One thing that sets "The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries" apart from other books in the genre is its ability to appeal to a wide range of readers. I liked the book layout which had plenty of excellent black and white illustrations, copies of letters and case notes and decorated chapter headings. The next day Lizzie set off for the Kenwood house, the residence of Belle, where she lived with her Uncle and Aunt.

I find this quite interesting as back then there was a lot of racism and the fact that he is on stage is amazing! As the chandelier dropped the whole theatre was sent into a commotion but the tension was higher for the Sancho family. This was important because it showed how she felt about the situation and how she felt about her father and what she assumed was an attempted murder. The setting is London in the late 1700s and mixes a stage production of Shakespeare’s Othello with the fight to abolish the African slave trade. As they go deeper and deeper into the mystery, someone realises how close they are to the truth and tries to silence them, but Lizzie and Belle won’t be silenced easily.

Also, the details about social life in the 18th century in London such as theatres, and coffee houses depict a vivid scene for the readers. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. There’s an absolute bumper crop of brilliant books out this summer, but my pick has to be the first in a brand new series, The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries by JT Williams (June, Farshore). None of the events in the book were expected through my eyes – I was sure they had discovered who did the crime when yet another suspect was introduced! On the other hand, if Belle was the narrator, it wouldn’t have shown all of the family events that Lizzie goes through.

I believe that I was in the wrong mindset when I first read this book, being slightly taken aback by the style of writing; evidently it was made for a younger audience.Overall, I think this book would be best suited to children over 10 years old who aren’t easily upset. The beginning was a little confusing with a large number of characters being introduced and then having little role going forward. My favourite character was Dido Belle because she is daring, and wanted to go on with the investigation despite it being dangerous. Set in 1700s London, Lizzie and Belle meet unexpectedly but find they both have inquisitive minds and love solving mysteries so when Lizzie's Dad (the first black man to take to the stage in Othello) narrowly survives an attempt on his life, the girls are determined to investigate, despite all of the ways society and other people try to stop them. To add to that, there were some scenes in the book that more sensitive readers might find unnerving.