It's the final of Tooth & Claw, a tournament where teams of runners must escape vicious wolves, and Ruby and her team are seconds away from victory over Alarick (known as the biggest baddest wolf) when he drops down dead putting a halt to everything. Confusion ensues and then the police announce that Alarick has been murdered... and Ruby is their prime suspect. Knowing she isn't guilty, she is determined to discover who the real murderer is so goes on the run in order to prove her innocence. Along with her new wolf friend, Fillan, she faces her toughest challenge yet.
The Big Bad Wolf Murder is the second in P. G. Bell's fairy tale murder mysteries (you can read my review of The Beanstalk Murder here ), and the prospect of seeing how he had twisted another tale excited me.
This is an ingenious, fast-paced take on a traditional fairy tale - think Riding Hood meets Hunger Games! Tooth & Claw is a tournament that gets as much attention in Netherburg as a football world-cup final does here, so everyone is watching the tournament... and nobody expects anything to go wrong, least of all Ruby. She is a fiercely determined character whose drive is evident from the very start of the book. Success is all she knows and she's not about to let a wrongful accusation stand in her way. She and Fillan make a great team: he is drawn into this purely because he was delivering to Alarick before the tournament. He doesn't want to be involved anymore than Ruby does. He lacks in confidence at the beginning but the more he is with Ruby, the more confident he gets. It's lovely to see their friendship grow as their mission unfolds.
Publishing 11th September, The Big Bad Wolf Murder is a brilliant second book in the series. A perfect stand alone, this book is full of action, adventure with a generous sprinkling of fun which combine to create the recipe for a wonderful read.
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