Review by Imstaci-1 -- Cat Detectives in the Korean Peni...

[Imstaci-1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula" by R.F. Kristi.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Inca, the snoopy Siberian cat with a flare for detective work and solving problems is off to Korea with her fury family together with Missy, their human mom. Mom has been selected by Cordon Bleu Cookery to be a judge for a cooking show between North and South Korean chefs. Even better, mom's new cheese creation will be presented at the same event. The detective agency named Inca and Company immediately has to deal with a challenge upon arriving in Seoul. Mom’s cheese has been stolen by the devious Enzo. Enzo is a chef, mom’s competitor and fellow judge in the cooking show. The team very quickly takes charge of the situation and retrieves mom’s special cheese. The family hits it off with their tour guide and agrees to stay with him at his home. They then learn of a very sad situation. Their tour guide has been separated from his sister and their beloved cat Bo-Ming who are now living in North Korea.

What I like most about the book is how it provides a remote access into the landscape of Korea. I could see and smell the cherry blossom trees as the gang walked through. The way the book was narrated made me believe that it indeed was a cat speaking. However, I disliked most how the narrator's voice was monotoned throughout the audiobook. The voice was always excited and so made it difficult to draw much emotion from it.

As i did not spot any errors, I concluded that the book was professionally edited. This is the first book I have read in this series. When I saw that it is an animal detectives children's book, I expected real detective work like investigating who took Chiko the turtle from the nursery. Boy was I in for a spin! I was pleasantly surprised because the storyline was so unexpected, so thrilling and purely magical.

I would say this book is more suitable for ages from 6 onwards. Yes, it is a children's book but an adult will easily enjoy it. It could also be an aid for grandparents when telling their grandchildren stories. Wouldn't grandma sound so cool telling such a story? A younger audience might not be able to comprehend the implications of some parts of the book. For instance the existence of the DMZ and why people were not able to freely move from North to South an vice versa. This was not well explained in the book.

All in all I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Although in the end I understood what the detective work behind Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula was, I found the story went round in circles and showcased issues that ultimately weren't the crux of the story. For instance, was the story about stolen cheese or a cooking show? I appreciate the mystery but it could easily get frustrating for a young audience. Also, because of the monotone nature of the narrator's voice, I had to remove a star. Everything else in the book was enjoyable hence this rating can't be any lower. Well done to R. F. Kristi for an amazing book. I would love to read the other books in the series.

******
Cat Detectives in the Korean Peninsula
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon