SECOND FIDDLE: A Sizzle and Splat Mystery

by Ronald Kidd ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1988

Building on the success of Sizzle and Splat (1983), Kidd brings the two teen-age detectives back in another fast-moving mystery, again centered around the activities of the Pirelli Youth Orchestra. When one of a series of practical jokes leads to the apparent destruction of a Stradivarius that concertmaster Kevin Lim has borrowed, without permission, from his famous-violinist father, the dire event sets off a second series of tricks that grow increasingly lethal. The law (in the person of Bogart-clone Detective Denton) is reluctant to take an interest, throwing responsibility on the all-too-eager pair. Meanwhile, the dialogue as reported by Sizzle (Prudence Szyznowski) is consistently hilarious, full of puns that are neither overerudite nor dumb but just very funny: many (including a clever series of T-shirts and the inspirations for all the pranks) depend on the kids' enthusiasm for classical music, yet will be comprehended easily by the uninitiated. Sizzle, Splat, and Kevin's relationships with each other and with their idiosyncratic parents are handled lightly but deftly; the denouement involves a satisfying number of twists and surprises. Comical, suspenseful, and thoroughly entertaining.

Pub Date: May 1, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Lodestar/Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S