Blog tour: The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm by R.W.R. McDonald
This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
‘The Nancys are back…
‘It’s four months after Christmas, and Tippy Chan, Uncle Pike and Devon are reunited in Riverstone for the first anniversary of Tippy’s father’s death. This time, the plan is simple: no mysteries, no crimes, and definitely no secret detective clubs.
‘Riverstone has other ideas…
‘When an early-morning explosion destroys the town hall and kills three people, the town is thrown into chaos. A perpetrator is identified and Riverstone decides the case is closed… except for Tippy, Pike and Devon. Once again, it’s up to the Nancys to go against the flow – and police advice.
‘Their search draws them towards Tulip Farm and raises more questions than answers. Is the accused bomber really guilty? Was he working alone? And when everyone else is convinced they’re right, does that make you wrong?
‘With rumours spreading, tempers flaring and the threat of another attack hanging over the town, the Nancys must work out who to trust, who to ignore, and how to stop a killer before they strike again…’
The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm, by R.W.R. McDonald, takes place four months after the events of The Nancys and the Case of the Missing Necklace. It’s the school holidays again, and 12-year-old Tippy’s Uncle Pike and his partner Devon are back in Riverstone, where they’re staying in a musty holiday rental while the house they’ve bought is renovated.
The town is quite literally shaken when, early one morning, a car bomb goes off, killing three people, seriously injuring another, and severely damaging the town hall alongside other landmarks. The police quickly determine the bomber was one of those who died in the blast: local farmer Willem Jansen, aka “Mr Tulips”. For Tippy, Pike, and Devon, though, this conclusion makes no sense: Mr Tulips was a friendly, popular man with no obvious reason to blow up the town hall.
And so, The Nancys have a new case: they get to work searching for clues and ferreting intelligence out of relevant townspeople and journalists. However, it’s a challenge to focus on these activities when all three of them are having a tough time emotionally, with Pike and Devon having relationship difficulties and Tippy still processing her father’s death one year on.
When I put myself forward to review The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm, I did wonder if it could possibly live up to its punchy predecessor. I’m pleased to report it does, by further developing the characters, solidifying the fictional setting, and adding layers to the bigger picture, all while retaining the snort-out-loud humour.
Tippy continues to be a very true-to-life depiction of a tweenager: very knowing in some ways, yet vulnerable and immature in others. The explosion really upsets and worries her, but the opportunity for investigation gives her back a modicum of control, as well as something to be excited about. I do hope she makes new friends her own age soon, though.
As you’d expect, she’s still feeling the loss of her dad very keenly, and the revelation that his death was likely to have been suicide – which hadn’t previously occurred to her – understandably causes her to lash out at the adults in her life who’d kept that information from her.
For their part, the adults in the book often lose sight of how young/old Tippy is, and unsurprisingly struggle to find the balance between protecting her and not lying or insulting her intelligence. What is important and really heart-warming to see, though, is that they apologise when they get this wrong, check in with her frequently, and offer reassurance and comfort when required.
We gain new insights into Devon’s character in particular. He largely maintains his fabulous, bitchy outer persona, but hidden depths are revealed when he acts as a first responder in the wake of the explosion, and we discover just how affected he was by finding a head in a freezer in the previous book. His way of reclaiming control is buying and doing up the house where it happened, but he nonetheless behaves in irrational ways that put a lot of strain on his relationship with Pike. I also enjoyed being reunited with secondary characters such as Mrs Brown and Melanie.
With this emotional cocktail in play, the investigation does take a bit of a back seat at times, but when Tippy, Pike, and Devon get to focus on it, an enthralling and clever conspiracy comes to light. By looking at CCTV and the places involved, they identify things that don’t quite add up, as well as making Riverstone all-the-more real (plus, there are MAPS! Who doesn’t love a map at the start of a book?). There are connections between recognisable local people that warrant a closer look, and the dramatic culmination of the case involves even more interaction with the landmarks we’ve come to know.
The Nancys and the Secret of Tulip Farm is a captivating and heartful continuation of an intriguing story arc.
