posted on 15 Feb 2023

Murder at the Museum by Alastair Beckett-King, illustrated by Claire Powell

Like this new author, I am an avid fan of the detective story genre and so I can understand his life-long passion to put a ten year old child at the centre of his fast paced story

The central character is Bonnie Montgomery who, with the help of her very co-operative, lemon sherbet loving Grampa Banks, can transform herself into the gentleman detective, Monsieur Montgomery Bonbon, whenever required. Together they solve the highly suspicious death at Hornville Museum of Natural History and Suchlike.  All that is required is a quick re-angling of her beret and a false, swirling moustache to convince the dodgy looking witnesses.  

The action swings between focussing on the more restrained Bonnie and her confident, flamboyant alter ego as together they pursue clues with the help of Grampa and her rather unconventional and enthusiastic mother.  I liked the humour that is threaded throughout the story, some of which is aimed at the adult reader. When mum is conveniently out of the way at an appointment with Guru Jonathan Jonathan, we are told that:

‘She was having her chakras opened. Or closed. Bonnie could never remember which’.

 He also excels at clever and concise descriptions:

‘St Hilaria’s was one of those crooked buildings that seemed to have been built by nine people who all hated one another.’

And this perfect detail adds to the strange atmosphere of Dana Hornville’s room, she is a fellow appreciator of mystery who becomes an ally along the way:

 ‘A wicker chair was creaking under the weight of old teddies so threadbare they looked like little zombies’.

As with the best detective stories, there are plenty of red herrings and adventures tracking down the various suspects until the mystery is solved in a highly satisfactory fashion  

Being able to step outside reality and become immersed in another rich imaginative world is something that many children love. I have enjoyed playing detectives with my own grand–daughter, looking out for strange individuals who might be in disguise and compiling evidence in notebooks etc.  These kind of games put children in control and give them a space to organise the world for a change.  Playful adults who can slip between these worlds will not question how Montgomery Bonbon is regarded by everyone as the right person to solve the puzzle.  

It is no surprise to learn that Alastair Beckett-King is a rising stand-up comedian as before I realised this, I was reminded me of Eddie Izzard’s comic persona that switches between roles so convincingly. The author also has a background in film studies which is reflected in the flavour of the story which, with the help of excellent illustrations by Claire Powell, create vivid scenes and curiously eccentric characters.

Overall, it is a very funny book that will appeal to children and to adults who can sufficiently suspend disbelief. It is good to know that there is another adventure in the pipeline.   

 

Karen Argent

February 2023