Candy Gourlay introduces Wild Song, her companion novel to Bone Talk, in which Luki and Samkad leave their home in the Philippines for America. I liked the structure of this book - it reminded me of The Bolds in its layout, with the sketchy drawings and funny narrative.

My only minor criticism is it feels like his editor snoothed out his wonderful sense of the comic absurd a little too much.The capers are great, and I enjoyed plunging into the nostalgia of watching Pirot when I was younger - the urge to don a bushy mustache, butcher an accent (I can't do any accent), and look for clues. Almost a mix of the Malamander series by Thomas Taylor and Alex T Smith’s penguin detective, readers will enjoy the word play as Bonnie and her grandfather arrive at Odde Island, with its Leerie Lighthouse. Since Dana realised Bonnie’s alter ego, Bonnie has been avoiding her, but evidently none too subtly. Alasdair Beckett-King has created a brilliantly crafted, clever and funny character with rich storylines that have this Bookwagon reader retracing to enjoy anew, and try to match Bonbon’s deductive skills. Then again, Claire Powell’s elongated line drawings hit the style, wit and skill of this storytelling brilliantly!

Add in seagulls, scones and an interfering scarlett macaw for a story you won’t be able to put down. He is handy as a sidekick, too, and helps move the story forward beyond Bonbon’s lengthy monologues (which are frequent). In exploring this we are led through a satisfying murder mystery, with a cast of colourful characters, and amusing interactions. And lo and behold, behind a locked door are three dodgy suspects, a dead man, and an empty space where a prized exhibit ought to be.But readers will definitely enjoy following her lines of thought and puzzling over the clues she finds.

Montgomery Bonbon and Grampa Banks make an excellent team and the age and experience of Banks definitely keeps Bonbon grounded and thinking clearly. He has several big cases solved and though the local law enforcement, Inspector Sands, is not a fan, Bonbon is on the case. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling. If Murder She Wrote had a female child detective and a stick on moustache, it would look like this book - wait - that's Nancy Drew! It's funny in all the right spots (the illustrations are a highlight for me, starting with the map of the museum and going through various clues and case boards as Bonbon figures out more of the case.

The dialogue even has the rhythm of Poirot and the whole book is enhanced by Powell’s equally fun illustrations. I heartily recommend Murder at the Museum to anyone looking for a funny homage to Agatha Christie, especially on audiobook (ABK narrates it best). Then again, can Bonbon and Banks follow the un-oniony scented clues to arrive at the culprit, ahead of the unwanted arrival of Inspector Sands? His videos on youtube are hilarious, his podcast Loremen is one of my favorites, and when I saw he had written a book, I couldn't wait to check it out!