Bright angel by Isabelle Merlin

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Random House, 2010. ISBN 9781864719635.
Early Secondary. Well recommended. A racy adventure with many exciting twists and turns. Cleverly crafted so the reader is constantly wondering and guessing the outcome this is similar in plot construction to Cupid's Arrow also set in Australia and France where all the action takes place. Sylvie and her older sister Claire witness a murder and are sent to the south of France to stay with their aunt.  Sylvie meets a charming little boy, Gabriel who thinks he can see angels, but it is his very protective brother Daniel who at first is cold towards Sylvie and who becomes increasingly intriguing to her. Her meeting with Mick becomes a pivotal part of the plot.The mystery takes many unexpected turns, involving large scale fraud over the internet, extortion, murder and conspiracy! It's an exciting and fascinating read, well constructed and gripping right till the end. The finale is a little lame but by then the mystery has been solved. The final poem captures the essence of the book.
Sue Nosworthy

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