Diamond brothers Series by Anthony Horowitz

Diamond brothers #1

From School Library Journal Grade 5-8–Nick Simple's life is anything but simple. His parents have moved to Australia, leaving him in the care of his incompetent older brother who is trying to make a living as a private detective and changes the family name. They are visited by a dwarf who leaves a package with them for safekeeping and later turns up dead. Set in England and filled with a variety of colorful characters, the plot reads like a 1940s P.I. movie. Like Horowitz's "Alex Rider" series (Philomel), the teen protagonist relies on his wits to thwart the enemy. Short chapters, with a conflict in each one, will appeal to reluctant readers. From Booklist Gr. 4-8. Thirteen-year-old Nick is the younger (and brighter) half of the Diamond Brothers, the world's worst detective agency. Dwarf Johnny Naples becomes their client, entrusting the two with a mysterious package (a box of Malteser chocolates) just before he is killed, leaving Tim Diamond, literally, holding the gun. With Tim in jail, Nick is forced to solve the case--hopefully before someone murders him, too. Originally published in Britain (where it was also released in film and television versions), this pays homage to the "hard-boiled-detective-with-a-snappy-comeback" genre and to The Maltese Falcon book and film that the title spoofs. Horowitz's classic cast of quirky villains-- including The Fat Man, Gott and Himmel, Beatrice von Falkenberg, and the Professor--and nonstop action and clever, deadpan humor ensure the novel will be a popular choice.

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Published: 1993

Diamond brothers #2

Public Enemy Number Two db-2

Anthony Horowitz

From School Library Journal Grade 5-8–In this second book in the series, 13-year-old Nick Diamond refuses to be enlisted in Chief Inspector Snape's plan to make him the undercover cellmate of the notorious Johnny Powers in order to worm out the name of the Fence, the 15-year-old's partner in crime. But when Nick is mysteriously caught with a famous jewel in his pocket during a class field trip and he is arrested, tried, and sent to Strangeday Hall for young offenders with great expediency, it becomes clear to him that the Scotland Yard inspector wouldn't take no for an answer. Nick soon finds himself fleeing prison with Johnny and sneaking around London's underground to save himself (and his hapless brother, Tim). Horowitz has a knack for puns and humor, and he successfully combines it with a nonstop action mystery that has everything from hydraulically controlled buses to secret caverns. A readable and exciting adventure. About the Author Anthony Horowitz has been called "the busiest writer in Britain" by a major British newspaper—and with good reason. He is passionate about his work, often writing ten hours a day as he tries to balance multiple careers as a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter for television and movies. He is also the author of The Devil and His Boy and the Alex Rider Adventures.

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