Cold-Blooded Myrtle (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #3)

by Elizabeth C Bunce (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

An Edgar(R) Award Winning Series

Myrtle Hardcastle--twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective--is back on the case, solving a string of bizarre murders in her hometown of Swinburne and picking up right where she left off in Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away with Myrtle.

When the proprietor of Leighton's Mercantile is found dead on the morning his annual Christmas shop display is to be unveiled, it's clear a killer had revenge in mind. But who would want to kill the local dry-goods merchant? Perhaps someone who remembers the mysterious scandal that destroyed his career as a professor and archaeologist. When the killer strikes again, each time manipulating the figures in the display to foretell the crime, Myrtle finds herself racing to uncover the long-buried facts of a cold case--and the motivations of a modern murderer.

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Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
Comical footnotes pepper the text, adding wit to prose which is already dryly funny. Clues abound, giving astute readers the chance to solve the mystery along with Myrtle. Another excellent whodunit with a charming, snarky sleuth.

Review quotes

"Younger Holmes fans (and older ones too) should be charmed by Elizabeth C. Bunce's Cold-Blooded Myrtle."
—Wall Street Journal, "Holiday Gift Books 2021: Mysteries"

"This third mystery in the Myrtle Hardcastle series brings all the Victorian charm and flair of the first two as the smart, high-spirited protagonist unravels the who and why behind a series of murders in her hometown of Swinburne. Curious, witty and tenacious, Myrtle navigates an elegantly twisty plot to finally finger the villain - or does she? This compelling story will keep readers guessing till the very last page."
— Washington Parent

"The most entertaining whodunit yet in this terrific series set in Victorian England. ... Narrated in Myrtle's smart, irreverent voice and peppered with amusing footnotes, the novel builds suspense as the body count rises right up to the dramatic finale."
— The Buffalo News

"This series is a great way to introduce younger readers to this genre. There are plenty of clues to file away and figure out, and the twists and turns end in a very satisfying way! . . . Readers who enjoyed mysteries like [Taryn] Souders' Coop Knows the Scoop, [Kristin L.] Gray's The Amelia Six, and the work of Stuart Gibbs will find Myrtle a great introduction to the Victorian era and a keen detective when it comes to figuring out murders!"
— YA Books Central

Elizabeth C Bunce
Elizabeth C. Bunce is the Edgar Award-winning author of Premeditated Myrtle and the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series, a three-time finalist for the Agatha Awards, and a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony Awards. She's also penned several young adult historical fantasies, including Morris Award winner A Curse Dark as Gold. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and their cats. Read more about Elizabeth and her books at www.elizabethcbunce.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781643753065
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Algonquin Young Readers
Publication date
October 20, 2022
Series
Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery
BISAC categories
JUV021000 - Juvenile Fiction | Law & Crime
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV016040 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Europe
Library of Congress categories
History
Great Britain
Mystery and detective stories
Detective and mystery stories
Murder
Detective and mystery fiction
Victoria, 1837-1901

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