A classically modeled caper that will keep readers guessing.
A corpse discovered face down in a birthday cake gives a quartet of amateur sleuths a thrilling chance to flex their investigative skills in this series opener.
The spirit of Agatha Christie infuses practically every aspect of bestseller Currie’s whodunit. Hardly has the body of one of the regular bookstore patrons, a nice old man who always had a pipe in his pocket, been hauled safely offstage by police than a massive storm leaves shocked 12-year-old Merrick and her close friends Archer, Sonny, and Miko stranded overnight in the cozy adjoining literary-themed inn with a set of potential suspects. One of them must be the killer. So, do the lights go out? Of course! Do awkward interviews by flashlight and frantic fumbling about in dark rooms produce a rush of suggestive, sometimes seemingly contradictory clues? Almost necessarily. But thanks to sharp observation, analytical thinking, and (in a nice touch) Merrick’s fascination with the chemical elements and how they interact, the motive, method, and opportunity gradually become clear. And if the author’s decision to leave the actual denouement offstage gives the endgame an anticlimactic feel, the tale (in true Christie fashion) takes any number of improbable twists on the way to a satisfying reveal. Other than Miko, who’s an orphan who was adopted from Japan, the cast presents white.
A classically modeled caper that will keep readers guessing. (cast of characters) (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9781464241260
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Slick sleuthing punctuated by action on the boards and insights into differences that matter—and those that don’t.
Brothers, one neurodivergent, team up to shoot baskets and find a thief.
With the coach spit-bellowing at him to play better or get out, basketball tryouts are such a disaster for 11-year-old Green that he pelts out of the gym—becoming the chief suspect to everyone except his fiercely protective older brother, Cedar, when a valuable ring vanishes from the coach’s office. Used to being misunderstood, Green is less affected by the assumption of his guilt than Cedar, whose violent reactions risk his suspension. Switching narrative duties in alternating first-person chapters, the brothers join forces to search for clues to the real thief—amassing notes, eliminating possibilities (only with reluctance does Green discard Ringwraiths from his exhaustive list of possible perps), and, on the way to an ingenious denouement, discovering several schoolmates and grown-ups who, like Cedar, see Green as his own unique self, not just another “special needs” kid. In an author’s note, King writes that he based his title characters on family members, adding an element of conviction to his portrayals of Green as a smart, unathletic tween with a wry sense of humor and of Cedar’s attachment to him as founded in real affection, not just duty. Ultimately, the author finds positive qualities to accentuate in most of the rest of the cast too, ending on a tide of apologies and fence-mendings. Cedar and Green default to White.
Slick sleuthing punctuated by action on the boards and insights into differences that matter—and those that don’t. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-261-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
A promising fiction debut.
Family secrets, an unsolved bank robbery, summer on a lake, a treasure island and a first romance are the ingredients for this inviting middle-grade mystery.
Unhappy with his new life and new stepfather in Southern California, 13-year-old Trav runs away to the small town in Minnesota where his dad grew up and his grandmother lives. He quickly learns why his mother won’t talk about his father, who died before he was born. Suspected of having robbed a local bank, the man disappeared in a storm, his boat washed up on an island in the lake. Everyone figures Trav knows where the money is, a theory confirmed when some of the burgled money turns up in local stores after his arrival. Trav manages to convince neighbor kid Kenny and his hot cousin Iz of his innocence, and together, they try to figure out where the loot might have been stashed and who has sent Trav a threatening note. Careful plotting and end-of-chapter cliffhangers add to the suspense. The first-person narration suggests that Trav’s imagination has been fed by too much television, but the imagined threats become frighteningly real as the story progresses. Trav’s voice is believable, Bullard’s Minnesota setting full of convincing detail, and the boy’s hesitant romantic efforts add a pleasant embellishment.
A promising fiction debut. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-544-02900-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
