Have you ever wondered what someone's last words to you are during a loud noise? The genre of my book is mystery. My overall opinion of this book was that it was really good. The time period in the story is in England but it was written in the 90’s. It’s relevance to the story is that it is easier for the antagonist to find the protagonist. Someone had barged into the detective’s room, he was an agent, who was holding a gun and paid for a disguise. The agent never told them he was an agent until a middle of their conversation. All of a sudden a bullet was shot into the room, no one knew who the suspect was, later that day the detectives found the agent shot in front of the detectives. A train came and the agent said his last words. They had to find out who was doing all the crime. The conflict of this book is person vs person, the detectives were against a serial killer. The two detective’s names are Tim and Nick Diamond; they are brothers. The theme of this book is that sometimes you believe that a person you know is something when their really something else. In the book it says that the detective’s girlfriend Charlottes says that she works for the secret service but at the end of the book she’s really the bad guy. The conflict of the book is that Charon is trying to kill a Russian diplomat to start a war. Tim and Nick the detectives were trying to stop Charon from killing the Russian. The title relates to the book because the detectives are trying to figure out what the agent’s last words were. His last words were south by southeast. But a train came, and they thought he said "suff bee suff-iss". Now it's a mystery to who killed him. The author builds tension in the middle of the book when almost half of London was destroyed. The author builds the tension by having Nick yell to the people that there was a bomb and everybody froze. This way they saved half of London. The authors tone is dramatic and suspenseful because the detectives are always getting shot and chased. The author creates this tone by filling the story with mystery and suspense of what’s going to happen next. An example of that is when an airplane was chasing and shooting at them. I liked the way the author told this story in first person. I liked the way the author used words like I and me. I also liked how he explained it in a lot of detail. I was moved how the author at the end told us that Charlotte was the bad guy. I thought the ending of the book was really good because it had a lot of action. My favorite part was when a bomb went off at the bank and one of the detectives was wanted. I was moved when one of the detectives was shot and I didn't know if he was going to die or not.I rate this book 5 stars because it is explained in a lot of detail. I recommend this book to people who like mysteries and action. The book is filled with drama and suspense to make the reader more interested.
South by south east is another spectacular work of Anthony Horowitz. I must admit that I am beginning to enjoy the Diamond Brothers series more than any of Horowitz's works. He has kneaded together a dramatic, extravagant plot iced with a coat of a sly, dangerous feel. And not to mention, the book is topped with an enormous amount of humor. I honestly could not stop laughing.I also enjoyed the characters, and the fact that the author used a minimal amount of them. Tim Diamond is partly my most favourable character; he is so painfully dumb I love him. He also tends to take things literally, so socializing with him is quite a pain.Nick Diamond, I have noticed, is noticeably similar to one of Horowitz's later characters, Alex Rider. He is the same age, has a similar appearance, has the same sarcastc mind and equally the same problems - from one time to another, he gets himself muddled up in a world filled with mafias and murderers. The only two things that seperate them is (a) they have different names (b) Nick Diamond has parents (even though he is chaperoned by his older brother Tim), however Alex is an orphan. Nick Diamond is both quick and witty, and enjoys action and challenges. I highly suspect his brother's (Tim's) private detective agency would be disasterous without Nick around.And a personal favourite of mine, Charon (Charlotte). By far the smartest, sneakiest assasin I've seen so far. She lied to the Diamonds ruthlessly, shamelessly, and now that I think about it, attempted to murder Tim and his brother countless times in the novel. The sly fox! She led the brothers onto the right track, and hinted the answer to the mystery more than once. She had set out all the clues in front of their noses - and yet you can count on the Diamond brothers to not notice them. She knitted together such a cunning plan, such stealthy schemes - and she made one major mistake- she got herself involved with the biggest idiots mankind has seen. They sizzled everything, including her quite by accident; Nick snatched up a wire (which turned out to be electric) and pushed her into water with it just as she attempted to murder his brother. I will not go in depth of the nasty details.Overall, this was an outstanding young-adult novel. I recommend this for action, mystery and detective fans, and for generally anyone who would want a thrilling, humorous read.
What do You think about South By Southeast (2005)?
South by SouthEast was an amazing book by Anthony Horowitz. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I could never predict what Tim was going to get into next. I was really surprised about the ending but if you want to know it you'll have to read it your self. It takes place mostly in England and Tim Diamond is mixed up in MI6 because of a killer named Charon. He hast to travel around and meet lots of people while being hunted while looking for the person trying to kill him. What I'm didn't realize is that Charon was closer than he thought. I would recommend this book to all Anthony Horowitz fans and to people who like mystery books. This is one of my favorite of his books and I recommend this highly.
—Sabin
Hilarious & Cheesy. Almost a spoof on the old B&W Detective Movies. I kept picturing Nick, the main character, as an older guy narrating the story - but he's thirteen. Faced past, a little repetitive in the writing, predictable at times, and too much "convenience" for my tastes (like where the two brothers are able to get out of a tricky situation because something conveniently happens at just the right time). But this review is from someone well above the target age range (book is labeled Teen).
—Apple
Tim, owner of the Tim Diamond Detective Agency, has a quick-witted answer for every situation, while his younger brother, Nick, is the brains of the duo. With no money, no food and no clients, they are desperate for a case. A knock on the door opens a week of international espionage, and double dealing. Every time they are close to identifying the murderous Charon, they are shot, stabbed, drugged, put in jail, pushed off a train or almost blown up. Through it all, they never loose their sense of humor. By writing this book, Anthony Horowitz proved that humor, mystery, and romance can be combined to create a captivating story. It is written from the perspective of thirteen-year-old Nick, so it is fast moving, and full of stunts and danger--a literary video game. Young adults, who like humor and mystery, will enjoy this book.
—Glenda Yaksich
