Half Moon Investigations is a book written by Eoin Colfer, the author of the best-selling Artemis Fowl series. This book is still, a stand alone but I believe that it is likely to have a sequel considering the contents of the book's epilogue. This is a mystery novel, can be categorised under juvenile fiction. Unlike the other books of Eoin Colfer, this is not fantasy and for a change, he hasn't even tried bringing in any supernatural element. Since this is a mystery novel, it won't be sensible to mention the protagonists and antagonists in the review. The main characters in this book are Fletcher Moon, Red Sharkey and the Devereux cousins (May and April). Fletcher Moon is a teenage (around twelve) investigator and is a qualified detective who is eligible to be a private detective in the United States as he successfully cleared the online tests set up by the legendary American detective, Bob Bernstein. Since he is a minor, he had to use his father's documents to take up the test and luckily, they share the same name. He is nicknamed “Half Moon” because he is short. Fletcher is a very formal person, his dress-code is different compared to his schoolmates, the way he speaks, his investigating procedures, etcetera. He is not physically strong or athletic. I think, Colfer has tried to make Fletcher a bit like Sherlock Holmes, trying to investigate every minute detail, trying to deduce everything from an empty piece of paper, etcetera. Although he is a qualified detective, he is only mocked by his classmates and not respected. Red Sharkey, is the son of the notorious criminal, Papa Sharkey and because of this background, he is the first suspect for any crime that happens. Unlike Fletcher, he is a very strong person, highly athletic and is also a very good singer. He is also not like his father, he is a bit more responsible and wanted his brother to stop following the footsteps of his father. The Devereux cousins (presumably, with a French descent) are popular, and are said to be pretty. April is a domineering person and she dominates her friends. May is the only one who defies April's orders and is also a dancer. The story is based in the Irish town, Lock and Fletcher narrates the story. The story starts with a mystery in school, over a petty crime and Fletcher solves it. The objective of the author is maybe to just introduce Fletcher to his readers. The main plot begins very late, when Fletcher has been attacked, very brutally, and he lands up in the hospital with his face completely swollen. Unfortunately, he lands himself into more trouble. In his hand, he saw the impression “RED”(reversed) and immediately accused Red of attacking him with his club since in Red's club, the letters RED were carved. The impression would go off soon and he needed a camera to show his evidence. He knew that May had a camera and her house was very near to the hospital but by the time he reached there, he May's garden was on fire and since he was the only person around, he was accused of being the arsonist. Now, Fletcher had two tasks as a detective, one, finding the one who had assaulted Fletcher and he had assumed that the same person had set fire on May's garden. His second task was to clear himself off the charges and hence, he had to work undercover because the police are looking for him. The story also has a sub-plot which is also quite interesting.I'd say that the ideal age for reading this book is between 8 – 14. Children in this age group may really find this book interesting but beyond that, people may find the plot to be too dull, even if not, suffers some logical flaws which an eight year old won't think of, such as, a twelve year old managing to deceive a “legendary” detective with his father's documents and getting himself certified, is not very logical (this is not the only one), but it is okay, for the ideal age group. The author managed to keep the book interesting nearly throughout the book and also managed to write a reasonably interesting sub-plot. The language, like any other Eoin Colfer book, has nothing special, but it is good, considering the fact that his target is not adults. I'd conclude by saying that this book is not great, but it certainly is good. I may have felt this because the people whom I knew had said that this is Eoin Colfer's worst book but fortunately, I read this after reading “The Wish List” and I found this to be far better. Another reason why I liked this book is because every Eoin Colfer book is very similar, just like an old wine in a new bottle and therefore, he has made a decent attempt to expand his horizon. I feel that this is a good book and hence I'm awarding this book a 3/5.
I was an Eoin Colfer fan for quite a while before I stumbled upon Half Moon Investigations, so when I did come across it, I wasted no time in seizing it. And to say that it did not disappoint would be an understatement.Protagonist Fletcher Moon is a sarcastic twelve-year-old private detective who finds it hard to be taken seriously despite the fact that he has a legitimate degree from a prestigious detective school. His first real client is April Devereaux, the ringleader of Les Jeunes Etudiantes, a group of schoolgirls who are all about pink. April's case gets Fletcher embroiled in the lives of the notorious Sharkey family. Well known for their devious antics, the Sharkey family consists of the intimidating Papa Sharkey, his wily daughter Genie, his monkey of a son Herod and the charismatic Red. Red is the prime suspect on Fletcher's list, but his attempts to catch the Sharkey in the act ends up with him being framed for an arson he didn't commit. He is forced to join forces with Red in order to clear his name and solve a larger mystery that has taken over the town.Half Moon Investigations is fabulous. There is really no other word. Everything about it made me want to clap my hands and laugh out loud. The characters are all typically Colferesque, and that is in no way a bad thing (with Red in particular being devastatingly charming in every way). The plot is strung up from the most stereotypical of all mystery novel stereotypes, but twisted to make them simultaneously suspenseful and hilarious. There are wise-cracking PIs. There are femme fatales (of a sort). There is an infamous Irish criminal family that is really soft at heart. It's like Clue, but on a playground. Everything about it. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.There are probably some flaws to Half Moon Investigations as well, but it is brilliant, and as far as I am concerned, the brilliance makes flaw detection near impossible.Honestly I don't know what else I can say to make everyone in the universe read this book, except that they should.---BEST BITS:'All eyes were on me again, and not in a nice 'Oh, look at that handsome young man in the shiny shoes, I wonder if he's single' kind of way. It was more of a nasty 'If he doesn't come up with the goods in ten seconds, let's lynch him' kind of way.''Mum smoothed out my hair. "Did April like the shirt, honey?"I sighed. "No, Mum. She didn't. There are people in space who didn't like that shirt."'(Did I mention that Fletcher is one of the bestest narrators ever?)
What do You think about Half-Moon Investigations (2006)?
Boo LangdonLAHalf Moon InvestigationstThe book I read was by Eoin Colfer, it was called Half Moon Investigations. This book was about a kid named Half Moon he just wanted to be a detective. He is hired to find a missing lock of a pop-stars hair that is believed to have been stolen. This was his first real case where he gets paid. He was very excited about this. But he is being paid but in the process he actually uncovers a larger mystery, kids all around town are missing their things. He sets out to find the person who is stealing these things. He finds out about a group of girls who are setting up certain boy students to be expelled because they are getting in the way of there education which they believe they need to take over the world. He ends up discovering who is stealing kids things because he figures out that they were all in a talent show and beat someone so they want there revenge. He is able to stop the little girls just in time to save his partners brother from being expelled. He never finds out who stole the hair because it was a setup by the girls. In all I would rate this book a 4.5 out of five, it was a page turner and had action very early on, I also like this author.
—Boo Langdon
I knew when smoky jazz filled the car that I was in for trouble, and I was right. I had to leave ten minutes early for everything because I just had to finish the chapter. The combination of Eoin Colfer's dime-store humor and Sean Patrick Reilly's melodramatic brogue makes me believe I have entered the world of a P.I. The characters are just wonderful, falling into mystery novel stereotypes while still managing to surprise you at every turn. The plot is engaging, the dialogue is entertaining, and the adventure is non-stop. This book has all the elements of a great read and an even better listen.
—Kathryn
Great book. An aspiring detective tries to detect-ify his way through what at first seems like a simple juvenile crime, but turns out to be a chain of... course, I won't give away the ending for you.I already liked Colfer for the Artemis Fowl series when I first read this book in the 7th grade, and this just reinforced my opinion. Colfer manages to pull off a great mystery and quite a good interpersonal relations tale from a (junior?) high school perspective. A few other YA mystery novels I've read will switch perspective to the perpetrator of the crime, giving away a huge chunk of plot and climax, and close to spoiling a good mystery. Half-Moon Investigations does not do this. The reader only knows as much about the case as Half-Moon does at all times, allowing them to try to puzzle it out for themselves just before he reveals it, using evidence scattered through the plot, and any inferences they can make about Moon's thought process through his actions. This is probably what started my liking of crime dramas.
—Denial
