Another cute and well done mystery featuring Sherlock Bones. Lovely illustration,good story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A junior thriller set in New York, where the British Catson and Bones are starting out a little dismissive of their own previous case, but immediately finding themselves in the heart of another. A super-villain is spreading mischief, and – almost as if someone in Batman had done this kind of thing before – spraying riddles and clues around the place to tease the police while finding joy in their criminality. Can they save the day, and solve all that is in front of them – and on that subject, can we?

This is a teaser featuring teasers – there are well over two dozen puzzle pages for us to do at some point. The book handily suggests the idea of saving them til afterwards, which is good as they're based on the story but only divert us from the narrative. (They also make sure that libraries like my local branch will never knowingly buy a copy of these books, and stick to the audio versions, for fear of the answers being inked in, but that's a different issue.) There are also teasers in the way of the baddie's riddles, but these are rather daft in that the reader has absolutely no way of joining in and solving these for her- or himself. You have to be a character in this world and know it as well as the author to prove yourself with these.

But at the same time, you are invited to join in with the puzzles given us, even if we can't join in with the drama ourselves. That does mean this could spend more time in a youngster's hands than the average purchase. It also stands out by having Catson do a lot more than his inspiration ever did in the real Holmes books. But this still isn't fabulous. The fact this is an animal world is crammed into everything – every name, every action, every crime, and the characters almost end up as puppets as a result, so non-human does everything seem. It wants to have its dog biscuits and eat them, too, with Catson's added agency making this too far removed from the Conan Doyle partnership it so obviously wants to riff off. So all told it remains a diversion – something to tease a few little grey cells, to borrow from another detective, but nothing that gives anything much distinction.

Review to come July 28th on my blog/goodreads/other places.

I was so excited to see this book up on Netgalley, of course I clicked request and then the praying/hoping began. And my wish was fulfilled! I could read the book! *dances* Now I just need to read Books 3 and 4 and then I am all up to date again~

💖 I am sorry but I laughed so much at how Bones was just NOT amused with the first case and how he kept mentioning it. Seriously guys, next time just call him for a big grand puzzle, not something simple.
💖 The Puzzle (who I read as Puzzler) was such a fun villain and I love how they, like the Riddler in Batman, talked in riddles! The riddles were fun and some I figured out myself which is always something I love. Plus, their schemes were pretty spot-on, though I am not sure how I felt about one dog poisoning other dogs with chocolate. Then again, they were a villain, and villains don't care. It was exciting to read and see our characters go from one place to another trying to save the city and catch the Puzzle.
💖 Jose and Pearl were such fun additions to the cast and I loved how they tried everything to help Bones and Catson in the quest to get the Puzzle!
💖 The chase at the end which led us away from NY and all through the states. That was just so exciting!
💖 The culprits in the end and who it turned out to be! I definitely hadn't expected THAT animal, but thinking back.. it does fit! It was quite exciting how everyone was gathered and what happened next.
💖 AND OMG THAT ENDING! I was kinda hoping something exciting would happen given something we learned early on, but I hadn't expected any more and so this was a part that made me applaud so much. Go Bones!
💖 Once again, I am normally not a big fan of the real Sherlock Holmes, but I do like this version of him. He is still a bit obstinate, but less so.
💖 Catson was just so cool in this one. She did all sorts of kick-ass stuff that most wouldn't dare to dream doing. Like jumping on parade balloons to get to a villain!
💖 The various animal-puns for landmarks and stuff we know in our world. Like the Catue of Liberty, Houdogni, Niagrowl Falls, and others. I just loved it. So creative and fun~
💖 The puzzles. They still didn't entirely work for me as they came in the middle of the story, but I still loved doing them when I could. The variety of them is so fun. You got maps, jigsaw-esque puzzles, differences, pairs, and more. It definitely adds an extra dimension to the story.
💖 I love that this one took place mostly in New York!
💖 The illustrations were fab again! The style is just so much fun.

All in all, this was an exciting and superfun volume in the series and I cannot wait to see what is next for Bones and Catson! I would definitely recommend this series to everyone!

Bones and Catson, what a pair! I loved the duo and their dynamic, cuteness overload. The story is so much fun and interesting. It's great for children who reads by themself but it's also a very good book for reading out loud. The puzzles are fun and not too easy, you have to make an effort and have a good eye to solve them. The best part of this book is the illustrations, I would love to have some of those colorized and hanging on my wall.

Thank you NetGalley and Buster Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

ARC Copy...I have to admit it was a fun and funny read with puzzles on the side which the kiddies would enjoy but the ARC copy I was readying didn't exactly format he puzzles in a correct way so that I may properly look at them for solving. Hope this will be fine in the final version.

How fun! I've never been the first to review a book, to my knowledge but let me take the opportunity to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It is children's book, so I picked it up with the intent to see if my niece and nephew may enjoy the series as well as to look through the puzzles it has to offer. I will say the story is simple and straight forward.

My personal thought is it does not talk down to children and it does not assume they are less intelligent. the puzzles presented throughout the pages are thoughtful and require a good eye.

A friend of mine has a growing family and I think I will be purchasing this and the other books in the series as a collection to add to her family bookshelf. There is something for everyone within their pages. Plus, it'd adorably narrated from Jane Catson's perspective, the cat side-kick of Sherlock Bones. For me, that was the biggest selling point. Let the sleuthing continue!

This is such a fun book. The word play keeps you laughing, the puzzles keep you thinking, and the need to know what's going to happen next keeps you turning the pages. I will definitely be adding this title to my classroom library and recommending it to my students.

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group | Buster Books for providing this ARC for an honest review.