The Street Art Mystery

In this follow-up to High-Rise Mystery, Margot, Wesley and Josephine, known as the Copseys, are just about to start high school in Luton, but in this story they have gone to stay with Margot’s glamorous Mum in London. Mum has a new boyfriend, Teddy, who runs an art gallery, and they all have to go to the grand opening of a new exhibition on Street Art. Real street art, strange unsettling work, catches their eye, and the children really don’t like Teddy, but it’s a shock when the lights go out in the gallery, and he is found dead.

The real street art provides clues as the children investigate. There are more murders, and the trail takes them through skate parks, canal boats and tower blocks, and in all sorts of directions, before the culprit is revealed. The final scene happens at the Notting Hill Carnival, which was partly why the friends wanted to be in London that weekend in the first place, and at the end they are able to relax,  dress up and take part.

The question of whether Street Art belongs in an Art Gallery is indeed discussed!

Sharna Jackson has now written several books, mostly involving murder and detection by children, but also books on Black and Minority artists, and she is keen that children of all backgrounds should know that art is for everyone.  She weaves art of a few kinds into this very exciting story, and the three children have very definite skills and personalities, making it a fun read.