The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace by R.W.R McDonald #BookReview #BlogTour

 

Meet the Nancys…

Tippy Chan is eleven years old, and she lives in a small town in a very quiet part of New Zealand – the town her Uncle Pike escaped as a teenager, the moment he got a chance. Now Pike is back with his new boyfriend Devon to look after Tippy while her mum is on a Christmas cruise.

Tippy can’t get enough of her uncle's old Nancy Drew books. She wants to be Nancy and is desperate to solve a real mystery. So, when her teacher's body is found beside Riverstone's only traffic light, it looks like Tippy's moment has arrived. She and her minders form The Nancys, a secret detective club.

But what starts as a bonding and sightseeing adventure quickly morphs into something far more dangerous. A wrongful arrest, a close call with the murderer, and an intervention from Tippy's mum all conspire against The Nancys. But regardless of their own safety, and despite the constant distraction of questionable fashion choices in the town that style forgot, The Nancys know only they can stop the killer from striking again. Whatever the cost…

Gripping, glorious and glittering with suspense, The Nancy’s is also a heartwarming, hilarious novel for anyone who’s ever felt like they were on the outside, looking in, with a simmering mystery at its heart and characters you will never forget.

A hilarious, and heartfelt twist on Nancy Drew – with murder, mayhem and makeovers in small-town New Zealand.

It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace by R.W.R McDonald today. Many thanks to Orenda Books for my advance copy of the book and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

Like many readers of a certain age, the Nancy Drew Mysteries were one of my first introductions to crime fiction. However, although the protagonists in The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace are inspired by the eponymous sleuth and told from the perspective of 11-year-old Tippy Chan this ribald yet heartwarming debut is definitely not aimed at children. 

The action takes place in Riverstone, a small town in New Zealand which is home to Tippy who lives with her widowed mum. The pair are clearly still grieving and this is as much about their unconventional healing process as it is the surprisingly dark mystery which draws Tippy, her Uncle Pike and his boyfriend, Devon into their own Nancy Drew-style investigation. Pike and Devon are in town to take care of Tippy while her mum is on a cruise but their offbeat approach to their temporary guardianship is almost immediately challenged after a tragic accident involving one of Tippy's best friends, followed by the shocking murder of her school teacher.

Tippy is a delightful character; intelligent, resourceful and resilient, she is obviously shaken by events but decides she wants to solve the mystery and it doesn't take too much to persuade Pike and Devon to help her. The relationship between the three is warm and loving, although I felt it only really worked if I put aside my entrenched safeguarding concerns regarding some of the language and situations Tippy is exposed to here! I loved the close understanding that develops between them but for me, the most successful humorous moments were when Tippy innocently misunderstood an adult explanation, such as their brilliantly funny conversation about her mum hopefully enjoying finding 'a good hard book to read on her holiday...'  It might not be the most believable book I've read but there's no doubt The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace is one of the more memorable mysteries I've been introduced to.

For all its humour, however, there is a darker, more serious side to the novel and not just because the murder of Ms Everson is so barbaric. It's clear that Pike's reasons for leaving town as a young man extended beyond a wish for more excitement and there are some subtly cutting depictions of small-town prejudice, regarding both sexuality and race throughout the book. This vibrant yet poignant mystery is full of twists and turns with some clever read herrings which kept me guessing and is genuinely tense at some points. At its heart though, The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace is really about loss, acceptance and the importance of family, no matter how unorthodox that might be. Pike, Devon and especially Tippy will surely capture the heart of readers everywhere.

The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace by R.W.R McDonald is published in the UK by Orenda Books and can be ordered from their website. Further purchasing links can be found here.

Follow the blog tour, details are below.

About the Author

R.W.R. McDonald (Rob) is an award-winning author, a Kiwi and Queer dad living in Melbourne with his two daughters and one HarryCat. His debut novel, The Nancys, won Best First Novel in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards, as well as being a finalist in the Best Novel category. It was shortlisted for Best First Novel in the 2020 Ned Kelly Awards, and Highly Commended for an Unpublished Manuscript in the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. His second novel, Nancy Business, was a finalist for Best Novel in 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards.