Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

July 2025

• ISBN: 9781761350634
• Imprint: Penguin
• RRP: $19.99

Anyone who has read the first two Eleanor Jones books will know exactly how pleased I was when this one arrived. You would also know exactly why the first two titles have been so highly acclaimed.

Amy Doak has a great grip on the whole YA crime/mystery genre with characters which zing with true-to-life personalities, great voice and exactly the right combination of humour, romance, drama and danger perfectly proportioned. Eleanor Jones does not go looking for trouble, but certainly she does seem to find herself right in the middle of it ever since she and her mother, Min, arrived in Cooinda, a little town where you would think the worst crime would be someone riding their bike without a helmet.

While Eleanor and Troy are tentatively moving towards an actual, honest-to-goodness relationship (and even edging towards a kiss!), Namita and Evan are quietly pursuing their own, and Alfie is still yearning for Camille, best friend of Eleanor’s nemesis, Tyler.

A raging house fire just down the road from Eleanor’s becomes a crime scene when the occupant’s body is found inside. But that’s just the first of the fires. Who in Cooinda is capable of such destructive actions – especially when everything is so dry, and a bushfire could easily wipe out the entire town.

Then there’s the spate of stolen cars. Evan’s older brother, bad boy Jarrod, is back in town. Could he be the number one suspect? Eleanor has no intention of getting involved and, definitely, her friend, Constable Holly, has very clearly warned her off but somehow the trouble just keeps following her around. It’s another rollercoaster, high-paced exciting read which your YA kiddos from year 7 upwards will relish. It gets a fiery 5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 from me. With We Were Liars launching on Prime, it would be a great time to promote our own home-grown YA thriller/crime novels so get onto this new one in the series before the holidays!!

I do hope Amy has more ideas for Eleanor because she is quite addictive!!