This is a brilliant book which covers topics such as truth, integrity, commercial greed and exploitation in an easy to understand way for young people.
Edie and Eli’s mother died a year before the start of this story, although it transpires that her death was not all it had seemed. At the stone setting ceremony, Edie finds a note from her mother in her coat pocket. It is the first of five cryptic clues, left to help Edie uncover the facts of a case which her mother (an eco/fair rights warrior) had been investigating at the time of her death.

I really enjoyed this story many for middle grade/ young teens, reading it in one day, and will be recommending it to pupils in my school.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

Thirteen-year-old Edie Marble and her family have had a tough year. Edie's mother passed away a year before and Edie learns at the stone unveiling that her death may not have been an accident after all. Through five clues that she leaves for her daughter, Edie's mother leads Edie to the truth about her death and a massive corporate human rights violation. The Five Clues is Anthony Kessel's debut novel and the first book in the Don't Doubt the Rainbow series about amateur sleuth Edie who must harness the Three Principles approach to solve crimes.

The Five Clues is cool in many ways. It has an Alex Rider approach to crime fighting in that it is pretty implausible, definitely not something you should try at home, but bucketloads of fun and non-stop action nonetheless. Like Anthony Horowitz's teen crime fighter, London-based Edie is working through her grief over the loss of her mother and couldn't do it without the help of a very good friend.

Unlike Alex Rider, Edie has a tight-knit family, including a loving father and younger brother. It is this love that will determine whether or not Edie is successful in her quest. I loved the music references that Edie and her parents shared and know that this book will appeal to the teens of music loving parents.

What I enjoyed most about the novel was Edie's Judaism and the descriptions of the Jewish grief rituals such as the stone laying service. Being half-Jewish myself, I'm most familiar with Jewish funerals and graveside rituals and it felt great to see that represented in a YA novel.

What Kessel does best in The Five Clues is to write complex and detailed villains, especially in Zero, the trained assassin central to the story. It is rare to really get to the heart of a villains motives and raison d'etre, especially in a young YA novel such as this.

But that is where The Five Clues doesn't quite meet the mark. It is aimed at the younger side of the YA spectrum and the ways the Three Principles are shoehorned in to the story felt a lot like telling, not showing. I'm not certain it was particularly well done either, I have a post-grad in psychology but still have little understanding and appreciation for what the Three Principles entail, besides seeming vaguely Jungian. I do know that it was mentioned so many times in the novel that I lost the will to care about it by the end and I suspect younger readers will feel the same.

Nevertheless, The Five Clues is fun with a well-thought out mystery and well-written antagonists. I give it three out of five stars and recommend to fans of Alex Rider and Ebola Holmes.

The Five Clues is a modern thriller, full of intriguing characters. Edie's mother died tragically the previous year. When Edie finds a note from her mother in a coat stating she is scared and is worried someone may be planning to harm her, Edie is sent on a journey to discover the truth and must follow the clues her mother has left. Edie's family and friend have some involvement as she undercovers plots, assassinations and cover ups. This story is full of tension, and it is absorbing to be part of Edie's discoveries. Zero, the man sent to stop Edie, is a captivating character. and his development throughout the book is interesting. I believe, due to the nature of some of the war scenarios that Zero recalls, this book would be suitable for KS3/KS4.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always a sucker for child detective stories, and I definitely enjoyed this one a lot. Reading about Edie and her strong bond with her father and her brother really kept me going, though I found the references to the Three Principles of psychological thinking a bit too repetitive at times.

A great and heartbreaking story. It's a murder-mystery, but at it's core this book is about family. About the relationship between a mother and her daughter. Can't wait for the second part in this great series!

This was such a interesting ride. After the death of her mother, she gets a clue and has to figure out what her mom was trying to tell her. Lots of adventure, clue solving, along with relationship building, learning to deal with grief and growing up. I really enjoyed The Five Clues and am excited for the rest of the series.

The Five Clues
by Anthony Kessel
Crown House Publishing
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Teens & YA
Pub Date 02 Aug 2021


I am reviewing a copy of The Five Clues through Crown House Publishing and Netgalley:


Don’t Doubt the Rainbow is a new contemporary middle grade detective series with a difference to solve each mystery, 13-year-old Edie Marble must harness the Three Principles, a new approach to understanding how the mind works that is currently proving invaluable in improving mental health and well-being in children internationally.




The Five Clues is the first book in the series is a real murder mystery thriller as well as family drama, combining an exciting race against time with a heart-rending story about a teenager learning to live with the loss of a beloved parent.





While walking back from her Mother’s grave 13-year-old schoolgirl Edie Marble finds a note in a pocket of the sheepskin coat that she hasn’t worn since the day, a year earlier, when she received the awful news of her mother’s death. The note comes from her Mother who had been looking into a corporate human rights violation and had become fearful for her life after receiving death threats. She trusts only Edie – because of their special bond and Edie’s intelligence – and has laid a trail of clues for Edie to find that will help her to shed light on the violation and uncover the mystery around her death.





Edie steadily gathers evidence and negotiates the dramatic twists and turns of the story by collaborating with her friends and family to gradually unearth a sinister attempt by a pharmaceutical company to conceal their illegal development of a lethal virus.





When Edie progresses in her investigation she is introduced, in parallel, to the Three Principles, which help her conquer various psychological stresses and support her in coming to terms with her grief.



I give The Five Clues out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

i liked this book. i was really in the mood for this kind of older middle grade type vibe and all the clues and everything. it was really really fun. sometimes it felt like i didn’t know if the main character was supposed to be 11 or 15, but overall i enjoyed it

The Five Clues is a really fun middle grade mystery novel. The characters are lovable from the start. If mystery adventure novels are your thing you will definitely love this book. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

I didn’t start off enjoying this as I didn’t get off to a great start with the main character.
As I continued to read I started to enjoy it and then I couldn’t put it down!
As the clues start to unfold it becomes addictive. I like how the characters grow through the book and the bond that reforms between them through a traumatic time.
I really enjoyed this book by the end and camp not wait to read more in this series.

A year after the tragic death of her mother Edie discovers something which could change everything.

Setting out on a hunt to uncover the truth through clues that her mother has left hidden only for her. Will Edie be able to uncover the truth about her mothers death or will it prove too dangerous?

This is such a gripping story - filled with adventure but also the reality of grief and loss. How it effects each of us in different ways and the importance of a friend and family who will stand by you no matter what.

Edie is taken on a journey of self discovery as she investigates the truth - and at the end of it all is a realisation that makes her and her family stronger.

This book was one I found hard to put down - I was always looking for that extra 5 minutes to read just a little bit more.
I would highly recommend this book to readers age 11+.

Trigger warnings: loss of family, murder, war.

The premise of the book is that Edie Franklin is solving the mystery of what happened to her mother, though it becomes a mystery within a mystery. The author utilizes SEL strategies to help the protagonists deal with the death of their mother, and I really liked how this was woven in. As a parent myself I felt very emotional at the children's realistic portrayal of grief. I also felt that the descriptions of violence were sometimes too graphic for a middle grades novel.

This would be a great selection for fans of mysteries, especially Nancy Drew, who are looking for a spunky young detective character for the current era. I think Edie fits the bill!

Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book!