Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 3)

The drama that fills the Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives continues in this third book of the Amanda Lester mystery series.  For those just coming in, be warned - if you haven't read the first two books in the series, you might want to stop and go do that.  This is one series where each book builds on what has gone before, so jumping in now, with the third book, might leave you just a bit confused, or at the very least, behind on all that has gone before.

But for those who did read books 1 and 2 in the series, then prepare yourself for Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle.  After the turmoil of the last book, what with the Moriartys breaking out of jail, Amanda's shock to discover that Nick was still alive, and the betrayal of Editta, Philip, and Gavin, the reader is left to wonder just what else could possibly go wrong?  I mean, the Detective's Bible is missing, if not destroyed, the teachers at Legatum are divided into warring factions over whether to save the school or close it, and now, as this third mystery opens, the parents of the missing children are determined to see Headmaster Thrillkill and the school pay for what has happened to their kids!  And, of course, poor Amanda gets sucked into the midst of things when Thrillkill asks her to gather her friends back at the school for the summer break to help him resolve:

1.  Rescue Editta Sweetgum
1.  Find Philip Puppybreath and Gavin Niven
2.  Find out what the key discovered with Wink's body goes to
3.  Find the Detective's Bible
4.  Solve Wink Wiffle's murder
5.  Monitor Professor Redleaf's computer
6.   Find attorney and prepare for wrongful death lawsuit
7.  Make film about our options without the Bible
8.  Speak to David Wiffle

And if you think that list would be enough to keep Amanda and her friends busy over the summer, let's not forget the mysterious purple rainbows that have suddenly started appearing in Windermere and the surrounding communities, as well as the numerous zombie sightings all over the Lake District.  Add in the gold leprechaun coins, the mysterious love letters from Mavis Moriarty to Wink Wiffle, the 3-D images coming out of Professor Redleaf's computer, and the torment Amanda suffers about her feelings for Scapulus Holmes and Nick Moriarty, and you've got yourself a complicated mystery to solve!

Author Paula Berinstein has definitely created a soap opera-ish world, with Amanda Lester at the center.  The teen angst is taken up a notch with this book, as Amanda suddenly finds she is competing with her friend, Amphora, for Holmes' attention, and meanwhile finds herself unexpectedly kissing Simon Binkle.  Meanwhile, amidst all of the drama, and the responsibility of solving so many mysteries, Amanda finds that famed director Darius Plover is demanding more and more of her time, as he seeks out her aid with reviewing and revising the script for his latest project.  This man has been her idol for so many years, so how can she say no?

There is a somewhat slow build-up in this book, as Berinstein provides a bit of a recap and walks Amanda through her numerous quandaries of how to approach each of the mysteries.  However, after the half-way point, the action and pace definitely pick up, leading to another explosive conclusion that leaves another person dead, six more people kidnapped, a mysterious girl who aids the detectives, and the school split down the middle as half the teachers leave to form their own school in Scotland.

At 380 pages long, there is plenty of room for the story, but prepare yourself, for the ending leaves the reader hanging, meaning the only way I'll find out what happens next is to pick up book four and start reading!

RATING:  8 acoustic levitators out of 10 for building a Harry Potter-type world with the descendants of famed detectives, all the while keeping it fresh and exciting!