SOLVED. Mystery. Poor boy tries to solve a Murder near the bridge/ river in his small town. Cover: white, police car near crime scene, 2 X's on dead body & boy standing near a tree. Read in 2017. [s]

[Balqis]

i read this when i lived in the uk, that was 2017 so it was published a few years before that i guess.

it’s about a poor boy who mother and father isn’t aware of his state of live (i think). he visits the homeless often. one day there was a murder near the river, near bridge in his small town and that’s the only thing i remember.

we moved again and i don’t remember where the book is.
i have some idea of what the cover looks like it’s background is white, a police car near the crime scene and two X, on the dead body and where the boy was standing near a tree.

i think i was one of the Costa Award books but i think that was another one i read before that called Jessica’s Ghost. a

i hope i did this right. it was one of those book that made me back to reading and i wanna finish it.

[Robert]

Could it possibly be Smart, by Kim Slater?

"There's been a murder, but the police don't care. It was only a homeless old man after all. Kieran cares. He's made a promise, and when you say something out loud, that means you're going to do it, for real. He's going to find out what really happened. To Colin. And to his grandma, who just stopped coming round one day. It's a good job Kieran's a master of observation, and knows all the detective tricks of the trade. But being a detective is difficult when you're Kieran Woods. When you're amazing at drawing but terrible at fitting in. And when there are dangerous secrets everywhere, not just outside, but under your own roof."

[Kris]

Balqis, is this book for teens or adults? How old is the boy? Would you call this a mystery or thriller?

Is the story set in the UK (near a well-known city)?

I added some details to the header/ topic title. Feel free to edit it.

[Balqis]

OMG YESS EXACTLY ROBERT! thanks so much xx

[Balqis]

also thanks so much kris!