- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 9–12
- Mystery
Montgomery Bonbon: Death at the Lighthouse
Book 2 in Montgomery BonbonView the full series
On a windswept island holiday, one death at the lighthouse becomes two, and only Montgomery Bonbon can prove they are connected. A gleefully twisty seaside whodunit.
- Best for9–12
- FormatIllustrated
- Length304 pp
- Read aloud~4 hr20 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Cosy
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Bonnie Montgomery is meant to be on holiday, arriving on remote Odde Island for sea air and quiet. But a mysterious death at the island's lighthouse sets Bonbon's moustache aquiver, and when a second body turns up, Bonnie is certain the two are linked. Slipping into her disguise as the world's greatest detective, she picks her way through a cast of shifty islanders, tangled alibis and clues half-hidden in the fog, with Grampa Banks never far behind. Alasdair Beckett-King's second Montgomery Bonbon mystery is another proper fair-play puzzle, stuffed with jokes, atmosphere and Claire Powell's expressive black-and-white illustrations. The locked-room ingenuity of the first book gives way to a brooding, storm-lashed island setting, but the recipe is just as moreish: laugh, follow the clues, and try to beat Bonbon to the solution before the final chapter.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Aimed at readers of about 9-12 reading independently, with plenty to enjoy read aloud to 7-10s. The murders are treated with cosy, comic lightness rather than menace, so it stays comfortable for sensitive readers who like a proper puzzle.
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- Best fit · 9–12
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–11
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Mystery fans
- Funny stories
- Detective stories
- Cosy mysteries
Avoid if
- Wants gritty realism
- Dislikes puzzles
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
A creepy lighthouse, a shrinking island and a suspect list where everyone is hiding something make this a whodunit you can sink into. Bonnie's moustachioed disguise fools the grown-ups again, and racing Bonbon to link the two deaths before the last page is irresistible.
- Being a detective
- Trickery and cleverness
- Having a wise mentor
Why parents love it
The second case swaps the locked room for a brooding island but keeps the clockwork plotting, so children still get a real mystery to solve. The writing is witty, the atmosphere rich, and the illustrations keep the page count from ever feeling daunting.
- Shared humour
- Great writing
- Quick to read
In the series
Montgomery Bonbon.
5 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
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