I was looking for some light-hearted stuff to read after a huge dose of books with lots of serial killers and blood. From Eoin Colfer's other books I have read (love the Artemis Fowl series), I knew I wasn't going to get disappointed. And boy, did this book deliver or what.

This is a story of 12-year old detective, who thinks he has seen all the cases a school playground can throw at him. But then, his own boasts about being a detective get him involved in a case against the biggest criminals in the school. And before he knows it, the case has developed into something huge, and he is a fugitive from the law he has helped uphold so many times before. And soon, he is not the only person who is getting injured.

Femme fatale, a huge conspiracy, a scary criminal family and a hardboiled, world-weary protagonist... what more does a detective story need?

If you want a one line review: Why exactly hasn't this been made into a crime noire film yet? I mean, you can almost hear the saxophone in the background while reading, and it's not that hard to imagine all the characters wearing hats either.