The Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz

My name is Nick Diamond, and my brother is the worst detective in the world! Luckily, he has me to help. A dwarf paid us $500 to hold an envelope for him, but then the Fat Man threatened our lives and the dwarf ended up dead. The envelope holds a box of Malteser candies, but how can it be the key to finding five million dollars? I located the dwarf's girlfriend but she was captured, my brother got himself arrested for murder (it looks bad when you're holding the smoking gun), and I've almost been blown up by a grenade. 

This book is a humorous twist on typical mysteries, and it mirrors old mystery novels. It includes gloomy, rundown parts of town, hard-nosed cops, and a classic collection of crooks and thugs. Nick's brother was a terrible cop, and he's a worse detective. Nick's the one interpreting clues and unraveling the mystery, although I was surprised that his brother was in jail as the plot moved on. I would have enjoyed his cluelessness as the truth started to unfold. The plot included a good amount of action and suspense, as Nick unbelievably escaped death several times. Surviving the grenade was a bit lucky, but his escape from the deserted office building was ingenious. The author was able to keep me wondering about the true antagonist, the Fat Man was the obvious choice, but I had doubts about other characters too. I was able to predict which one ended up with the money, although I didn't know the details until the end. This is fun, short mystery!