Howard Wallace, P.I. - Hardcover

Casey Lyall

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1454919493 ISBN 13: 9781454919490

Publisher: Sterling, 2016

Synopsis

What s with the get-up? Is that the company uniform or something? This? All P.I.s wear a trench coat. Dude, that s a brown bathrobe. I shrugged and straightened out my sleeves. First rule of private investigation, Ivy: work with what you've got. Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace lives by his list of rules of private investigation. He knows more than anyone how to work with what he s got: a bathrobe for a trench coat, a makeshift office behind the school equipment shed, and not much else least of all, friends. So when a hot case of blackmail lands on his desk, he's ready to take it on himself...until the new kid, Ivy Mason, convinces him to take her on as a junior partner. As they banter through stakeouts and narrow down their list of suspects, Howard starts to wonder if having Ivy as a sidekick and a friend is such a bad thing after all.

About this title

Review

I am not currently being blackmailed, but if I were, I'd hire Howard Wallace to solve the case. I don t care that he wears a bathrobe as a trench coat, or that his office is made up of janitorial cast-offs. The kid knows what he's doing, and he does it with style. Full of surprises and humor, 'Howard Wallace, P.I.' will delight any lover of detective stories. --Sheila Grau, author of the 'Dr. Critchlore's School for Minions' series

Through the lens of an engaging mystery plot, the theme focuses on how friendship changes as one gets older and how some friendships fall away while others strengthen. Another subplot involves issues of bullying. There is plenty of humor, too, as Howard gets around on a busted old bicycle and wears a bathrobe in place of a traditional detective's trench coat. Strong writing, relatable themes, and a solid mystery combine for a read that both boys and girls will have trouble putting down. --School Library Journal

About the Author

Casey Lyall (5ft 4', brown hair, blue eyes, no known aliases) is a middle-grade writer from Southwestern Ontario. She works at her local library where she runs a number of teen groups and waits for management to discover they re actually paying her to have fun. When she's not writing, Casey loves to bake, watch an unhealthy amount of movies and television, and of course, read. She'd consider adding detective work to the list if she could find a proper coat. You can find her on Twitter as @CKLyall and at caseylyall.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sterling
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1454919493
• ISBN 13: 9781454919490
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272