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Saxby Smart, Private Detective #6
Five Seconds To Doomsday
Saxby’s arch-enemy plots his ultimate revenge, a truckload of video games vanish into thin air, and the school office is the target of an apparently pointless robbery...In his sixth book of case files, Saxby Smart, schoolboy detective, solves three more puzzling Five Seconds to Doomsday, March of the Zombies, and The Shattered Box. In each story Saxby gives you clues. Are you ‘smart’ enough to work out the answers?
Unknown Binding
First published June 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 3, 2023
Saxby Smart, the brilliant schoolboy detective, seems to see himself as a cross between Philip Marlowe and Sherlock Holmes but with his pals Isobel “Izzy” Moustique and George “Muddy” Whitehouse the three of them come across as more like the Three Investigators without being face to face with dangerous criminals on each case. Having said that, there is more bubbling schoolkid humour in Saxby Smart than the Three Investigators ever managed to create.
Saxby is something of a ringer for Jupiter Jones. He is not described as being plump but he regularly admits to a chronic lack of fitness and he has a sharp analytical mind. Izzy, the wonderful Izzy – she is my favourite character in the series, fits with Bob Andrews. She is the brains behind the trio; a computer nerd with a touch of Mata Hari about her. She will either grow up to be the next Elon Musk or, if she takes to the dark side, Irene Adler. And then there is Muddy, not quite Pete Crenshaw as he is not really athletic. He is the practical one ready to come up with inventions and ideas that will give Saxby a sense of reality; though, as with Dr. Watson, he is often astounded by his friend's insights.
Saxby's investigations cover crimes big and small – mostly small – which involve children at his school, their friends, their parents or their relatives. In volume six he investigates a plot to sabotage his reputation along with that of Izzy and Muddy, the theft of a new computer game, and a break in at the school secretary`s office.
Five Seconds to Doomsday is the most effective story of the three in this volume. Muddy`s teddy bear Norman has been kidnapped by persons unknown and a note has been left, not a ransom note but a riddle. Saxby has little difficulty in working out who the villain is but the clues in the note must be followed. They lead to a further note which brings in Izzy and then on to another leading to the finale. At Saxby`s school an important teacher`s conference is being held and Saxby and his friends must infiltrate it to rescue Norman from destruction.
March of the Zombies allows the author to poke a little fun at computer gaming as Saxby tries to work out who is behind the theft of thousands of copies of the latest March of the Zombies 3 from a lorry. It involves unscrupulous business people and false trails, and for the first time in the series a social conundrum to test the young sleuth. Bringing the right people to justice may cause the collapse of a company and throw a whole workforce out of their jobs.
The Shattered Box is not a strong story. Saxby has to investigate the apparent theft of some minor items from the office of the school secretary which for some reason involved the office being trashed in the process. It all involves a lost letter, forgery and a disputed will.
Saxby is something of a ringer for Jupiter Jones. He is not described as being plump but he regularly admits to a chronic lack of fitness and he has a sharp analytical mind. Izzy, the wonderful Izzy – she is my favourite character in the series, fits with Bob Andrews. She is the brains behind the trio; a computer nerd with a touch of Mata Hari about her. She will either grow up to be the next Elon Musk or, if she takes to the dark side, Irene Adler. And then there is Muddy, not quite Pete Crenshaw as he is not really athletic. He is the practical one ready to come up with inventions and ideas that will give Saxby a sense of reality; though, as with Dr. Watson, he is often astounded by his friend's insights.
Saxby's investigations cover crimes big and small – mostly small – which involve children at his school, their friends, their parents or their relatives. In volume six he investigates a plot to sabotage his reputation along with that of Izzy and Muddy, the theft of a new computer game, and a break in at the school secretary`s office.
Five Seconds to Doomsday is the most effective story of the three in this volume. Muddy`s teddy bear Norman has been kidnapped by persons unknown and a note has been left, not a ransom note but a riddle. Saxby has little difficulty in working out who the villain is but the clues in the note must be followed. They lead to a further note which brings in Izzy and then on to another leading to the finale. At Saxby`s school an important teacher`s conference is being held and Saxby and his friends must infiltrate it to rescue Norman from destruction.
March of the Zombies allows the author to poke a little fun at computer gaming as Saxby tries to work out who is behind the theft of thousands of copies of the latest March of the Zombies 3 from a lorry. It involves unscrupulous business people and false trails, and for the first time in the series a social conundrum to test the young sleuth. Bringing the right people to justice may cause the collapse of a company and throw a whole workforce out of their jobs.
The Shattered Box is not a strong story. Saxby has to investigate the apparent theft of some minor items from the office of the school secretary which for some reason involved the office being trashed in the process. It all involves a lost letter, forgery and a disputed will.
June 14, 2023
Nice plot. Simple language. Very good starter for someone who likes to play detactive. It's not a hard case tho.. I could spot a few clues and guess them correctly. Successfully smelt the outcomes for 2 cases out of 3. But the plot twists were still surprising to me😆
I enjoyed reading it.. Santai je
I enjoyed reading it.. Santai je
December 11, 2021
Child detectives have been a feature of many books over the years. It isn't easy to make one stand out. I feel this one does.
One of the things I like here is that Saxby isn't perfect. He is said to be a little out of shape, he misses things, jumps to the wrong conclusions and also needs help at times. Too many protagonists are perfect and they grate on a reader.
The three stories are all different, all possibly could have been solved by a child and the reader gets to interact with the stories at various points to see if they picked up on vital clues. These are all positive points for the audience.
I would recommend this book (and quite possibly the series) to the 7-11 year old audience to read with help or to be read to. Any book you have to think about and talk about has to be a positive. The stories are light hearted and easy reading but will also appeal to a curious mind.
One of the things I like here is that Saxby isn't perfect. He is said to be a little out of shape, he misses things, jumps to the wrong conclusions and also needs help at times. Too many protagonists are perfect and they grate on a reader.
The three stories are all different, all possibly could have been solved by a child and the reader gets to interact with the stories at various points to see if they picked up on vital clues. These are all positive points for the audience.
I would recommend this book (and quite possibly the series) to the 7-11 year old audience to read with help or to be read to. Any book you have to think about and talk about has to be a positive. The stories are light hearted and easy reading but will also appeal to a curious mind.
August 16, 2016
That's the best case in all of Saxby's cases! Harry Lovecraft was suspended? Love it!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews