The Deadly Daylight

Australian author Harrier imbues a classic whodunit with poetic melancholy in this haunting debut. Twelve-year-old Alice England, who has muscular atrophy in her leg due to complications during birth that also killed her twin sister, lives alone with her father in a seaside town and helps tend her family's funeral home. Shunned and unkindly dubbed "Alice in Zombieland" by her classmates both for her limp and her father's profession, Alice is friendless until she meets Violet Devenish, a fellow student who is deathly allergic to light and wears a black veil to protect herself from the sun. Harrier deliberately unspools the jam-packed plot at an unhurried pace, even when Violet's beloved uncle George--who shares Violet's allergy--is found dead of light exposure. Analytical Alice is immediately suspicious, thanks to the insight granted by her supernatural ability to "read the resonance" of objects belonging to the deceased, and her preoccupation with uncovering George's murderer soon puts her at odds with the town, the insular Devenish clan, and eventually Violet herself. While Alice's diversions occasionally slacken the tension, offbeat characters and lyrical writing sustain a thoroughly clever and engrossing riff on the murder mystery formula. Ages 9-12. (Mar.)

Gr 4-6--Alice, almost 13, loves dinosaurs, gathering (but not collecting) items from the beach, and helping her father prepare corpses at the funeral home where they live and work. What truly sets Alice apart is her ability to connect with the memories of the departed through objects she calls "resonant." This gift comes in handy when her new friend Violet's uncle dies in a series of "unfortunate accidents" that Alice suspects was ultimately murder. Violet and her family share a life-threatening allergy to sunlight, acting as the central force of the plot. Alice uses her curiosity and ability to read people to solve the mystery with the help of her friends Violet and Cal. While the story does not shy away from morbid subjects, Alice's matter-of-fact nature and inability to be anything other than her authentic self balance the macabre plot. The side characters are quirky and lovable, adding a layer to the story as Alice learns how important yet difficult friendship can be. The mystery itself is satisfying, with plenty of twists to keep readers guessing until the end, but also enough hints being dropped for would-be detectives to try to solve it themselves. Alice is presented as light-skinned with red hair, and Violet is depicted with very pale skin and blond hair. VERDICT Simultaneously wholesome and somewhat ghoulish, this murder mystery is fun for children seeking an eccentric detective novel.--Nicolette Pavain