The Survival of Arno Mostyn

Arno Mostyn is a young would-be detective whose tranquil life with his divorced mum is disrupted by the arrival of the inevitable boyfriend, a hippie gardener working for an aged family friend. When Mostyn finds a valuable piece of stolen jewellery at the friend's house, he suspects the boyfriend immediately, though it is as plain as the rump on a chimpanzee that the real culprit is the friend's villainous nephew. Though the caricatural nasty and the obviousness of the outcome somewhat detract from the tension of this book, the story is packed with fascinating asides, intriguing little character sketches, and a lot of well observed dialogue. This is an unusual and highly readable adventure story with a reassuring subplot about the impact of family changes.