The Body In The Blitz - Robin Stevens

 

May, Eric and Nuala are back and this time they are in London, training to be spies at the Ministry.  They are staying close by in Hogarth Mews, a street that was partially bombed during one of the blitz raids.  However, when they discover a body in the basement of the bombed out house, there is something distinctly suspicious about it, especially when they find out that the body wasn't there when the house was searched just after the bombing.  With Daisy away on a mission, May, Eric and Nuala decide to investigate the death themselves but things are proving trickier than expected.  

It was great to be back with Nuala, May and Eric and to see the relationship develop between them.  They are three very different characters but they work well together.  Nuala is thrilled to have joined May at Deepdean and is loving lessons and the friendships she is forming; however, May is finding this frustrating: she wants Nuala all to herself.  We definitely get to see May's impulsive and hot headed side in this book and I can imagine there will be readers who find her annoying.  Me I enjoyed, the contrast.  Then there is Eric, who is the steadying influence; a thinker, he enjoys the coding lessons they have at the Ministry and is quick with languages.  Together they make a formidable team.

Robin has become synonymous with murder mysteries and is the Agatha Christie of the MG world.  In The Body In The Blitz, she combines murder mystery with the gritty life of 1940s Britain, and does so brilliantly.  Whilst the mystery will keep you guessing, the setting in 1941 London shines a spot-light on what everyday people experienced during WWII: the fear of being bombed is never far away, and the nightly raids and sirens bring home how exhausting and scary life was for Londoners of all ages.  

With familiar characters appearing alongside new, The Body In The Blitz is another triumph of a book and one I know is being eagerly awaited by many (there is much talk in school about it already!).