A shelf below Blue Balliett’s art- and code-themed mysteries, but Encyclopedia Brown fans will enjoy following the detective...
In his third caper, a young New York sleuth with a photographic memory finds himself a target for revenge.
The appearance of fake bombs with cryptic—encrypted, as it turns out—messages for him at landmarks around the city tells Eddie that Lars, the international art thief stymied in Mystery on Museum Mile (2014), is back for a new heist and a spot of payback. And, rather than keeping Eddie in the loop, both his gorgeous new FBI bodyguard and surly police contact are steadfastly stonewalling him in order, they insist, to keep him safe. It doesn’t work, as, enlisting his ADHD computer-whiz sidekick, Jonah, to hack police files, Eddie gathers clues, solves codes, and by the climax has sketched out photorealistic portraits (supplied by Calo) of Lars and his entire gang. As with Volume 2, Mystery in Mayan Mexico (2015), Wells spins both a heavily contrived body of evidence and a coincidence-driven plotline. Since both the theft and subsequent arrests take place offstage, the actual crime fighting seems almost incidental to Eddie’s personal dramas. Still, the lad uses skills and smarts in credible ways to nab the bad guys, and the climax’s drama is enhanced by some narrowly averted violence. A new character, possibly Lars’ daughter, slips through the net to set up future cases.
A shelf below Blue Balliett’s art- and code-themed mysteries, but Encyclopedia Brown fans will enjoy following the detective work. (cryptography note) (Mystery. 9-11)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-58260-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming, old-fashioned–feeling romp
A parentless, put-upon kitchen boy is accused of murdering a magical hotel guest.
Seth Seppi cooks brilliantly, but he’ll never be a chef. Instead he’s the overworked help at the Last Chance Hotel, abused by his “nasty bosses.” Sometimes he sadly recalls the hotel’s popularity in the dimly remembered days before his father’s mysterious disappearance. Mostly, however, he washes dishes, even on nights like this, when some very special guests are due at the hotel. Tiffany, the daughter of Seth’s employers (and Seth’s chief tormenter) blackmails Seth into making a splendid dessert for the guest of honor, Dr. Thallomius, for which she’ll claim credit. When Dr. Thallomius drops dead from poison, Tiffany promptly snitches: Seth made the dessert, so he must be the murderer! Seth’s quest to clear his name is complicated by his realization that Dr. Thallomius and all the other guests at this bizarre party hail from a magical world. One of these odd people—Professor Papperspook in her multicolored, tentlike dress; tiny, scarred, dark-skinned Master Darinder Dunster-Dunstable; glamorous Angelique Squerr with her magical cane; or one of the others—murdered the kindly doctor and pinned the blame on Seth. Thornton’s prose can get clunky and characterization resorts to types, but the plot itself is a nifty, magical spin on the classic locked-room mystery. The book subscribes to the white default for characters not otherwise described.
A charming, old-fashioned–feeling romp . (Fantasy. 9-11)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-32362-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
An engaging kickoff well-stocked with vivid characters, yummy chocolates, and tantalizing hints of magic.
The daughter of an apothecary with a sideline in iffy potions tries to use both science and sleuthing to keep her father out of trouble.
Sure (fairly sure) that the luck potion her father sells to recently arrived chocolatier Letty Kozlow is bogus, young Sasha sets out to help it along—using her detective skills to determine which of three potential beaus would make the best match for the kindly but secretive shop owner. Along the way she picks up an odd, grubby, cherubic sidekick she dubs Puck and runs into several village residents ranging from mean rich girl Sisal to aptly named Granny Yenta and her (supposedly) magic rooster. This series opener being a setup episode, Nayeri makes Sasha’s snooping and clue gathering a vehicle for introducing an ensemble with some characters, notably Puck and probably Ms. Kozlow, likely more than they seem. The world beyond the otherwise unnamed Village and a larger storyline (Sasha’s mom is currently away battling the evil Order of Disorder) are merely sketched out now but are sure to come into play later on. For now, though, the focus is localized to, considering the names, clothes, and a reference to rusalkas, a vaguely Slavic setting. In keeping with the cast’s array of types, the wide-eyed, olive-skinned figures in Mak’s frequent illustrations have a Disney-esque look.
An engaging kickoff well-stocked with vivid characters, yummy chocolates, and tantalizing hints of magic. (map) (Fantasy. 9-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7242-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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