The Three Detectives and the Missing Superstar [Hardcover]

Simon Brett (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

The disappearance of Britain's leading rock star begins an investigation by the Three Detectives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In British writer Brett's first mystery for young readers, three teenagers turn detective when Dazzleman, star of the number one rock group, Reddimixx, disappears. Emma (energetic and intuitive), Stewart (an amateur scientist and inventor) and Marcus (a brain) know that Dazzleman has not gone off on one of his notorious disappearances. Believing he has been kidnapped, they break into Dazzleman's mansion to find he's being held hostage by his former partner, from whom he stole many songs. Brett's plot is ingenious and exciting and the detectives are an agreeable lot. But at times the dialogue is difficult to follow, due to Britishisms and slang.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 Emma Cobbett is suspicious when rock star Dazzleman leaves the studio, reluctantly it seems to her, with an unknown man with one ear. When she later discovers that the autograph he had forced on her appears to carry a coded message , Emma decides that Dazzleman has been kidnapped. With the help of her friends, Emma sets out to find the missing superstar. Find him they do, after tracking down musical clues, delving into his mysterious past, and twice breaking into the mansion-fortress where the singer is being held. Brett's first book for young readers is not without problems. A strong feeling of writing down to the audience permeates the early chapters. The narrative flow is frequently interrupted as characters explain word meanings to each other. Since one gathers that these youngsters are about 13 or 14 years old, this is particularly jarring. Indeed, Emma's friend Kimberley is depicted patronizingly throughout, an idiot-savant of Dazzleman trivia. Once the plot gets in gear, things move along briskly to a believable conclusion, and the vocabulary lessons disappear. But getting past those first chapters may be difficult for all but the most undemanding mystery buffs, even with the rock music lure. Brett is a better writer than this book demonstrates. The ending hints at a sequel, and one can only hope that readersand charactersare treated with more respect in future adventures of the ``Three Detectives.'' Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 179 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1 edition (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684187086
• ISBN-13: 978-0684187082
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,017,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.