THE DARK AND DEADLY POOL

by Joan Lowery Nixon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 13, 1987

The thefts from the posh Houston hotel where narrator Mary Elizabeth has her first summer job seem unrelated at first--how could the pickpocket, the purloiner of two ten-foot sofas, and the person snitching meat from the kitchen be the same? But, with the help of new friend Fran (whose only drawback is that he's four inches shorter than Mary Elizabeth), clues are cleverly assembled--and less cleverly communicated to characters whom the reader will suspect before the overtrusting heroine does. Meanwhile, two murders heighten the tension; and the obligatory near-murder of the amateur girl sleuth and resolution of the mystery are quickly followed by Mary Elizabeth's realization that being taller than a boy is not the worst thing. Patterned, predictable, and not always plausible (the police are ingenuously ready to confide the progress of their case to a 16-year-old), this is not the popular author's best, yet it reads smoothly and is adequate as light suspense fiction.

Pub Date: Nov. 13, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S