Murder Most Unladylike

Story

Hazel and Daisy are looking for mysteries to solve at their boarding school, but their secret Detective Society has no cases. That is until Hazel finds the body of their Science teacher Miss Bell, lying in the Gym. But when the body disappears, how can the girls prove the murder even happened? And can they solve the crime and catch the killer who is still on the loose in school?

Why we chose it

Set the in 1930s, combining Agatha Christie style detection with a classic girls boarding school setting, Murder Most Unladylike captured the imagination of young mystery fans.

Where it came from

Robin Stevens (1988 - ) was born in America but grew up in Oxford. She went to boarding school, just like her characters Daisy and Hazel and then studied crime writing at university. Her writing is inspired by reading the detective novels of Agatha Christie when she was a child. Her Murder Most Unladylike stories are set in the 1930s, like Agatha Christie’s novels.

Where it went next

Murder Most Unladylike received very good reviews, and was praised for its combination of old-fashioned setting, with the excitement of mystery and danger. Murder Most Unladylike won the 2015 Waterstones children’s book prize for its age range.

Associated stories

Murder Most Unladylike has been followed by eight other books in the series, including Arsenic for Tea, First Class Murder, Jolly Foul Play, Mistletoe and Murder, Cream Buns and Crime, A Spoonful of Murder, Death in the Spotlight, Top Marks for Murder and the final book in the series Death Sets Sail, set while Hazel and Daisy take a trip down the Nile in Egypt. Robin Stevens has also written mini-books about the Detective Society, and other mystery stories.