Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3 - Death and the Queen

Ah, the joys of the Doctor-Donna pairing.  I was never a Doctor Who fan until the new series started with Christopher Eccleston, and although I enjoyed those first three seasons, nothing compared to my love of the show until that fourth season when Donna Noble, as played by Catherine Tate, appeared! She was funny, she was snippy, and she was never afraid to call the Doctor out on things.  So when her character was written out after only one season, I was really disappointed.

Until the books carried on the stories - for four books.  And then there were several audio stories that continued the pairing.  But there were only three or four of those.  So I couldn't fill my Doctor-Donna fix - until Big Finnish came back with some full-cast audio dramas featuring both David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprising their iconic roles!  And after listening to the first two, I put off listening to this third and final story, because I knew once I had listened to it, that would once again be the end of my Doctor-Donna stories.

But this final story was well worth the wait!

Death and the Queen, written by James Goss (who has written in the Doctor Who universe a number of times over the years), perfectly captures the companionship and friendship that existed between the Doctor and Donna.  The little barbs and quips kept me smiling, and the non-stop action right from the get-go kept my full attention throughout the entire story.

The story centers around Donna (around whom ALL stories should center, in my opinion!), who has met her Prince Charming and is set to marry him.  Fans of the series may recall that Donna first met the Doctor on her wedding day (which didn't turn out well at all, so that should be a sign of what direction this story is headed), and Goss even manages to slip in a cute reference to that prior wedding.  We get a few quick flashbacks that provide all the backstory we need to get us to the point where Donna is ready to be married, but the Doctor suspects there is something way too sinister going on for him to allow her to get married in peace.

For one thing, the Prince comes from a planet/land of which the Doctor has never heard - and the Doctor knows everything, having pretty much been everywhere in the known universe.  That's the first red flag.  Then there's the fact that the Prince and his mum are set to go forward with the wedding, even though there is something out there that is slowly destroying the surrounding towns outside of the castle.  Donna, being Donna, does what she does best - she brings all of the surviving townspeople into the castle to keep them safe, much to the chagrin of the Queen Mum.  There's friction on all sides, but it is a wedding after all, and not even death itself will stop it from happening.

Of course, that's maybe because Death is an invited guest at the wedding - and maybe because Donna isn't set to be wed to the Prince she thought she was marrying!  Goss throws in several surprise twists, and the ultimate showdown between the Doctor and Donna and the Prince of Death himself is one worthy of Russell T. Davies himself!

I thoroughly enjoyed this final tale (only for now, I hope!) of the Doctor-Donna pairing, and I am thankful it ended on such a well-written note!

RATING:  10 inscribed undergarments out of 10 for keeping the memory of Donna Noble alive with stories like this!

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles No. 1 - The First Escape

A doppelgänger is defined as a "ghostly counterpart of a living person." However, author G.P. Taylor took the work and used it to define not one, not two, but three characters in his series, The Dopple Ganger Chronicles. Now, it should be noted - this series came out back in 2008, and that is when I bought this first book, as well as the second book, in the series. The second book ended with a cliffhanger, leaving me with an expectation that a third book would be published. So I waited...and I waited...and I waited...and I finally gave up, I shelved the two books after reading them, and promptly put the series to the back of my mind.

Until a few weeks ago, as I was perusing Amazon.com, and somehow I came across this series as a suggested book. The only thing is, instead of showing two books in the series, it actually shows THREE books in the series! It seems the book was published back in 2011, but somehow I managed to never see it, and thus, for the past six years have assumed the third book never came to be. Obviously, I bought the book, but once I received it, I realized something - I honestly did not remember the details of the stories from books one and two. So, what else could I do? I decided to go back and start from the beginning...

The First Escape introduces readers to Sadie and Saskia Dopple, two trouble-making twin sisters who are identical in every way - except their eyes, which are mirror versions of each other (one blue, one yellow). The girls were orphaned by their mother and left at the Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children, which is run by the very strict, very cruel headmistress, Miss Rimmer, who is looking for any excuse possible to get rid of the Dopple sisters. And that moment comes when the mysterious Muzz Elliott shows up at the school - and makes her wishes known that she wants to adopt Saska and not Sadie!

Taylor spins a fun little mystery that is filled with plenty of high-spirited antics and life-threatening dangers, and quite honestly, it's refreshing to see some protagonists who are not only NOT squeaky-clean, but who are devious little pranksters and have no qualms about thumbing their nose at authority. And if you're wondering, that second part of the "Dopple Ganger" refers to Erik Ganger, the only boy at the School for Wayward Children who also happens to be a former thief. He helps Sadie escape the school (which definitely makes for some fun-filled reading) and is instrumental in helping the sisters with the mystery surrounding Muzz Elliott's home and a missing treasure.

The story is told not only through prose, but also through comic book-style pages of art and story, and also through some rather interesting formatted pages that integrate the typed text with the action of the story (you have to see it to understand what I am talking about). But it all works - none of it jars the reader from the story, but rather, it actually enhances the uniqueness of the story and its characters.

On a side note, something I had forgotten about this series is the fact that it is a Christian-based series. There are some subtle references to God and angels, and I'm actually curious to see where Taylor takes these concepts in the next two books.

RATING: 8 stuffed donkey hinds out of 10 for finding a unique way to tell a unique story with unique characters - and to pull it off so successfully!

The First Goth Girl Novel - Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

Take the Oz books - mix it up with a bit of Gothic tales - throw in a bit of Nancy Drew for good measure - and what you'll end up with is the first Goth Girl mystery!  Honestly, I can't recall how I came across this series (that seems to happen a lot lately - although I think this was another series I stumbled across on Amazon), but I am definitely glad I did.  This first book, The Ghost of a Mouse, was a fun read with likable characters, a well-plotted mystery, and some truly gorgeous illustrations.

I'm not really familiar with the author, Chris Riddell, but I have to give him props.  He not only knows how to tell a great story, but he knows how to make his characters spring to live and, like L. Frank Baum did in his Oz books, Riddell draws you into the most outrageous situations with some very unbelievable characters who you have no problem accepting without question.

The "Goth Girl" in the title refers to the protagonist, Ada Goth, who lives in the stately (and somewhat off-beat) Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her father, Lord Goth.  Her mother, Parthenope (gotta love these names!), died in a tragic accident when she fell from the roof of the estate while practicing her tight-rope walking skills (you have to read it to understand it).  Poor Ada has gone through a number of governesses, all of whom have left or disappeared for one reason or another, and she is forced to deal with her father's rather eclectic staff - Maltravers, the indoor gameskeeper, and Mrs. Beat'em, the cook.  There were a whole crew of maids and lady servants, but none of them were allowed to speak to Ada.

The mystery begins when Ada is visited by the ghost of a mouse named Ishmael who was killed in a mouse trap set by Maltravers.  When Ada discovers where the trap was set, it sets in motion a mystery surrounding the "broken wing" of the house that is in complete disrepair; the heretobefore never heard of "even more secret garden" that is hidden away within the secret garden behind the house; the mysterious pheasants to be used in the upcoming hunt held every year by Lord Goth; the stranger-than-normal actions of Maltravers; and the secret that is hidden in the Bathroom of Zeus (just trust me on this - it really is a room in the house).  And while Ada thinks she is in this alone, she soon discovers that there are other children in the house - there are William and Emily Cabbage, the children of the inventor, Charles Cabbage, who came to Ghastly-Gorm Hall to build a calculating machine for Lord Goth (and who Lord Goth promptly forgot was there); there is Arthur Halford, who is the hobby-horse groom; and there is Kingsley, the chimney caretaker who was promoted when the prior chimney sweep left with a former governess of Ada's (hmmmm, a governess who falls for a chimney sweep?  yes, there are tons of literary references and nods to other great works scattered throughout the book - yet one more reason to enjoy it!).

The "Attic Club" as the kids are known, since they regularly meet in the attic to avoid being seen by or disturbing the inhabitants of the great house, allow Ada to join them, and together they set out to solve the mystery.  They soon learn, however, that time is running out - for there are lives at stake, and they must find a solution before the great hunt takes place!

According to the copyright page, Chris Riddell is not only the author, but also the illustrator of this enjoyable work of art.  There are numerous illustrations throughout the book, and they truly enhance the reading of and love for the story.  Visuals for all the characters, humans and non-humans alike, are given in full detail, and there is even a map of the entire Ghastly-Gorm Hall so you can keep track of all the unusual places Ada and her friends traverse (like the Alpine Gnome Rockery, the Dear-Deer Park, the Overly Ornamental Fountain, and so on).

If you love letting your imagination run wild while you are reading, and you love a well-written mystery with humor and Gothic undertones, then you will absolutely love this first Goth Girl book!

RATING:  10 psychic governess agencies out of 10 for a superb beginning to an unusual new mystery series that will definitely pique the interest of any aged reader!

Gotham Academy, Second Semester - Volume 1 - Welcome Back

So the kids of Gotham return to the academy in the first of the new set of graphic novels collecting the "second semester" of DC's Gotham Academy comic series.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first three graphic novels chronicling the first semester of these students, so I was anxiously looking forward to reading more of these kids adventures.

While I won't say the second semester was off to a poor start, I will say that these first several stories just did not hold up to the original series collected in the first three graphic novels.  The opening story, "Welcome Back to Gotham Academy" starts out well enough, with conflict created when Olive suddenly finds herself with an unexpected and unwanted new roommate.  And while the ultimate revelation as to the identity of the roommate was a surprise, the character change in Olive was somewhat jarring and felt forced - as if the writers were purposefully changing Olive to fit the whole origin story for Olive's heritage.

A few things I did like in these stories are the homages to the 1960s television show - with Aunt Harriet, the ceramic bust, and so on.  I am also glad they finally pushed Colton's story forward as he revealed his feelings for Maps' brother.  And there's the continued use of the Detective Club, even though they had to search high and low to find a mystery to solve in this collection.  I even felt a bit sorry for Maps, as Olive grew more and more distant from her friends and closer to her roommate, Amy.

I do have to give the writers props in one area - they have quite a number of characters to manage, yet all of them do have "screen time," so to speak, and none of them are used superfluously.  Each character has a purpose for being there in each story, and clearly some of them are set ups for future stories to be told.

I guess being a Batman-related book, Batman had to make an appearance - I could have done without it.  He is so overused in the DC universe of comics, and I hate the fact that they have grounded Olive's origin tale with Batman-involvement.  I won't spoil anything for those who haven't read it yet, but her backstory could have been just as powerful without the Batman appearance.

The art continues to be well done - the characters' looks remain consistent, and the Gothic tone of the panels and colors keep the book balanced with the not-too-dark stories.

Despite my feeling of lackluster towards  most of this collection, I am curious to see where they are going to take it from here, considering the final pages.  That's quite a cliffhanger, and with Olive origin out there for all to know, it will be interesting to see what it does to the group's dynamic.

RATING:  6 circuit-board lined witches' hats out of 10 for not being afraid to take chances with these characters and take them in directions that, while I might not like it, will make me curious to see what's next

Whitman Mystery Stories - Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island

Bonita Granville is mostly known to me and my fellow series book collectors as the actress who portrayed Nancy Drew in the four films from the 1930s.  However, Ms. Granville starred in a number of other films for which she is probably more popularly known.  In fact, she was popular enough that Whitman, the book publisher, somehow gained the rights to publish a fictional tale of Ms. Granville wherein, like her Nancy Drew counterpart, she is thrust into an unexpected situation where she must solve a mystery and help the innocent!

As it states on the front flap of the dust jacket, this book (along with a number of others) allowed readers to "(f)ollow your favorite characters through page after page of thrilling adventures."  And thanks to a special friend and fellow series collector, I was given a copy of this book in the beautiful dust jacket showcasing a photo of the ever-smiling Bonita Granville.

I just wish the story inside had held up as beautifully as the dust jacket and the photo did.

I'm not sure what I expected from the story.  I honestly had not heard anything about the mystery prior to reading it - no reviews, no critiques, no bashing or praising.  So, I went into this story with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever.  Based on the title, The Mystery of Star Island, I gathered that somehow Bonita would end up on an island where she would become instrumental in solving a mystery.  And as I began reading the first couple of chapters, it seemed such would be the case.  Bonita bumps into an old friend who is headed to Star Island to serve as a companion to a young girl near their age; but, before she can leave for the island, she is overcome with appendicitis and must go to the hospital.  After much beginning, Bonita agrees to take her place on the island with no on the wiser because - coincidentally enough - she and Bonita strongly resemble each other.  So much so, in fact, that in their younger days, they were known as "Parey" and "Lelle" (for "parallel").

Sounds enough like a typical children's mystery so far.  There's also a mysterious stranger who shows up at the train station, and Bonita feels there is something not right about him.  Yet another coincidence finds him heading in the same direction as her - to Star Island!  All good set ups for a nice mystery - except, at this point, we still don't know what the mystery is, if any.  Bonita and this stranger get ferried to the island, where Bonita meets her new benefactor and the young girl she will be chaperoning, Betts.  Her benefactor, known as "Muffit," has been injured and must leave the island to get medical attention, leaving Bonita alone with Betts and the nervous-nellie housekeeper, Thelma.  There are claims of stranger noises in the night (reminiscent of Gothic-style storytelling), but again - still no defined mystery.

What we do have by this point, however, are countless instances of Bonita's internal turmoil of why she is there.  "Go back while you have the chance!" and "I knew there'd be trouble!" and "You'd better go back - before it's too late!"  Again and again and again the author has Bonita doubting herself, questioning her actions, and warning herself to go back home and forget Star Island.  I'm not sure if this was intended to build drama, but for me, it simply dragged down the story and lessened my ability to see Bonita Granville as a strong protagonist.  Instead, she comes across weak, whiny, and at times, very unlike any female sleuths of her time.

The author, who interestingly enough is not identified on the cover of the book, is Kathryn Heisenfelt,  who appears to have written a number of "authorized" books for Whitman during that period.  If all of her books are written in this vein, it leaves me to wonder how they performed sales-wise.  The book has a number of illustrations by Henry E. Vallely, all of which are beautifully rendered and are one of the saving graces for the book.

The mystery itself is finally revealed near the end, and it is wrapped up not by Bonita, but rather, by some of the supporting characters.  The identity of the stranger at the beginning is finally revealed at the end (after he is pretty much absent during most of the story), and everything is resolved with very little help from Bonita at all.  Definitely not a book I would recommend reading to any fans of the children's mystery genre; however, I would probably suggest it as a collectible for any Nancy Drew completionist, since it does star the actress who first portrayed everyone's teen sleuth.

RATING:  3 missing used bandages out of 10 for at least attempting to give a Nancy Drew actress her own mystery - and providing some lovely illustrations throughout!

Marvel Masterworks - the Atlas Era: VENUS

Now that I'm back from vacation (a week-long trip to the New England coast!), I can get back to talking about my reading materials.  Taking a train up the East Coast, from Florida to Massachusetts, gave me plenty of time to read the Marvel Masterworks that I picked up back in July - the collection of issues 1 through 9 of an old Atlas comic titled Venus.

I picked up this book for two reasons - one, its original price was $59.99, but the dealer was selling it for $10; and two, it was a comic with a female lead.  My love of comics has always gravitated towards comics with female leads - Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Huntress, Power Girl, She-Hulk, Hellcat, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, etc.  So, the opportunity to read a comic from the 1940s with a female lead definitely intrigued me.

With an introduction by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, who is touted as being "a noted comics historian and a chief authority on Marvel's Atlas period," the first (and only) volume of this collection of Venus tales presents in full (including covers and all ads) the first nine issues of the comic, as well as two short tales of Venus that appeared in Lana no. 4 and Marvel Mystery Comics no. 91.  The stories in the this volume are all fairly tame by today's standards, and definitely lean more towards the romance comics than adventure or mystery.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of romance stories (unless it is gothic/supernatural in nature), but I do have to admit, these stories were kind of fun.  In a way, it is almost a reverse of the Superman/Lois Lane love story.  Venus is a goddess (alien) from another planet who falls for a publisher of a fashion magazine - he also falls for her, but he refuses to believe that she is really the goddess of love.  And, of course, there's a nemesis in the form of Della, secretary for Whitney Hammond (the publisher of Beauty Magazine).  She resents Venus' sudden appearance and her appointment by Hammond as the new editor of the magazine - a position she had been in line for until Venus showed up on the scene.  Throughout nearly all of the stories, Della is trying one stunt or another to take Venus out of the picture (in a way, Della reminds me a lot of Lettie Briggs from the Dana Girls Mystery Stories).

The early stories are focused more on the rivalry between Venus and Della, and each issue contains several self-contained short stories, along with a 2- or 3-page prose story, as well as other short features (such as  Hedy De Vine tale, or a "Hey Look!" comedy page, or a "True-To-Life Romance" story.  But, later issues began to evolve into longer tales with two or three chapters, in most instances filling the entire comic with a single Venus tale.  In addition, the later tales also began to focus more on Venus compatriots from the gods and goddess realm on Venus, as well as from the underworld itself.  While the first nine issues compiled here are more romance and slight adventure, according to Dr. Vassallo's introduction, issues 10 and beyond became more sci-fi oriented, and then horror-oriented before the series was finally cancelled with issue 19.

One interesting tidbit I did enjoy seeing was the ad that appeared in several issues, in which "The Editors" at Marvel Comics urged readers to consider why they were buying and reading this comic.  "We want to help you protect your right to buy and read your favorite magazines," the ad says, "as long as they contain nothing that might be harmful to you ... Lately, lots of people are criticizing comics.  They have been saying that comics teach you youngsters things that are not good for you, things like violence, cruelty, immorality, etc."  The ad then goes on to explain that Marvel has engaged the services of Dr. Jean Thompson, a psychiatrist in the Child Guidance Bureau of the New York City Board of Education to serve as editorial consultant on all of their magazines, to help ensure that their comics are "safe" for children to read.

Something else I found intriguing was the fact that when Marvel listed in the ads their regular titles, they were divided into two categories:  the "Red Unit" and the "Blue-Yellow Unit."  Not really sure why the books were assigned to which unit, or even why they were designated as "units" and what the colors meant.  I suppose the readers back in the late '40s would have known.

The writer of these comics are unknown, as the comics in those days rarely gave credit to the authors and artists; however, through research, the artists for some of the stories were determined (George Klein, Vic Dowd, Harvey Kurtzman, Ken Bald, Ed Winiarski, Don Rico, among others - none of whom I have ever heard).  The art is not consistent, as the artists changed, but the one major thing I noticed is that in the first issue, Venus is portrayed as having silver/white hair, but starting with issue 2, even though Venus is shown with white hair on the cover, the interior pages all show her with blond hair (which is the color that continued through the rest of the series).

The supporting cast was not large - Whitney Hammond - the publisher, Della - the secretary, and Marvin Klee - staff artist at the magazine, and the various gods and goddesses from Olympus.  Otherwise, there were no other regular cast members.

I enjoyed the stories enough that I would have liked to have seen the second volume, just to see how the comic fared with sci-fi and horror stories.  Sadly, although a second volume was discussed, it was never published (making me wonder if sales on this volume were so low that Marvel decided to pass on a second).  It's a shame, as I don't believe the remaining issue of Venus were ever collected.

RATING:  7 statues of Juno out of 10 for proving to me that even back in the late 1940s, comics could provide a strong female lead (even if she did only last for 19 issues...)

Lilly Long Mysteries, Book 2 - Though This be Madness

That persistent red-headed actress is back in her second mystery, as author Penny Richards provides another captivating adventure of actress-turned-detective, Lilly Long.

Though This be Madness, taken from a line in Shakespeare's Hamlet, gives readers the perfect mystery, filled with murder, greed, lies, secrets, and even a little voodoo thrown in for good measure.  Oh, and let's not forget some of that romantic tension that we saw between Lilly and McShane in the last book - it definitely intensifies in this book, particularly since they are sent on an assignment together, posing as husband and wife!

The mystery comes to the Pinkerton Agency in the form of a letter from a wealthy widow in New Orleans - her grandson's former widow has been committed to a psychiatric institution for the insance, and the family matriarch believes her new husband had her committed solely for the purpose of gaining control of the family fortune.  To make matters worse, one of the grandson's daughters was brutally murdered shortly after the grandson's former wife gave birth to a stillborn child.  From any outsider's point of view, it would seem only natural the grief was so much, she was overcome and needed psychiatric help.  The matriarch, LaRee Fontenot, does not believe this is the case.  So, it is up to Lilly and McShane to work together, posing as newly hired help on the Fontenot plantation in New Orleans, to uncover the truth, one way or another.

As with any good mystery, Richards throws in a few hiccups along the way.  First, there's the distrust between Lilly and McShane, neither of whom wish to be paired with the other for an investigation. Then, there's the matter of young Robert Jenkins, a street urchin and pickpocket who has a past with McShane that neither will reveal, who shows up as Lilly and McShane are traveling to New Orleans and who ends up having to pose as McShane's younger brother to help with the investigation. And we can't forget the vile Henri Ducharme, who is the current husband of Mrs. Fontenot's granddaughter-in-law - a self-absorbed man who believes he runs the house and the family - but who Lilly notices becomes unusually uneasy any time his step-daughter's husband, Preston Easterling.

Lilly's acting skills are put to the test in this mystery - not only is she forced to assume an Irish accent and humble herself as a housekeeper and maid for the Fontenot plantation, but she must also deal with the fact that as "husband and wife," she must share a room with a man she has conflicting feelings about.  On the one hand, he is arrogant and demeaning, and she would much prefer to have been assigned this case on her own; on the other hand, she continues to find herself drawn to him and he is able to teach her things about the field that she still needs to learn.

With this mystery, it's not so much about the whodunnit? part, but more about the "did he do it?" part and "what's really going on at the Fontemont plantation?"  Lilly, McShane, and Jenks (the name by which Robert Jenkins prefers to go by) actually make a great team, and their family dynamic works well in solving the crime(s).  I readily confess, reading 260 pages has never been so easy, when you an author draws you into the tale like Richards does.

RATING:  10 hard boiled eggs dyed red out of 10 for creating an investigative "family" that is engaging and entertaining to read.

The First Enchangment Lake Mystery - Enchantment Lake

I love books.  If you've been reading this blog, then you KNOW how much I love books.  Mysteries are, by far, my favorite all-time books to read.  My love for mysteries stems from my mom buying me Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, and other various series books back when I was a kid.  Thus, while I enjoy some select adult mystery series, my true love will always be children's and young adult mysteries.  And in the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to stumble across some really good series (particularly in light of the slim pickings when it comes to children's mysteries today).  But rarely do I buy a "one-off'er" mystery.  I prefer my ongoing series.

Yet, for some reason, I was drawn to Enchantment Lake, by Margi Preus.  I'm not sure if it was the "A Northwoods Mystery" header, or if it was the description of the book that describes the protagonist as a Nancy Drew-type, or if it was the rather unique cover art and design.  Regardless, I did ultimately purchase the book through Amazon in the hopes that it would be a good read.

I was wrong - this was not a good read at all - it was a FANTASTIC read!

Preus introduces readers to her reluctant teenage detective, Francesca (Francie) Frye (a/k/a "French Fry" or "little Frenchie") at an audition in New York, where Fancie is nervous about her audition.  Before she can audition, however, she gets a call from her Aunt Astrid, who lives with her other aunt, Jeannette, up in the north words of Minnesota.  The connection is anything but good, but it's enough for Francie to hear her aunt say "murder" and that "someone is trying to kill us" and "come quickly."  Now, her aunts are known for their absurdity and odd ways, but Francie can't imagine them asking her to leave New York where, despite being only seventeen, she is pursuing her career as an actress.  But they do - - and she does, flying halfway across the country to discover whether her aunts really are in serious trouble.

She soon finds her concern for her aunts misplaced, when they reveal that someone is forcing people to sell their properties on the shore of Enchantment Lake to build a road through the area.  Francie could kick herself for dropping out of an audition for this "emergency" - until her aunts reveal that the people who sold their property have been dropping like flies!  A falling tree limb, a drowning, a poisonous snake bite, a poisoned well, a heart attack, and most recently - a gunshot made to look like a suicide.  Are they merely coincidences, or is something more sinister happening around Enchantment Lake.  And what is this story Francie hears about a supposed treasure said to be under enchantment?  Or, more accurately, under Enchantment (as in, under the lake)?

Preus weaves a wonderful mystery tale about murder, secrets, greed, and blackmail, and quite frankly, it will keep you guessing until pretty much the end when the culprit is finally revealed.  Every time I thought I had it figured out, another curve ball was thrown, displacing my theory.  The characters are charming - love the local lawyer's intern, Nels, as well as Sandy, the owner of the local store.  And, of course, Aunt Astrid and Aunt Jeannette are barrels of fun with their quirky strangeness.  And as for Francie herself - she may begin as a rather reluctant detective (having played one as a child on television), she soon finds herself drawn into the mystery, and before you know it, she turns all Nancy Drew, refusing to turn away from solving the crime and saving her aunt's lives, even when her grandfather shows up and threatens to tighten the strings on her trust fund if she doesn't drop it and return to New York City.

And to top it all off, Francie herself has some mysteries of her own to solve - like, what really happened to her father?  Was his death an accident, or something else?  And who is her mother?  Why will no one tell her anything about her?  And what happened between her and her brother to create the strained relationship that they now have?

With a great mystery and fun-tastic characters, there's no way you'll be able to avoid falling under the "enchantment" of Preus' writing.  And thankfully, while writing this post, I checked on Amazon and found that there is a second book in this series - The Clue in the Trees, wherein we will discover more about Francie's estranged brother.  I definitely cannot wait!

RATING:  10 brown casserole dishes out of 10 for giving readers a contemporary teenage detective that is over the age of 13, a well-written, superbly-plotted mystery, and an excellent read!