Laura Marlin is a brilliant detective story written by one of the best children's writers out there, Lauren St John, who has recently won the Blue Peter award. Tariq? I loved that guy, though I did feel sorry for what was happening to him. As for what was going on with him? It took me a bit longer to find out all the details, sure, I had some suspicions but I hadn't expected the story to take that turn.

I decided to read this book because a family member recommended it to me and said that it was very good. I also liked the themes of the book.

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Her uncle, Calvin Redfern is a very intriguing character. Whenever he's around, you get the sense that there's something hidden about him. - secrets. Dead Man’s Cove won the 2011 Blue Peter Book of the Year award and was short-listed for Children’s Book of the Year at the Galaxy National Book Awards. The town of Cornwall? It was quite a lovely place, going by the descriptions. Quiet, small, it has a beach (I would love to live near the beach), there are all kind of fun shops and foodplaces. And then there are the mysterious things that are going on in the town. I was highly curious about Deadman's Cove. What You Need To Know Now: The World in Facts, Stats, and Graphics - Joe Fullman, Ian Graham, Sally Regan and Isabel Thomas

A truly outstanding, totally enthralling mystery set in Cornwall, England, this is one of the very best children's mysteries I've ever read. The heroine, 11-year-old orphan Laura Marlin, has been rescued from the children's home by her mysterious uncle, Calvin Redfern. Laura loves books, especially detective stories, and wants to become a detective like her favorite fictional detective, Matt Walker.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Orion Children's Books (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) an imprint of Orion Publishing Co

Laura's an orphan who has spent most o her life in a children's home, dreaming of long-lost relatives coming to find her. When an uncle suddenly does come to claim her and bring her to live with him in his seaside home in a small Cornish town, Laura is excited to begin her new life. 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. Laura also can't work out if the shopkeeper's boy actually wants to be friends with her or not, and there's lots of suspicious and worrying things happening with him and his family, which of course Laura must investigate. But aside that I did love Laura and how smart she was, and that she had a dream, to become a detective. And that she didn't let anything stand between her and that dream. Plus, I just love a girl who loves books and reading.

The progression of the mystery – starting with Laura trying to figure out her uncle, escalating to the grand plot behind everything gives the reader a nice sense of immersion into the story. The suspense and fear builds throughout the book slowly, leaving you on tenterhooks as the closing chapters approach.