Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Four - The Heiress of Covington Ranch

This series grows on me more and more with each book I read.  I still do not like the "present tense" writing style, but I'm gradually getting to the point where my mind is automatically changing it to past tense as I read it.  Not sure why some of the current authors are writing in present tense these days, but for me, it's distracting from the story and forces me to concentrate a bit more on the words and verb tense as I'm reading, rather than simply enjoying the flow of the story.

Aside from that, this fourth Samantha Wolf mystery is by far the best in the series so far.  The Heiress of Covington Ranch definitely hearkens back to the days when children's mystery stories told the tales of secret messages, hidden clues, and missing relatives.  Author Tara Ellis continues the timeline for her aging characters, as summer is over and Samantha ("Sam") and her best friend, Ally, begin middle school.  As I'm sure all of us can remember, starting a new school, where we may know a few kids from the previous school, but having to be in separate classes from our friends, the fear of finding classes and making new friends - well, that is an experience in and of itself.  But Sam and Ally quickly make friends with newcomer Cassy, who is a lot less fortunate than her classmates - she wears the same clothes, her lunches brought from home are not as healthy or filling as everyone else's, and she is very reserved, not letting anyone else get close.  Until Sam and Ally convince her that none of that matters - and particularly when Sam stands up to some girls who try to bully Cassy.

As with any good mystery, what starts out innocent enough soon reveals secrets and a long-kept mystery that Sam can't resist sticking her nose into.  One of their new teachers, Miss Covington, is seen crying in her car - and after a football game, she is seen fighting with a man in the parking lot.  Sam's mother warns her not to get involved, but when has any good sleuth followed her parent's warnings?  Soon enough, Sam discovers that Lisa Covington is the heir to the Covington estate, which includes a valuable jewel, the Eye of Orion.  But the Eye was stolen years ago, and Miss Covington was accused of playing a part.  She claims she is innocent, that she was duped by her boyfriend - but that, and the fact that she was adopted and her formal adoption papers could never be found, prevented her from claiming her inheritance, which included the now abandoned Covington Ranch at the top of the hill where Sam and Ally have grown up riding their bikes and following trails.

This mystery definitely has it all - the missing adoption papers, the lost family heirloom, the looming loss of the family homestead, a greedy uncle intent on taking it all away, a desperate search to save Miss Covington's legacy, and a surprising secret that affects more than just Sam and Ally's teacher!  And Sam is her determined self, doing whatever she needs to in order to help Miss Covington - and her quick wits and riddle-solving mind are put to the test with this one, that's for sure.  I do love, though, how she stands up not only to bullies at school, but also to Miss Covington's overbearing uncle and the bad buys at the end.  She may be a middle-schooler, but Samantha Wolf definitely has the makings of a fine Nancy Drew-esque detective!

If it hasn't been clear before, I'll make it abundantly clear now - I would highly recommend this series to any fans of Nancy Drew and similar series - Ellis certainly honors those series with this one!

RATING:  9 brown bag lunches out of 10 for keeping the traditional children's mystery series concept alive and well without resorting to "sabotage" as the trope of choice.