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Overview
Framed for a jewel robbery, quick-thinking thirteen-year-old NickDiamond finds himself sharing a prison cell with Johnny Powers, juvenile delinquent and Public Enemy Number One. Suddenly, Nick is Public Enemy Number Two! His only chance at breaking out of jail is his older—and much dimmer—brother Tim. He's possibly the world's worst private detective, but Nick has no choice.Can Nick break out of jail, defeat Ma Powers and her gang, recover a stolen vase from an underwater hideout, and defuse a ticking time-bomb all while keeping his older brother from wrecking everything?
The heat is on in this explosive Diamond Brothers mystery!
When thirteen-year-old Nick is framed for a jewel robbery, he and his brother, the bumbling detective Tim Diamond, attempt to clear his name by capturing the master criminal known as the Fence.
Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Nick Diamond is in prison! Framed for a jewel heist, quick-thinking Nick finds himself sharing a cell with public enemy number one: Johnny Powers. Nick's only chance of clearing his name is to nail the Fence, the country's master criminal. But to do that, he needs to break out—which is where his bumbling older brother, Tim, comes in. Nick's not so sure he'll make it to his fourteenth birthday!
Michael Levy - VOYA
First published in the U.K. in 1986 and subsequently made into a film called variously Diamond's Edge and Just Ask for Diamond, The Falcon's Malteser is the first in Horowitz's long-running Diamond Brothers Mystery series, now being reissued in an Americanized edition. Herbert Simple, who was fired from the London police department for stupidity and who is a coward to boot, is trying to scratch out a living as the world's worst private detective under the rather romantic name of Tim Diamond. Fortunately his thirteen-year-old brother, Nick, the book's narrator, is made of sterner and smarter stuff. When a mysterious dwarf leaves a package in their hands for safekeeping and is then found murdered, the Diamond brothers leap-or perhaps stumble-into action. The package, it turns out, contains a box of malted milk balls, the Maltesers of the title. Several of the most important criminals in London, among them a near-anorexic known as the Fat Man and a pair of hitmen named Gott and Himmell, apparently believe it to be the key to millions of dollars in diamonds. The book features some nice word play, and Horowitz takes great pleasure in parodying the various cliches of film noir and the hardboiled detective novel, although many of these references will be lost on the story's intended audience. On the other hand, more sophisticated teen readers might wonder why British kids in London are paying for things in dollars and cents. In the sequel, Public Enemy Number Two, Nick Diamond is framed for a jewelry heist and finds himself behind bars, sharing his cell with Johnny Powers, public enemy number one. Nick must break out of jail in order to clear his name and catch the guy who set himup, but he has only his incompetent brother to depend on, which means that things do not look good. The Diamond Brothers stories are invariably funny and full of excitement. Mystery readers with a sense of humor will enjoy both tales and look forward to further books in the series. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Philomel, 224p., Ages 11 to 15.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Thirteen-year-old Nick Simple leads a life that is anything but simple. First, he refuses to help a Scotland Yard investigator who wants him to go undercover in order to get information from the fifteen-year-old hardened criminal Johnny Powers, who is also known as Public Enemy Number One. Shortly thereafter, Nick finds himself framed and coincidently, sharing a cell with Johnny. Nick is a likeable and believable character. He cleverly pretends to befriend Johnny and the two of them escape the facility together. They join up with others and enter a dangerous underground world. Nick is brave and intelligent, but a great deal of dumb luck is what helps him to escape Johnny's band of thugs and ultimately to get the information needed to clear himself and crack a major case. The quick pace and fast action in this book make it difficult to put down. This book is the second in a series called "The Diamond Brothers Mysteries." The talented and popular author, Anthony Horowitz, is well known for the "Alex Rider Adventures" series. 2004 (orig. 1997), Philomel Books/Penguin, Ages 10 up.—Denise Daley
VOYA
First published in the U.K. in 1986 and subsequently made into a film called variously Diamond's Edge and Just Ask for Diamond, The Falcon's Malteser is the first in Horowitz's long-running Diamond Brothers Mystery series, now being reissued in an Americanized edition. Herbert Simple, who was fired from the London police department for stupidity and who is a coward to boot, is trying to scratch out a living as the world's worst private detective under the rather romantic name of Tim Diamond. Fortunately his thirteen-year-old brother, Nick, the book's narrator, is made of sterner and smarter stuff. When a mysterious dwarf leaves a package in their hands for safekeeping and is then found murdered, the Diamond brothers leap-or perhaps stumble-into action. The package, it turns out, contains a box of malted milk balls, the Maltesers of the title. Several of the most important criminals in London, among them a near-anorexic known as the Fat Man and a pair of hitmen named Gott and Himmell, apparently believe it to be the key to millions of dollars in diamonds. The book features some nice word play, and Horowitz takes great pleasure in parodying the various cliches of film noir and the hardboiled detective novel, although many of these references will be lost on the story's intended audience. On the other hand, more sophisticated teen readers might wonder why British kids in London are paying for things in dollars and cents. In the sequel, Public Enemy Number Two, Nick Diamond is framed for a jewelry heist and finds himself behind bars, sharing his cell with Johnny Powers, public enemy number one. Nick must break out of jail in order to clear his name and catch the guy who set himup, but he has only his incompetent brother to depend on, which means that things do not look good. The Diamond Brothers stories are invariably funny and full of excitement. Mystery readers with a sense of humor will enjoy both tales and look forward to further books in the series. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Philomel, 224p., Ages 11 to 15.—Michael Levy