'The Littlest Detective in London' is a book about families.
More accurately, the loss of family members, and how different kids deal with the problems associated with loved ones who go AWOL.
Now, before you yawn and hit the back button, hear me out.
'The Littlest Detective' is also hilarious.
It's described by author Suzy Brownlee as a black comedy, but in my view it is more comedy than black.
If you and your kids are fans of both subtle and not-so-subtle humour, this is bound to become your next addiction.
The story centres on 9-year-old Clementine Cordelia Bird, who is unfortunately small for her age, so people think she's a little daft.
The book opens with the kidnapping (of sorts) of her mother, and continues to follow the child's search for her missing parent throughout the series.
However, as she begins to find clues that lead her in the direction of her mother, a rather nasty teenager is introduced into the mix.
14-year-old Natasha Commonov is the wealthy, lonely daughter of Europe's leading crime lord Vladimir Commonov, and she hails from the hilariously-named Slakistan.
Natasha is trying to find evidence to release her father from a Paris jail, and unfortunately for Mrs Mackleberry, Clementine's rotund, food-loving babysitter and a retired British spy, the evil teenager sets her sights on retrieving it from her.
Brownlee is an able writer who manages to engage the reader with non-stop action and loads of unresolved tension.
Perfect for the 9-12 age group, and quite frankly, perfect for adults as well.
Other characters that bring charm and warmth to the book include Hench - Natasha's spindly, good-for-nothing bodyguard; and Origami Pete, a Japanese cop on an exchange program who thinks anything can be solved with a little paper-folding.
The story ends with a lot of unanswered questions, mostly because they are answered in the next books in the series, but if you'd like to learn more, publisher Prospera Publishing has created a website for fans at www.
thelittlestdetective.
com, and a YouTube video to promote the book series at (http://au.
youtube.
com/watch?v=ItLHoHj6ScA).
The Littlest Detective in London, 5.
99GPD, 14.
95 AUD, 12.
95USD by Suzy Brownlee, Prospera Publishing Ltd, London UK.
196pp: available from Feb 09.