author/illustrator: Laure Monloubou
ages: 9+
180 pages, black and white illustrations
softcover
French
Amaterra
The Diamond Express - Colette on the Case! series
This perfect mix of laughs and chills is a loving tribute to the great classics of detective fiction.
Colette has spent her whole life aboard a luxurious sleeper train belonging to the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, where both her parents work: her mother as the linen maid, her father as head chef. Curious and mischievous, she spends her days giving her tutor the slip and listening to the tales of Madame Gigliotti, an eccentric former diva.
One morning, a wealthy passenger boards the train — James Pertelman, carrying an extraordinary ring intended for a marriage proposal. But as the journey unfolds, the ring vanishes without a trace. What began as a voyage becomes an investigation. Suspects multiply: peculiar passengers, jittery staff, false leads at every turn. Then the unthinkable happens: a murder is committed aboard the train.While the grown-ups panic, Colette pieces together the clues, unravels the deception — and unmasks the culprit.
By Laure Moulonbou, whose previous middle- grade novel at Amaterra has been translated into 7 languages!
• A gripping mystery: clues are woven in with great care, kee-ping the reader on tenterhooks right up to the final reveal.
• A colourful cast of characters: an idle heir, a hapless profes-sor, and an extravagant diva— each one as memorable as the next.BY THE SAME AUTHOR