The Scent of Blood by Tanya Landman

May 2010, Walker Books
112 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Children's, 10 years +

Cushions: 4
Daggers: 2
Smiles: 2
Tissues: 1
Nayuleska's recommended rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Summary from Walker

When Poppy Fields and best friend Graham go on a weekend trip to the zoo, it soon becomes apparent that the staff there are not happy. Then one of them suddenly dies. And then another. And another… Someone’s using the animals to do their dirty work for them, and the result is not pretty. Will the intrepid pair uncover the murderer before they, too, become dead meat?

Poppy's life, as usual, is filled with death. It's never her fault. And yet somehow she gets tangled up in the murders, ending up with the murderer after her and Graham's life. I think this is what makes the series so enjoyable. I know that somehow, from the beginning where Poppy goes somewhere new or does something different, to the last part of the book, she's going to go from being under the murderer's radar to being a huge red flashing blob on the radar. I find myself wanting to know what danger Poppy will face, how she will escape the clutches of murderer.

Most people go to the zoo for a day visit. The reason why Poppy and Graham end up there for the whole weekend is strange. It isn't a normal zoo. It's a zoo plus something else (no, I'm  not spoiling the story). It's such a strange combination that I couldn't see it work. It provides a good motive for the murderer. And it is really scary as more people die, and Poppy and Graham investigate things. Because, as ever, Poppy's mother is around to place obstacles in the path of the young detectives. (They are detectives, even if the real ones don't always listen to them).

I couldn't work out who the murderer was before Poppy nor could I figure out the motive. It was a great twist in the story, as was the location of the zoo. I liked the way I 'knew' Poppy and Graham because I've read the previous stories. They provide humour to a very unfunny situation. Even if you haven't read the previous books, I think the books about Poppy are the kind where you can pick any of them and enjoy them even if you haven't read the others.

Make sure you've checked out some of the earlier books, Dying to be Famous and The Head is Dead.