Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer, 290 pages

"Fletcher Moon has never been like other kids. For one thing, he has had to suffer the humiliating nickname "Half Moon" because of his short stature. But the real reason Fletcher is different is that ever since he was a baby, he's had a nose for sniffing out mysteries. And let's just say, it's not a skill that has been appreciated by many people, including his own family.

That doesn't bother Fletcher, though. After graduating at the top of his Internet class, he is officially certified as the youngest detective in the world. He even has a silver-plated detective's badge to prove it. Everything is going along fine until two things happen: a classmate hires him to solve a crime, and his prized badge is stolen. All signs point to the town's most notorious crime family, the Sharkeys.

As Fletcher follows the clues, evidence of a conspiracy begins to emerge. But before he can crack the case, Fletcher finds himself framed for a serious crime. To clear his name, he will have to pair up with the unlikeliest of allies and go on the run from authorities. Fletcher has twelve hours to find the guilty party - or he is the guilty party." -Jacket

I picked this one up from the thrift store, being a fan of the Artemis Fowl series and wanting to see what other kinds of books Eoin Colfer writes. As an adult I thought this one was a little more juvenile than Fowl. It started out a little slow but picked up towards the middle. It's full of some great one-liners which I think is the best part of Colfer books for adults. My favorite character was Red Sharkey. His family is dealing with the loss of their mother and his father and sister have embraced a life of petty crime. Red is trying to do, and be, better. He goes to school and reads books. (I love that he denies getting a library card and is called out for checking Black Beauty out five times in one month.) I also love the fact that he has a talent that isn't revealed until the end. I think it's good to know before you begin that this story takes place in Ireland, which makes sense seeing as how Eoin Colfer is Irish!

I think this book is probably great for the audience it's intended for: 8-12 year-olds. My daughter gave the first Artemis Fowl book a try and didn't like it - I think because she couldn't understand parts of it - but I think she would really like this one. The girls' club is particularly entertaining. Their club meeting was hilarious. Colfer left the ending open for a sequel which I think, based on how the book ended, would be even better than the first.