The Lost Island: A Silver Service Mystery

This is the second in the ‘middle grade’ series starring thirteen year old Pattern, who has found herself recruited into a clandestine detective agency.  In this adventure she finds herself working as a housemaid on the mysterious island of Cull; where a house party is being held by the owner Lady Hawk.  It is  being held for all of the suitors for her daughter Cassandra’s hand; however when guests start disappearing and there are no clues as to why, Pattern finds herself caught up with some supernatural goings on.  Whether Pattern and her friend Nate can solve the mystery before all of the guests have vanished leads to some nail biting moments.

Laura Powell has created a very sympathetic and resourceful main character who gains our sympathy from the beginning. Whilst it is helpful to have read the first book in the series, it is not vital as this story is totally self-contained.   The combination of a crime story mixed with a hint of the supernatural and even mythical tales really makes for an exciting read.  For those who have read Greek myths in the past or even Percy Jackson, you gradually begin to get hints of who some of the main characters are; it is a good moment when you are proved right in your guesses.  For those who have not read Greek myths then this is a great introduction and hopefully will encourage younger readers to discover the amazing tales that have stood the test of ages.  The story is full of atmosphere and we have a real sense of what life was like for the household staff in Victorian England and there is the underlying ‘creepiness’ about the island and the butler Mr Grey as well as the Hawk family.  It is a really great read, especially for fans of authors such as Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine and Janine Beacham.