The Case of the Vanishing Painting

Set in the Dublin of 1911, Brian Gallagher’s junior crime adventure is a treat for fans of the genre. When a valuable painting disappears from a guarded train carriage en route from Galway to Dublin, suspicion falls on all the workers involved in its transportation but most strongly on railway staff and train guard Mr Kavanagh in particular. Twins Deirdre and Tim Kavanagh are convinced of their father’s innocence and don’t need much persuading by their friend, Sherlock Holmes fan Joe, to try and track down the real culprits. With the freedom regularly enjoyed by youngsters in the 20^th century, they’re able to be out all day, traveling up and down the coast by train and bicycle in their efforts to uncover the thieves. Inspired by Holmes’ motto, ‘the game is afoot’, and determined to do whatever it takes, the three risk breaking into houses and then find themselves in very real danger when discovered by the criminals. We’re left in no doubt of what is at stake for the twins, their warm, loving family life and indeed their home itself under threat if they can’t clear their father’s name. The descriptions of their home life, a concert they put on for the local community, even Joe’s cricket practice with his father, give a real sense of their daily lives and provide respite from the action scenes which are tense in the extreme. A well-plotted crime story with a distinctive setting and appealing cast, this has much to offer young readers.