In the second book of the Dinah Galloway mystery series, the 11-year-old sleuth gets a part in a musical stage adaptation of Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, the first Victorian detective novel. On stage, Dinah plays Coretta Cuff, child detective. Backstage, she puts her real detective skills to work when she discovers a plot to steal the valuable moonstone ring that’s being used, implausibly, as a stage prop. There is little doubt that Mrs. Violet Bridey, a disgruntled actor, is behind the heist. But she has a male accomplice whose identity is a mystery. Is it the buffoon-like piano man? Or worse, the seemingly friendly director who has begun to date Dinah’s mother?

The novel rolls along smoothly for the most part, largely because of the tight writing style of Vancouver-based author Melanie Jackson. Dinah’s first-person narrative is marked by a wiseacre patter, and her character seems designed as a model of a strong, secure girl: she is proud of her loud singing voice, forthright manner, and prodigious appetite. The other characters aren’t nearly as well rounded. In fact, most of them are caricatures, with a few defining qualities mentioned repeatedly for comedic value. The book seems too long, with digressive adventures having little to do with the central plot or character development. Many of the details of the mystery are implausible. There are some interesting elements in the novel, such as the idea of having to look beyond distractions to see into the heart of a problem, whether it’s Grade 7 math or a jewel heist. There is also some depth in Dinah’s memories of her deceased father. However, these remain as mere hints in an otherwise heavyhanded comedy.