Murder at a Boarding School

Ellie Haskell's alma mater, Sr. Roberta's, has a problem. A silver lacrosse trophy, the Loverly Cup, has been stolen. The timing is particularly bad because Ms. Chips, the beloved games mistress, has retired and Dorcas Critchley, Ellie's friend, has taken the position. Unfortunately, her lacrosse season was not as successful and Ms. Chips, and so the cup is scheduled to go to another school. Being missing, is a blot on St. Roberta's reputation.

Ellie can think of almost any place she'd rather be than St. Roberta's. It's not just that she broke Ms. Chips nose playing lacrosse, she has a secret that makes her dread seeing the school again. However, she agrees to take the case and soon finds herself sharing the guest house with several other old girls one of whom was her nemesis when they were students.

This is an amusing book reminiscent of girl's boarding school novels. The characters themselves bring up the similarity which leads to humorous anecdotes. The book is fun to read because of the unusual characters and Ellie's description of her reaction to events. However, aside from the question of who took the Loverly Cup, these isn't much of a mystery until very late in the book when Ms. Chips is found dead at the bottom of some slippery steps. At first it seems to be an accident, but as Ellie investigates, she realizes it was murder.

I recommend the book for the odd characters and the amusing anecdotes. However, if you're looking for a mystery where you can follow the clues, this will disappoint.

I received this book from Alibi for this review.