I was plunged into the worst experience of my life. Shaun Parker is a suspect in a murder at a lonely cottage near his house – only Caroline, his girlfriend, believes in his innocence. Can they find the real murderer before the police charge Shaun? ‘Berlie Doherty writes both for adults and children, moving easily across the divide.’ — the Guardian ‘What a marvellous writer… one who uses language as if it has been newly invented.' — Junior Bookshelf Berlie Doherty has written more than fifty books for children and young adults, many of which have been adapted for television, radio and stage. Berlie Doherty has twice won both the Carnegie Medal and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award, for her dramatisation of Dear Nobody and for Daughter of the Sea. She has also been short listed for the Swedish Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Her children’s concert opera, The Magician’s Cat, is being toured by the Welsh National Opera. She lives in the Peak District, Derbyshire, the setting for A Beautiful Murder.
Berlie Doherty gave me a copy of her new novel A BEAUTIFUL PLACE FOR A MURDER (Five Leaves) when I went to her cottage for lunch in early June. It’s a thriller set around her home in Edale and one of the best things about it is the way it brings the landscape to life. You know exactly what everything looks like in a novel by Berlie and she understands the countryside very well. The story is a thriller for young adults with a plot which is exciting enough to keep you turning the pages and yet quite believable. There’s only a certain kind of crime you can envisage taking place in this setting and with these characters and Berlie has got the tone just right.
Adele Geras
This is not just any old murder story! I must admit that crime is not usually my genre but this book was brilliantly written and I found it incredibly hard to put down (in fact I barely did). Berlie Doherty’s choice of vocabulary and writing style is far more literary than one would expect from this sort of novel and that is clearly part of its appeal. A manageable length and with plenty of short chapters, this novel would suit reluctant readers as it is fast paced and easily digestible. It also holds appeal for both male and female readers as it has main characters of both sexes. With a hint of a romance and the ongoing twists and turns, the plot has a bit of something for everyone. I think this book ould be an excellent addition to any school library and a capturing read to hook those who might not be easily motivated to read of their own accord.
Aimee Beckingham
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