What goes up, doesn't come down in this Siobhan Dowd mystery. Twelve-year-old Ted Spark plans to be a meteorologist one day, using his skills to help the world deal with climate change. He has an eye for detail, looking for patterns to make sense of life. By his own admission his brain works on a different operating system from other people's. He sees what others don’t. Despite a razor sharp mind, Ted can be lacking when it comes to his interpersonal skills. He doesn't lie and can be blunt with the truth, egregiously lacking in tact. Ted has a cousin, Salim, whom he hasn't seen in five years. Salim's mother, Auntie Gloria (or Glo for short), has just secured a nice job at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. There has been some friction between Auntie Glo and Ted's mum, Faith. To try and make things up between the sisters, Glo suggests she and Salim stay with the Spark family for a few days before leaving for New York. While the parents settle in together, trying to smooth over problems from the past, the children – Ted, Salim and Ted's older sister, Kat – organise to ride The London Eye, a cantilevered observation wheel on the River Thames. While waiting in line to get on board, they are approached by a young man who has a spare ticket. He says he's suddenly had second thoughts about riding the wheel, as he is claustrophobic, and would they like the ticket? After some discussion, it's decided that Salim should take the free ride. The queue is very long and besides that, Kat and Ted have ridden the wheel before. Salim boards the wheel at 11.32am. It takes half an hour for the wheel to do a complete cycle, and so Ted and Kat expect to see Salim re-emerge at 12.02. They wait, 12.02 arrives, the pod containing Salim opens and people spill out, but their cousin doesn't. He's disappeared. Completely. Ted and Kat take it upon themselves to discover what happened, sifting through clues and doing their own legwork. While Kat has the bravado and is ready to jump in harm's way to find out more, it is Ted's deductive skills that save the day. Siobhan Dowd writes a consistently compelling mystery story, centred around an ingeniously brain-teasing problem and finishing with a nail-biting cliff-hanger. The story is made all the juicier by its turbulent family dynamics and vibrant personalities, especially the flighty and flamboyant Auntie Glo. Holiday fun, family squabbles and a gut wrenching missing person drama make for a wholly satisfying mix. Siobhan Dowd planned a second Ted Spark mystery, but sadly died before she could write it. 9+ years The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd. Published by Puffin. $14.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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