Illustrated by Honie Beam.

Published by Little Tiger, 2025.

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew that I wanted to read it: an author I know and love; a striking cover and, of course, that fabulous pun in the title! And Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed was every bit as good as I’d hoped it would be.

London, 1951: Clem Fatale, the youngest crook in the city, is on a mission to find her dad. Jimmy Fatale, notorious jewel thief and leader of the Spider Gang, has gone missing and with him the greatest prize in London – the Fool’s Canary. Will Clem find her father in time? Or will the most sinister villain this side of the river put a stop to all her plans?

Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed gave me serious film noir vibes. We’re thrown into a world of gangsters, heists and shady business deals. This atmospheric whodunnit pulls you into the criminal underworld of London in the 1950s. The scene setting is incredible and transports you to the dodgy dives, glamorous nightclubs, greasy spoons and secret alleyways of our capital’s past.

The central characters are loads of fun and the unlikely friendships give the story its heart. I really enjoyed the snappy dialogue and Clem’s witty comebacks. The villains are, by turns, either wicked or bumbling and clueless. The hired muscle – brothers Crackfoot and Crackfoot – are particularly inept!

I also appreciated the book’s historical context and themes. This is post-war Britain and London is still a city in ruins after the bombing raids of the Blitz. The book also explores attitudes to immigration and reflects on this societal change.

The plot has plenty of twists and the mystery certainly kept me guessing until the end; I was definitely taken in by the red herring! There’s lots of humour too. One of my favourite episodes is the interrogation scene where Mascarpone finally caves because he can’t bear the torture of watching his favourite sweets deliberately being eaten one by one! I can’t wait to see what Clem and her friends get up to next. Book two in the series will be published in January 2026.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 8+

Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me this book to review. I reviewed it as part of the Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed blog tour. Check out all the other posts on the tour for more exclusive content.