The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder - Kereen Getten

 

Twelve-year-old Fayson lives in Jamaica with her mum in a small apartment close to the hospital where her mum works.  It's a far cry from the life her Uncle Edmond and her twin cousins, Aaron and Omar, live (large houses, maids and lots of rich friends around them), so Fayson is upset when her mum tells her that she will be spending October half-term with them in their home on an island off Portmore, Jamaica.  Depsite her best efforts, Fayson cannot persuade her mum (who has to work over half-term) to change her mind so an incredibly reluctant Fayson has no choice but to go.  And life is very different but the twins she remembers, who were always unkind to her, seem to have changed and now want her to become part of their gang, a gang who have a mystery to solve.  Fayson knows she is the best when it comes to solving mysteries but can she solve this one in time and prove herself to the rest of the group?

Fayson is clearly out of her comfort zone through most of this book: she's not used to the life her uncle, aunt and cousins lead and doesn't quite know how to act when she first arrives at their house.  She would much rather be back home with her mum in their apartment and resents her uncle correcting the way she speaks.  She doesn't trust her cousins who have previously been unkind to her and is wary of the change in them this time.  However, there is a fierceness and a real sense of self within Fayson that shines out of the pages; she maybe uncertain of many things but she knows that the detective books she has spent time reading are going to help her now.  There were several times I felt her discomfort but her relationship with Tia made me cheer on more than one occasion.  As the book progresses, you begin to get more of an understanding of her family and the motivation behand their actions.  

The Case of The Lighthouse Intruder is very different to Kereen's previous two books (both of which I loved) and the mystery and adventure in this book make for compelling reading.  The first in a new series of DI Island Crew Investiages, I can't wait to find out what the next mystery will be and to get to know Fayson and the others better.  

Published on the 1st June, this is a book that is guaranteed to captivate and enthral readers and will make a perfect summer read... and I only have to wait until October for book 2 (The Case of the Haunted Wardrobe).