by K H Saxton (Author)
Follow clues, solve puzzles, crack the code... find the missing millionaire.
The celebrated museums of the Fairfleet Institute are known for curating the mysteries of humanity. But they don't solve mysteries. Luckily, twelve-year-old friends Alex Foster and Asha Singh of the A&A Detective Agency do. Or they will . . . once they get a real case to test their skills as sleuths.
When Dr. Alistair Fairfleet, the institute's eccentric chairman, disappears on the first day of Alex and Asha's summer vacation, they receive a letter written by the missing millionaire himself inviting them to a game involving complicated clues and puzzles. It is just the sort of case they've been waiting to tackle. But nothing in the Fairfleet case has a simple solution. As the kids track down clues, they uncover art forgeries, archaeological crimes, and Fairfleet family secrets. All of this tests their partnership and forces them to confront the complicated legacies of the people and places they admire most.
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A complex, cinematic, and eclectic page-turner.
Indian American Asha Singh and her best friend Alex Foster, who reads as white, are the 12-year-old founders of A&A Detective Agency, which they run out of Alex's backyard tree house. Though they haven't yet had an official opportunity to exercise their investigative skills, the pair are dedicated sleuths who believe that their knowledge of their town's history--and their rapport with Dr. Alistair Fairfleet, one of Northbrook's most prominent citizens--is the key to legitimizing their agency. When Dr. Fairfleet goes missing on the day of a solar eclipse, Asha and Alex, along with numerous museum directors, receive cryptic messages containing clues about what happened to him. As the tweens decode the messages, many of which include quotes from King Lear, they become embroiled in a wild treasure hunt through the various museums, a local performing arts center, and Dr. Fairfleet's home. But what starts as a missing persons case devolves into something even more nefarious involving blackmail, forgery, and smuggling. Despite thinly characterized protagonists, the intricate plot--jam-packed with brain teasers, convoluted twists, and red herrings--keeps readers in suspense while neatly paving the way for a sequel in Saxton's series-starting debut. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
"I absolutely adored this book! The A&A Detective Agency: The Fairfleet Affair is a perfectly paced mystery full of humor and memorable characters. The backdrop of curating art and exhibits for museums, and the ethics involved, is fascinating. Alex and Asha are a smart and funny detective duo, and I enjoyed their friendship as much as I enjoyed figuring out the clues alongside them. I hope this is the first of many mysteries with the A&A Detective Agency!" —Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times-bestselling author of the Book Scavenger series and Sisterhood of Sleuths.
"Saxton reveals a knack for constructing a mystery, planting baffling clues, and creating interesting characters of varied ages. Tension rises and falls, but the pace of the narrative never falters, and readers will enjoy seeing the puzzle pieces fall into place during the satisfying conclusion. A smart, involving first novel."—Booklist