A Wells & Wong Mystery, Book 5 - Mistletoe and Murder

Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are back again, ready to solve another murder. Of course, it wasn't their intention to become involved in yet one more murder investigation. But author Robin Stevens brings her two incorrigible young sleuths into a new mystery with the latest book in the Wells & Wong Mystery series.

Mistletoe and Murder begins only a month after the events of the previous mystery, Jolly Foul Play. Daisy and Hazel have been sent off to Cambridge University to visit Daisy's brother, Bertie, who is attending Maudlin College. The girls, of course, can't stay at the all-boys' dorm, so they are shuffled off to St. Lucy's College to stay with Daisy's Aunt Eustacia. During their stay, they are to remain under the watchful care of Bertie's friend, Amanda Price - but a deal has been struck, and as long as the girls don't get into any trouble, Amanda will leave them to explore Cambridge on their own, as she has other things to which she must attend (and those "other things" definitely play a large part of the mystery that comes their way!).

Also returning in this book is Alexander, that Junior Pinkerton who helped the girls with the Orient Express murder mystery, and he has brought along his fellow Junior Pinkerton, George (who turns out to be not English at all, much to Hazel's delight). So, when a new mystery presents itself, the competition between the Junior Pinkertons and the Detective Society begins in earnest.  Who will solve the mystery first?  Charles and Donald Mellings are twins living on the top floor of the dorm where Bertie is residing - Charles is the outgoing, well-liked twin, while Donald is a bit more reserved and tends to follow in Charles' shadow. But Donald is the older twin, meaning he will inherit his family's quite massive wealth on his twenty-first birthday. Which happens to fall on Christmas Day. Charles is none too happy about that, and he persistently pulls pranks on poor Donald, warning Donald that he will be taking part in his brother's wealth. When Charles turns up dead at the foot of the stairs, everyone in the dorm thinks it is simply a prank gone wrong. Daisy and Hazel and Alexander and George know otherwise. It's a new murder mystery - the girls' fifth and the boys' first! - and the Detective Society will have to team up with the Junior Pinkertons if they hope to solve this one.

Did Donald push his brother down the stairs to end the intimidation regarding the inheritance?
Did Alfred get fed up with the racist remarks and get even with Charles?
Did Amanda really get a phone call about the accident, or was there more to it than that?
Did caretaker Moss, who was protective of Donald, finally have enough of Charles' pranks?
Did Michael grow weary of all the trouble Charles' caused in the dorm and put an end to it?
Or, God forbid, did Bertie commit this heinous act?

All of them have something to hide. All of them are keeping secrets, not just from the police, but from each other. And how does the secret climbing society figure into all of this? With only two days until Christmas, the Detective Society and the Junior Pinkertons have some quick investigating to do! Plus, with the girls not allowed to visit the boys' dorm without a specific invitation, the girls have to come up with new ideas every time to wiggle their way onto that staircase to investigate the crime - whether it is the idea of dropping off Christmas gifts, or bringing decorations to help make the dorm festive for the holidays, they always manage to find a way in.

Stevens once again comes up with a creative crime that keeps the readers guessing. I honestly thought I had it figured out - until a second murder takes place, and the very person I thought was the killer turns out to be the second victim! Talk about throwing a monkey wrench in my ideas. I am amazed at how fresh she keeps each mystery, yet manages to maintain consistency with the myriad of characters she is working with in the series. Additionally, I love watching the growth in both Daisy and Hazel, and the surprising build-up and revelations regarding Hazel's interest in Alexander (as well as the very surprising revelation regarding who Bertie likes) were all subtly played but important elements in the characters' growth.  Unlike Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Dana Girls, and the Bobbsey Twins, who never aged over the decades of solving mysteries, Daisy and Hazel are growing older, and I'm enjoying the different perspective it gives them as they chase down clues to solve the crimes.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the Wells & Wong Mystery stories are definitely books I would recommend for anyone who enjoys a well-written, engaging mystery!  I just hope Simon & Schuster will continue to publish the series (as there are more books that have been published in Britain, but I don't see any more forthcoming here in the States yet...)

RATING:  10 compacts to be used for fingerprinting out of 10 for proving that children's mystery series are still viable and fun to read!