A new month, two new books from the ’26 in 26’ challenge pile. This month spin the wheel picked the following books;
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson and Holmes is missing by James Patterson.

I finished the first book yesterday, the agathas is a teen sleuthing / murder mystery book that plays out in high school.

Alice Ogilvie was one of few popular kids in school, right up until something happened that made the ‘main clique’ turn their backs on her. When her boyfriend dumped her, she became somewhat desperate and with her parents never being home; the opportunity to spend some time with her mother abroad was one she held on to with both hands. But those weeks abroad were once again an eye opener, her parents were too busy to parent. Too busy to take some time out of their days to do something with Alice, to love on her or just to embrace the fact that she exists. Her plan was to get away a couple of weeks, spend some Qtime with her mother and then when she came back, her ex-boyfriend would see how much he missed her and hopefully would come crawling back. Sadly, that didn’t happen. He moved on – WITH HER BEST FRIEND.

Alice had enough, no one loved her enough apparently; she would run away but maybe stage it as something else? Leaving her phone and things behind, knocking over a vase (accidentally) and just leave. The stupid thing was, she came back after 5 days instead of just making a run for it. When she returned and it became apparent nothing actually happened but town resources were spent on this, the town came to the conclusion that house arrest would fit. But that house arrest would end and when that happened, it was time to go back to school.

Where would Alice sit, with who could she hang or talk to if not with her former best friends? Going back to school sucked but being told by the guidance counselor that she needed tutoring and that her parents had agreed to this was something else. Iris Adams from the Zoners group?

Iris loved being invisible, no one noticed her eavesdropping on conversations or looked her way much but that was about to change. What was she thinking agreeing to tutor a popular one? It was just that she really needed the money to get her and her mother away from Castle Cove. All rich kids are stuck up brats; but that opinion will change when the sleuthing begins.

Brooke Donovan; the best friend AKA boyfriend stealer went missing after a party which Alice crashed for a bit but was politely asked to leave. Iris was clearing her head with a walk when she saw Alice speeding past her like a maniac and then she heard voices… The clique; there was a fight between Steve and Brooke and then she just took off running and none of her friends went after her, when Iris decided to see where she was going, she couldn’t find Brooke again.

The police weren’t doing anything and coach Donovan didn’t even report her missing?! After two days Iris and Alice and the Zoners went out looking and eventually found Brooke at the bottom of a ravine. The police were quick to arrest someone although the pieces to the puzzle didn’t fit, they didn’t even investigate properly which is why Alice, Iris and the Zoners took this case upon themselves. They did have to do some illegal shit but they eventually caught whoever did it!

another 4 star read!