The Falcon's Malteser
The Diamond Brothers Series
Anthony Horowitz

Puffin (Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-14-240219-2 (0142402192)
ISBN-13: 978-0-14-240219-1 (9780142402191)
Publication Date: July 2004
List Price: $6.99

Review: The Falcon’s Malteser is the first book in Diamond Brothers Mysteries series written by Anthony Horowitz. The main characters in the story are Tim Diamond & Nick Diamond.

Tim Diamond is probably the world’s worst detective, he is not very bright, and in fact he can be amazingly dim. Good thing he has his smart, 13 year old brother, Nick Diamond, who knows that something is fishy when their client, a dwarf pays them $500 dollars in advance to protect an envelope with another $500 coming up when the job is done. Little do they know that the package they are holding is worth $5,000,000! But, when their client is murdered and Tim takes the heat, Nick becomes the keeper of the package that every crook, bad guy, and thief in London is after! Will Nick be able to outwit them all? Or will he end up like his client?

I liked the part where Nick is racing through Selfridges with Himmell on his tail because it is fast paced and thrilling and because it was well described. I loved it when Nick harpooned Himmell to the wall. I especially liked it when Nick drops the piano on the van from 5 stories high because it sounded cool and I liked it how Mr. Horowitz described the piano as it fell through the air. The way Nick just left the construction worker standing there made me laugh till I was gasping for breath. I did not like the part where Tim gets arrested again for murder of the Fat Man’s driver because Tim and Nick are separated. Realistically 13 year olds are nervous and sad that their bother has been sent to jail.

Anthony Horowitz gives a real vivid description of the British community by acting as if he was Nick himself. He, like Nick has lived in London his entire life. This book was one of the best books I have ever read. I rate this book an 8 out of 10. I would recommend this book to anyone who is 9 years or older and to anyone who likes mystery/humor books.

Review written by Ohm, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2009.

Review: Need a laugh, need a thrill? Then The Falcon’s Malteser is the book for you. As the first book in the Diamond Brothers series, it puts comedy into an action story. Main character Nick Diamond, age 13 and brother of Herbert Simple, is on a dangerous adventure.

In the beginning of the story, private detective Herbert Simple gets an odd case from a dwarf, Johnny Naples. When Naples leaves, the brothers find out what the package is and what it means. Many dangerous men are involved with the box and the things that lead to it. Nick and Herbert come in counter with many strange people and end up in many strange situations. One of the most dangerous men that they meet is called the fat man. The two brothers find out the hotel that their client is staying at, they need to talk to him. When they arrive at the hotel, and go up to his room, they find him dead on the hotel bed. The smoking gun is on the ground next to him. Herbert picks it up, and the police kick down the door to find Herbert next to the dead man, holding the smoking gun. This is the first of many exciting incidents that happen to the Diamond Brothers in The Falcon’s Malteser. Can the brothers find out the mystery of the box, or will they die at the hands of the fat man. Check out the book at your local library.

Overall, I did not think the book was Anthony Horowitz’s best work. The book did contain suspense, action, comedy, and drama but not tied together very well. I think that the book jumped from scene to scene with random happenings that really didn’t make sense. Some of the characters were forgotten about in parts of the story and then were brought back at random parts of the story that really didn’t fit in. Also, the way that some of the characters did some of the things that they accomplished were way too far fetched. Elaborating is one thing, but exaggerating is another. If Mr. Horowitz toned down the exaggeration, the novel would’ve been ten times better because it would be more realistic. I would recommend this novel if you have nothing else to read, and you are using it as a pastime. For ages 12-25.

Review written by Kevin, Grade 6. Date of review: June 2009.

Review: The Falcon’s Malteser is the first book in the Diamond Brothers series. The series is written by Anthony Horowitz, the writer of the Alex Rider series. Nicholas Simple is the main character of this series and is the one in danger all of the time.

Nicholas Simple has chosen to stay with his older brother Herbert, the detective, instead of going to Australia with his parents. Their detective names are Nick and Tim Diamond. When Johnny Naples gives them an envelope with a malteser pack that used to belong to The Falcon, the crazy events starts to happen. Three villains are after Nick: The Fat Man and The Falcon’s two henchmen. Nick and Herbert are faced with one of the most mysterious challenges ever, and the only clue they have is that the pack is very important.

Nick is smarter than his brother, which makes a twist in this book. The Falcon’s Malteser is now one of my favorite books and probably one of my favorite series. When Nick is faced with near death experiences, it made the book a lot more interesting, like when Nick is running in the mall away from a shooting maniac, when he drops a piano, when he almost dies from a grenade, and when he is cemented into a bathtub. Also, I liked how the book made me think that I knew what would happen next, but something else would happen, and it made me feel clueless until the very end. One thing that could have been different is that Herbert (Tim Diamond) could have been smarter, but at least Nick is smart enough to make up for Tim’s dumbness. Sometimes though, Tim’s dumbness is funny.

The book is good for ages: 9 – 14. Filled with lots of action, humor, near death experiences, and a strange mystery, this has been my favorite mystery book.

Review written by Michael, Grade 6. Date of review: October 2008.

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