Pepper’s father is the captain of the RMS Aquitania, a huge luxury liner transporting people across the Atlantic Ocean from England to New York. After years of begging, Pepper finally gets to join him on his journey. Pepper promises her accompanying governess she will be a perfectly well-behaved young lady (as instructed by K.R. Ledoux, author of The Lady’s Guide to Ocean Travel – a book her governess insists she reads) and she has every intention of staying true to her word.

But then she meets Sol, a confident young American stowaway with dreams of being a famous pastry chef; Toby, a mysterious boy who helps his blind dad play cards; and Norah, a young Irish girl with an amazing voice who is cabining in 3rd class. The four kids find themselves caught up in the theft of a rare diamond. With haughty Broadway stars, circus performers, swindlers and leopards and monkeys all involved, Pepper and her friends are determined to solve the mystery and clear some names.

The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel is the perfect book for readers who have worked through Robin Stevens’s Murder Most Unladylike series and Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mysteries, and are on the lookout for something new. Funny and charming, this is a good, fun mystery with a very satisfying conclusion. For ages 8+.

Dani Solomon is the assistant manager at Readings Kids.