Originally written in Swedish, Johan Rundberg’s “The Night Raven” is a delightful mystery with a plucky heroine.
Twelve-year-old Mika lives at the Public Children’s Home, helping to oversee the orphaned children also residing there. Filled with extremely strong powers of observation, she can easily read a situation.
When a newborn child is mysteriously abandoned one night — along with a curious message “The Dark Angel knows I’m the one who took her” — Mika becomes intrigued about the baby’s background.
And when Valdemar Hoff, a police detective, learns of her ability to closely observe and decipher situations, he draws her into investigating a dead body, wondering if it could be related to the city’s past Night Raven case.
Rundberg does an incredible job of creating a plot filled with lots of suspense, as well as developing intriguing characters, including the spunky and daring Mika. He reveals the importance of paying attention (“I have to pay attention to detail all the time because my life depends on it”); finding confidence and believing in one’s self; determining and accepting one’s identity; and finding the ability of becoming the hunter and not the prey.
Fans of characters like Nancy Drew and Young Sherlock Holmes will love “The Night Raven,” which is due out Nov. 1. One word: the book is supposed to be for children ages 10 to 14, but I really would not recommend it for those on the younger end of the scale … perhaps starting at 12 or 13, as there are a couple of mild curse words and some dark, disturbing themes.
Five stars out of five.
Amazon Crossing Kids provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.
“The Night Raven” (The Moonwind Mysteries, #1) by Johan Rundberg