In her first children’s novel, crime fiction writer Mel Malton draws on her background in the arts and her small-town life in Huntsville, Ontario, to create a funny, lively story about four 11-year-olds trying to recover a Stradivarius violin. The priceless instrument is stolen from a visiting soloist, and the children, whose eyes and ears are usually wide open, have several theories about what happened to it. They also aren’t afraid to take some risks in trying to recover it.

Alan, Ziggy, Josée, and Monica come from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds but have an easy, conflict-free camaraderie, bonding against bullies on jet skis, snobbish concert patrons, protective parents, violin teachers, and, of course, the handsome but obnoxious visiting virtuoso. Just as no adults quite escape the critical eye of the 11-year-olds, none of them prove to be entirely villainous either. Some measure of understanding and sympathy is meted out to virtually everyone by the time the violin is restored to its rightful owner. The lake and river where the children spend their summers canoeing are important elements of the story, though Malton avoids descriptive writing in favour of dialogue and action.

Easily read and with an intriguing if somewhat convoluted plot, The Drowned Violin is good fun, with credible, likeable, young characters. Adults may be disturbed by the hazardous clandestine boating adventures, and music lovers may tremble at the vision of the Stradivarius being transported by jet ski, but young readers are unlikely to be troubled. Malton hints at further adventures for would-be detective Alan and his friends, so don’t be surprised if their exploits develop into a series.