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Dead Man's Cove (Laura Marlin Mysteries 1): Book 1

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When orphaned Laura is sent to live with her Uncle, she is sure that a life of adventure awaits her, but wherever she goes she is confronted with strange mysteries. And when you’ve had time to enjoy the wildness and the little island, head up the trail and continue to the lighthouse.

It is a good place to rest a little and enjoy the view as you work your way up the steep incline to the lighthouse. Yet whilst her experiences in care does affect her confidence in making strong links with people, she isn’t jaded nor disenfranchised.

I think this book is amazing and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the "Laura marlin series! Lauren St John grew up surrounded by horses and wild animals on a farm and game reserve in Zimbabwe, the inspiration for her memoir, Rainbow’s End. There are lots of reviews comparing this series to some of Blyton's work but I don't see any similarities at all.

Across August we have been reading or rereading Dead Man’s Cove by Lauren St John, the first story in the series which finds young Laura Marlin finally being placed with a mysterious uncle after a lifetime in care. The first half of the book goes along quite slowly as Laura adjusts to her new life and settings but when the mystery behind her uncle and new friend begin to unravel I found that I couldn't put the book down and was disappointed when it all ended with quite a sudden jolt. Her uncle is a detective who is always out and about solving mysteries, one night Laura decides to follow him! Her bestselling One Dollar Horse trilogy for teenagers was followed by The Glory, a breathtaking YA adventure and romance about a long distance horse race across the American West. But while her uncle is kind and gives her plenty of things she's never had in her life (including a doggo friend), he's not so generous with his time, always busy with some vague assignments and working at strange hours.

An orphaned girl with a big love for detectives finds herself thrown into mystery when she moves in to live with her uncle.

Laura loves mystery novels and wants to be a detective like fictional Matt Walker when she is older. Unlike the clear structure, story arc seeding and strong pauses for reflection in say the Taylor Rose mysteries that I have done before, Lauren St John’s Laura Marlin mysteries take some more meandering approach to the plot, a meditative walk, spiralling into the problem approach which means that my casebook could not be structured in the same way that I have done so before which was actually an exciting proposition. Laura’s adventures begin in this first captivating mystery from the bestselling author of the White Giraffe series. It was fun reading about places I’ve been to recently (Bodmin Moor and St Ives) and Laura was a smart but not annoying protagonist. country stars like Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and the Dixie Chicks, she wrote the bestselling White Giraffe series.

Even as a grown-up, I found it well written and exciting, so I'll definitely be looking out for the other books in the series, to read myself before passing them on to Sophie and Juliette. I am currently editing my first YA novel which I hope to be able to share with you all in the future. Winner of the 2011 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award, DEAD MAN’S COVE is t he first book in a gripping adventure series about eleven-year-old ace detective, Laura Marlin, from award-winning author Lauren St John.

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