Think of this book as Anne of Green Gables cute meets Scooby Doo Mysteries fun married with Parent Trap vibes and you have a book any preteen or early tween would love 💓

A YA Middle School Cozy Murder Mystery with neurodivergent twins that have been separated since infancy and reconnect one Break. With Parent Trap vibes this precocious pair seek to understand not just the world they are now forced the share but deal with learning to celebrate their own selves, their cultural heritage, and even parts of their religion all while solving a murder mystery. With one twin living in the US and the other in the UK, Riri and Ani need to learn so much about each other so fast and its not a quick or easy start!.

Told in dual POV, each twin has such a wonderfully infectious and unique voice that I just had to read through to see how they were going to solve the mystery and get to stay together. I'm not sure how much to reveal without giving away too much, so I will err on the side of auction because it is a Middle School Mystery, but this was a wonderfully written and fun read.

This is a book at 10, 11, or 12 I would have just fallen into. However, as me today - whose age I will not disclose 😂 - there was a lot of willing suspension of disbelief, but Farook's writing was immersive and exciting. The story shared a lot of depth that I think young teens would be engaged by and small lessons on understanding and compassion that they would benign from. If you have young ones, this would be a great book to share with them and one that would make you smile as they discuss it with you.

Thank you @coloredpagesbt @niylafarook & @piccadilly.press for sharing this #gifted ebook with me.

Twins Riri and Ani have lived in different countries since they were 6 months old and previous visits haven't ended well. So both are apprehensive when they are thrown together for the whole summer. Their clashes are put on pause when a local coffee shop owner dies and their Dad is arrested as the murderer.

I love a good middle grade murder mystery (much more than an adult one) and this one delivered on many levels. The story is told from the alternating views of Ani and Riri enabling you to really get to know and understand both neurodiverse twins, one loud and chaotic, the other shy and quiet. It's lovely to watch their relationship develop from hostility to understanding and to friendship while they are working to solve the local murder. And there is a lot to figure out - there's great use of subject notes and motives to keep kids (and me) up to speed with the investigation. I loved the way the mystery unfolded and it definitely kept me guessing.

I am so thankful I was gifted this finished ebook in advance of the release date from @coloredpagesbt and @niylafarook.

My son (10 years old) and I read this one together, it was our first ever (what I'm calling) a dual read. We enjoyed our first forray into what I hope will be a long standing tradition of books we both read so we can both widen the genres and age ranges of books we read. I felt like this book was a great first book to read with my son, it was a light read for us while giving a great perspecitve on what specifically people of middle eastern descent and those affected by divorce experience. This book was a great conversation starter for us to check in with one another about how the divorce between his father and I made him feel. I think going forward we will hold a book club esque discussion because it was very helpful to us both. I think if you're looking for a cozy read about a whodunit and are up for reading middle grade, or have a kiddo about that age, this book really checked off everything we were looking for.

“Remember what I told you about the Dolichogenidea Xenomorph wasps? They inject you and eat you from the inside out. Grief is like that. Unless you cover yourself with your words as a shield.” — Dr Chandra to Ani

GENRE: Cozy Murder Mystery (Middle Grade)
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.75/5 - rounded to 4 stars
FORMAT: Physical Arc

Would I recommend to others?: This is a light read for adults and a perfect read for the younger population! I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a book filled with unique concepts, strong twins and looking for diversity in MG.

Review: Let me start by saying that this book was light yet addressed quite a few topics that were heavy in a way that was appropriate for middle grade and younger population. Without spoiling the book too much, Farook delves into grief, the effect of divorce on a family and what POC and minorities go through.

“What about masses of immigrants who worked in his mills and were treated unfairly because of their skin colour and religion?”

We have Ani and Riri, who are twins and children of a divorce, which meant that they grew up in separate households; Riri with their mother and Ani with their father. Focusing on this solely, back home, this practise was quite common in my parent’s generation and if a divorce occurred, kids would be separated and some would go live with the mother and the rest with the father. Sometimes, kids even ended up with their grandparents, uncles, aunts or cousins. This practise has now been stopped (at least where I’m from) and changed, which is quite a relief so that siblings can grow together.

In the book, you can see Ani and Riri struggle to form a relationship and notice the difference between them from the very beginning. In my opinion, their parents could have better handled the situation between them and their fights. If you have any siblings, you would know that fighting is completely normal and a rite of passage with your siblings.

“Without a doubt, me and Ani have lived opposite lives. I wonder how that’s shaped us into who we are today.” — Riri

However, everyone is only human and this book seems to be a redemption for the parents and Ani & Riri to fix their relationships. You do see the character growth in both sisters and watch how they learn to trust each other and be kind to each other. You watch them start to love each other and grow into that comfortable relationship you have with your siblings when you know that they love you.

“I think I need to rethink how I spoke to Riri. I’m still angry at her but I don’t want her to be crushed by my words.” — Ani after her and Riri have had an argument that resulted in exchange of harsh words.

“I reach for her hand. Mine is warm — hers is cold. They fit and it feels nice, like finding my long-lost puzzle piece and feeling complete.” — Riri

Murder for Two also delves into grief. Grief as two 11 year old looks different than what we thin of grief as adults. Reading it in this book was a refreshing view on how grief & sadness shapes Riri and Ani’s world.

“I bite the insides of my cheeks. Push away the sadness of losing her forever.” — Ani

“Life thought it had broken me down. Everyone thought I’d be done for, hopelessly demotivated. I don’t blame them. But actually I’m hopefully motivated.” — Ani

In the Acknowledgements, the author beautifully writes that … and I think this beautifully reflects grief. She writes this to her grandmother and as someone who recently lost my grandmother (who was like a second mother to me), I wholly agree with it. To grief someone you love is to place all the love you have for them, one that you can no longer express to them, and mourn their loss.

“Grief is truly the price of love — and I’m proud to grieve you forever.”

And finally, the third theme that I think was quite nicely done in the book is watching Riri and Ani understand that people are not simply bad or simply good. People are shades of grey, with some having more good than bad.

“Does one bad thing in your past make all the good things you’ve done since irrelevant?”

I quite enjoyed Murder for Two and I will be reading the sequel to see how Ani & Riri grow, to see what else happens with them and TUSC. I do think this book is perfect for its intended audience, which is young teenagers or MG audience. Whether you’d enjoy this book as an adult or not will highly depend on what you focus in the book. However, I’d recommend this book to all adults for the heart warming character growth, seeing two sisters reunite again and seeing the affect of grief and how it changes everyone, including younger teenagers or pre-teens.

Thank you to the Colored Pages Tours, Piccadilly Press and the author for providing me with a physical Arc in exchange for my honest opinion and reviews.

Separated when they were 6 months old, twins Ani and Riri couldn't be more different. Loud and adventurous Ani wants to be a sleuth when she grows up. Shy and quiet Riri prefers books to people, and just wants a safe, germ free job when she grows up. They get involved in the investigation of a murder when a local cafe owner is found dead, and her mysterious past comes to light as the girls team up to interview and investigate the motives of her associates and regular customers.

The dynamic between the estranged sisters has interest and the story makes effective use of a format that shows off their crime-busting methods but it all gets a bit complex and daft and the very young characters (12) and their involvement in adult scenarios does slightly jar at times. There's plenty to enjoy here though with a mystery plot and an interesting family set up and seems definitely set for further volumes.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Murder for Two follows two estranged twin sisters who reconnect over the summer break by trying to solve the murder of a local café/bookstore owner who was keeping more secrets than they knew and to also help save their father who has been wrongly named as the prime suspect.

It is a highly entertaining read, dual POV so we get to be in the mindset of both sisters as we watch them bond and overcome their differences in order to work together and there is a nice dose of desi drama-esque chaos in the mix too!

Admittedly you have to dispel believe a little much in the way you would in a middle grade fantasy book where 11 year olds are allowed to run around when there is a murderer on the loose. Not that there wasn’t appropriate parental involvement in this story because there definitely was but I’m putting it down to the small town magic that they were free to save the day from the “bad guy” with all their sleuthing shenanigans.

Farook really excels at writing wholesome and realistic sibling relationships and what was also particularly well done was the mental health and neurodivergent representation through both the girls.

Ani and Riri’s dedication to getting to the bottom of the case, especially since it involved their loved ones was endearing and you couldn’t help but want to cheer them on especially with Ani’s passion for mysteries and crime solving. The inclusion of her TUSC (Tariq Ultrasecret Supersleuth Centre) documents and notes was a nice additional detail that made the read all the more fun.

The supporting adult characters were an intriguing bunch and whilst some of them seemed a little too comfortable to overshare when opening up and talking to these 11 year old girls, it was really interesting to discover more about each and every one of them and their connection to the central mystery. It’s one that’ll definitely keep you guessing and it was very satisfying how everything came together by the end!

If you have any young mystery story lovers in your life then I’d highly recommend this title and I’ll be looking forward to Ani and Riri’s next adventure myself too!
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars

3.75
i love a good cosy mystery, initially i was a sceptical if it'll be a good read since it's middle grade mystery but actually was really fun, i loved the plot twists, the dynamics between the twins and all in all the entire book, i wasn't even trying to find out who did what because i was really enjoying what the tariq twins were doing.
it was a really fun and enjoyable read and i would love to recommend it everyone of they need a breather from all the other books that they are reading

2.5* rounded up to 3.
An okay effort from a newer author, this book features characters with both neuro- and ethnic- diversity.

I look out for books for my school library which will allow all my students to see themselves represented or expose them to other cultures and ways of experiencing the world. This book has main characters who are of South Asian heritage and are both neurodiverse (ADHD and autism), as well as a diverse cast of side characters.

Alongside the murder mystery, there are struggles for the characters at home. Ani lives with her dad in a fictional West Yorkshire town. Her parents divorced when she was a baby and her mum and twin sister, Riri, live in California. They have not spoken for three years but are coming to stay for the summer, for the mum's work. The mum staying in a hotel in Leeds and Riri staying in Ani's room.

I found it difficult to read this book because of the author's choice to give Ani a 'staccato POV.' I presume it was part of expressing her ADHD to the reader but I could not get used to it. I never settled into the book and, for me personally, it wasn't enjoyable to read. This was compounded when a fair few of the conversations between characters have them shrieking, shouting, screaming and yelling at each other.

Now, to the mystery. I was surprised that the victim was someone so well known and loved by the characters. Generally in MG books the victim is more of an acquaintance. I'm not sure this was a good thing as Ani and Riri were too emotionally connected to it. Especially when someone else they are close to becomes the main suspect.

Initially, it seemed like an intriguing mystery, but it quickly became quite convoluted and farcical. I thought it was quite easy to guess the identity of the murderer, which is maybe okay for a MG book. But the rest of it was just too unbelievable. I'm all for complicated plots for children's books but this seemed like just throwing in things for the sake of it. Likewise, the twins' investigation seemed to be unnecessarily complicated.

It wasn't just the mystery part which I found unbelievable. There were minor parts such as the 2 year old cafe with a revenue of £1 million. Which is run by the sole chef alone at times when the other staff call in sick. The police officer leaving an evidence file unattended with a child she knows wants to investigate the case. Divorced parents who, because their twins don't get along one summer, don't speak to the twin they don't live with for THREE years.

The major unrealistic parts were the actions of these 11 year olds. They disturb the body at the crime scene and remove evidence, break into places, confront and accuse their suspects. Another person is attacked and they still continue to break into crime scenes. They also set a terrible example about what to do if you find an injured person. Instead of finding help/calling 999 their (or at least Ani's) first instinct is to steal things and assess the scene. When they find the next victim they do at least call 999 but hang up after screaming 'just get here now!' rather than potentially following instructions to try and save the person's life.

But I am aware that I am not the intended audience of this book. Children may well read this book and be thrilled at what the characters get up to. I think that if I had been able to get past Ani's choppy POV it would have felt like quite a pacy book. There was a lot going on and that can help keep readers engaged.

It wasn't for me, but please don't let that put you off giving this a try.

This was a very cute and fun read! It's cozy, funny, mysterious and super sweet. It's fast paced and kept me engaged, I really liked the characters in particular and look forward to more of these books hopefully!

A fantastic book, perfect for fans of Sharna Jackson!

A page turning murder mystery, that kept me on my toes guessing who-dunnit! I always love when I don't anticipate the ending, and in this case, it wasn't until right at the very end that the penny dropped!

The representation of Neurodiverse twins (one autistic, one ADHD) was really well done, giving an insight into their experiences, and way they approach challenges, as well as sharing their struggles in a way that was presentated with sensitivity. I love how you could really see how the way theirs brains worked gave them strengths in particular situations. I am a parent on ND twins and could really see the reflection of the ways they experienced life written into the book, I eagerly await being able to read this with them!

Ani Tariq, age 11,  is a supersleuth and loves nothing more than having a mystery to solve. It's the start of the summer holidays and she can't wait until, that is, she gets the news that her estranged mother and twin sister, Riri, will be visiting from California for the whole summer. To make matters worse, Riri will be staying with them and sharing Ani's bedroom. They get off to a rocky start, but after a while and with a mystery to solve, both sisters begin to see that having the other around might not be such a bad idea.

At times, I found the story a little hard to follow. I think this was largely because the story was told from the two viewpoints of Ani and Riri and they were pretty much always together and talking about the same people, so it wasn't always easy to remember whose chapter it was.

This story is great fun, entirely unrealistic but pacy and I really liked the characters and setting descriptions.

Eleven-year-old Ani Tariq has her future all planned out. Senior school is going to be a bit of a blip but after that she's going to be a supersleuth! She is already running TUSC (Tariq Ultrasecret Supersecret Centre) from her bedroom and is looking forward to spending the summer investigating whatever cases come her way. Or she was until her dad told her about her evil twin coming to stay for the holidays! Riri has lived all but the first six months of her life in California but now her mom is working in the UK for a while and she's looking forward to getting to know her sister and dad properly and hopefully more successfully than last time!

On the day one of the holidays Ani takes Riri to her favourite place to meet her favourite person only to discover a dead body! Determined to find the killer Ani leaps straight into her first major investigation but when someone very close to her becomes the main suspect it's suddenly way more important she solve it. Can Ani and her apprentice, Riri, find out who is really the killer or are they in danger themselves?

Niyla Farook's second title is the first cosy crime for kids book I've read and succeeds very well. Ani and Riri are great main protagonists and their parents are involved just enough to keep it real. All their suspects happily allow themselves to be interviewed, they have a friend in the local police force, while red herrings and convenient friends with useful knowledge definitely help their case! I am a big cosy crime fan and thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The killer was a surprise, the victim’s back story was detailed and believable and all in all this was a brilliant introduction to the gentle art of cosy and will hopefully be the beginning of a popular new series.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bonnier Books UK/Piccadilly Press, but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this very much.

This is a great murder mystery for children (and adults) that's not too gory. There are twists and turns and I had no idea who committed it until just before it was solved. Fast paced and full of suspense, this was a real page turner.