Buck & Ears Pirate Detectives
Jennifer Bell, illustrated by Sarah Horne
Walker Books

As this story begins Buck and loyal leporine Ears, have been dubbed the worst pirates ever by some members of the gull fraternity and are already deciding that their career as pirates is over. Now they’ve headed to Scuttleflint Bay and are perusing the place for alternative occupations when they hear the sound of crying. It turns out to be Captain Bloodfang, reputed to be the most fearful pirate on the Seventy Seas; but fearful pirates are not supposed to shed tears over the lack of a letter from a best friend, Valentina, and certainly not get caught so doing.

Rather than lose their lives, Ears announces that she and Buck are professional pirate detectives willing to search for Valentina and Bloodfang agrees to hire them but gives them just three days to find her. Ears hears that the missing friend is none other than the famous mermaid chef, Valentina Vermicelli. The detectives strike a deal, acquire a ramshackle ship and advertise for crew and thus the Case of the Missing Mer-chef is launched.

Their first hirings as crew members are Huggable Pete (a prickly porcupine), and Priscilla Fontaine, both lacking experience; then comes Apprentice Professor Darwin Montgomery (Darwin for short) who volunteers to navigate but is unable to swim. They set sail and after an eventful trip, catch sigh of Valentina’s restaurant. Before long Buck and Ears are speaking to the assistant head chef of the establishment (a lobster) who tells them that Valentina went off in search of a secret ingredient and hasn’t been seen since. Time is running out before Buck and Ears become pirate stew.

Can the two, aided and abetted by Pete, Darwin and Priscilla, follow the clues, find Valentina and save their own lives to become the only pirate detectives sailing the Seventy Seas?

With a cracking Agatha Fishy crew that are at once lovable and very funny, and a narrative that will have readers giggling throughout, Jennifer Bell has written a smashing read for those who love high drama, detective work and humour, made all the more fn by Sarah Horne’s illustrations of the cast, especially Huggable Pete with those marshmallows on his spines.