Reviewed by George Ivanoff 

'It wasn’t even five o’clock and Milo had already murdered Mrs Appleby. Twice.' How’s that for an opening? From the moment I read this first paragraph, I was hooked. I had to keep reading. I had to know more. With The slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler, author Paul Collins delivers an extremely entertaining, fast paced, quirky novel that’s hard to put down. It’s aimed at kids of about nine and up, but there is so much in here that makes it an appealing read for all ages. 

It follows the adventures of Toby Chrysler, aka Milo (because he’s not Quik), as he tries to locate his missing mother. He is assisted in his endeavours by his best friend Fluke and a girl named Ginger, who’s trying to find her own missing father. On his quest, Toby is armed with a discarded red shoe, map coordinates provided by a now dead psychic and the knowledge that his mother has run off with the postman. Toby, Fluke and Ginger make their way through the twisting, turning plot to reach a fantastic climax. Although Collins delivers a happy ending, it is not a saccharine sweet, neat conclusion with everyone getting what they want. Thank goodness. A lesser writer would have gone for the safe, ‘cop-out’ ending. The fact that Collins didn’t, goes a long way to elevating the book from great to brilliant.

Collins’s strength as a writer is his ability to create interesting, memorable characters. And this book is filled with an array of fascinatingly odd and quirky people. Toby is an interesting mix of lightning-quick memory and naïve inability to work out what people are meaning… he is totally oblivious to body language and expression. But he is extremely likeable and I found myself desperately wanting him to sort things out and be happy.

Toby’s best friend Fluke often steals the scenes he’s in as he maims a variety of well-known proverbs and sayings: 'Nothing ventured, nothing sprained'; 'The best laid plans of lice and men go oft astray'; 'All his chickens come home to roast'.

The remainder of the characters, no matter how minor, are all captivating in their own way. From the enormous Mrs Appleby in her 'faded nightdress the size of an army tent', to the two police detectives determined to prove Toby a murderer.

Conclusion: An excellent read!

The Slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler