Eleanor Jones is playing with fire by Amy Doak

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Following the fabulous Eleanor Jones is not a murderer and Eleanor Jones can't keep a secret comes another mystery for Eleanor to solve. This time someone is starting fires in Cooinda, the first one a house fire where someone dies. When Eleanor gets a note to tell her to keep quiet, it looks like it could be murder. There are only eight people who could have left the note and she can’t resist trying to find out who it was. Then there is a spate of car thefts and burnt-out cars in the town and even though Eleanor has been warned to keep away, she still finds herself in danger.

As with the first two in the series, this is a well written, engrossing mystery. The setting in a country town is vividly described and readers get a clear picture of just how dangerous any fire can be in a town that is in drought. The theft of the cars and the car racing adds a thrilling touch and it is difficult to work out who is setting them alight.

Eleanor is feisty and inquisitive, and she must investigate the clues that keep swirling in her head. She has a group of good friends who try to help and Holly from the local police station is on hand as well. All the characters are relatable and the growing relationship between Troy and Eleanor will engage readers who like a touch of romance in their stories.

Right until the last tense moment Doak kept me in suspense wondering who the arsonist was, and I was left pondering the consequences of this unexpected denouement. I am eager to read more mysteries by Doak and I was thrilled to find in the information about her at the back of the book the news of a standalone YA mystery, What have they done to Liza McLean? due to be published in November 2025. While waiting readers might like to read Two sides to every murder by Danielle Valentine or books by Karen M. McManus or Holly Jackson.

Themes: Mystery, Arson, Country life, Criminal investigation.

Pat Pledger