Seven: Distracted Detective - Rachel Pattinson - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Rachel Pattinson

GENRE: Teen Mystery

PUBLICATION DATE: November 13, 2025

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A teen mystery with some intriguing young characters, good mystery and investigation, and an action-packed ending. Also has a parallel track on alcoholism, which is brilliantly handled. A great option for the target audience. Recommended.

Plot Preview:

Seven is a thirteen-year-old with an unusual name and uncommon problems. Living with her overworked dad and worried about her alcoholic mom, Seven tries hard to concentrate on lessons, but her mind keeps getting distracted. All changes one day when Mr. O, the caretaker of Riverside Academy who is very kind to the young girl, goes missing. Seven is the last person to see him. And she has his keys. Can she find out what happened to him?

The story comes to us in Seven’s first-person perspective.

I think the last time I read a detective story featuring a teenager was in my own early teens, when I used to read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. It felt nice to revisit the teen detective genre after so many years, though, this time around, the ‘detective’ in question ends up becoming a sleuth by chance.

Bookish Yays:

7️⃣ Seven. An interesting character who is handling much more than she admits to. I love her nuanced portrayal. Her name was a bit distracting to me as I am not a big fan of characters with overly unusual names. However, the reason behind her nomenclature is explained right at the start, so I cannot hold it against the book. (Though I do hold it against her parents!)

7️⃣ Seven’s first-person POV. With minimal rambling and a good balance of conversations and introspection, the narration ensures that we know our protagonist’s personality thoroughly. Her habit of regularly making lists of seven items add to the quirkiness of her narration.

7️⃣ The depiction of Seven’s possible ADHD, given her constant distraction. As the story is written in her own first-person POV, she obviously doesn’t assign any labels such as ADHD to her problem. So what we hear is the genuine narration of a young girl who realises that her attention span is defective and accepts it as a personality quirk. I loved this refreshing approach, and also how cleverly and consistently it is used in the story. It’s not an inclusion just to tick off a checklist. The tagline of ‘Distracted Detective’ confirms this.

7️⃣ Seven’s girl gang: the super-organised Livi, the kind-hearted Millie, and the sporty Jas. Each girl gets a good role and enough opportunity to contribute to the story. Even though Seven is the lead, these three girls form the perfect supporting cast. The adult characters have slightly limited roles, but we still get to see many of them in at least some scenes. Of these, Ms. Rahman and Mr. O were my favourites, though there were many more outstanding adult characters in this book.

7️⃣ Wonderful inclusivity in the students and the staff at Riverside Academy without making a big deal out of it. The whole world of the story seems diverse and accepting.

7️⃣ The portrayal of alcoholism and its impact on the addict as well as their family. Honestly, this is the best rendering I have ever seen of what having an alcoholic parent does to a child. It is a fairly regular trope in MG and teen fiction, but most such books show the child being an angel about their parent’s lack of control. Not Seven. All her emotions, whether embarrassment or frustration or anguish, come out excellently.

7️⃣ The mystery, which went far beyond what I thought. It was nice to see Seven work her way through the clues with the help of her friends. I'm not usually a fan of ordinary humans playing detectives but Seven's reasons for taking charge come out convincingly.

Bookish Okays:

🤔 For a teen mystery, the story is fairly complex, with multiple threads and multiple possible suspects. Some teen readers might struggle to keep track of the multifarious concurrent threads.

🤔 There are some convenient coincidences, but nothing beyond what you see in most mysteries. Mystery fans won't be bothered by this.

🤔 At nearly 300 pages, this is on the longer side for a teen novel. Some young readers might find the length daunting.

Overall, this indie novel created dual reactions in me. Firstly, the mystery kept me curious. I had my suspicions about the guilty party, but the hows and whys weren’t clear, so I was invested till the end. Secondly, Seven’s personal situation kept me emotionally involved. The author’s parting note states that one in five people in the UK are affected by a parent’s drinking problem, hence many kids might relate to Seven’s troubled relationship with her mother. The book ends with a list of helpful resources for children who need support.

The ending seems to hint at the continuation of this series. If yes, I would love to see what life holds in store for our young distracted detective.

Recommended to teens aged 11+. This book includes some highly emotional moments, so take care of your headspace if alcoholism is a triggering topic.

My thanks to author Rachel Pattinson for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Seven: Distracted Detective”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.