Scarlet and Ivy, Book Four - The Lights Under the Lake

Mystery always seems to find Scarlet and Ivy (well, let's face it though - mystery seems to find any protagonist in a mystery series; I mean, after all, the books would not be much fun to read if there was not actual mystery to solve, now would they?), and a school field trip is no exception!  After rescuing Scarlet from being false imprisoned in a mental institution, after discovering Rose being hidden away behind the walls of their school, and after rescuing their dance teacher from a crazed kidnapper (not to mention fending off a dangerous headmistress while doing all of the foregoing), one would think these two girls deserve a break.  And what could be more relaxing than a weekend at a secluded lakeside hotel with the opportunity to explore nature?  Yeah, right - Friday the 13th, anyone?

The Lights Under the Lake finds Scarlet and Ivy, along with their best friend Ariadne and their new friend Rose, venturing away from Rookwood School on a school trip with their fellow classmates, their new headmistress (Mrs. Knight), the swimming instructor (Miss Bowler), and the prissy, bullying prefects (Elsie and Cassandra) who would like nothing more than to cause trouble for the twins and their friends. Needless to say, the mystery begins before the girls ever reach the Shady Pines Hotel, when Ivy notices a pair of headlights behind them that seems to be following them.  Is it her imagination, or is there someone following the busload of schoolgirls - and if so, why?

While the previous books centered around the school that the twins attended, this book has the perfect setting for a spooky mystery - a run-down, isolated hotel that seems to be haunted by ghosts (The Shining, anyone?). The only thing shining, however, are the strange lights that the girls see coming from underneath the water of the lake just outside the hotel. Were they simply a reflection, or is there something else going on? When the girls go on a hike and explore a cave with the help of a local man, Bob Owens, who gives them the grand tour. When they reach a large cavern, he has them all turn off their lights, and he tells them the gruesome story of what happened to the small village of Seren that used to be there. It seems one day a man showed up in town, telling all of the villagers that he had bought their property and they had to leave. He was building a dam and redeveloping the land, and the valley where the village of Seren was located would be flooded to create a resevoir. The people were forced to leave, and the water came pouring in, destroying all of the village, including the local church. And the graveyard next to the church, where long dead family members had been buried. And if you listen to the locals, they will tell you that those who were buried there have come back - they ring the church bell - and they light the church candles, creating lights under the lake...

Everyone scoffs at the idea of ghosts, but can they brush off the strange things happening at the hotel? A crucifix appearing on the wall that was not there moments before? Someone rummaging through all of the students' luggage? The hotel owner finding a soaking wet hymnal behind the desk? The strange sounds at night in the hall? When one of the prefects' necklaces goes missing, Rose suddenly becomes the target of all the blame. And when Ivy finds Rose wandering into another room at night, her clothes wet, she begins to doubt her friend's innocence - particular when those wet footprints lead up to the prefects' room, where someone has written a warning message in what appears to be blood!

Scarlet and Ivy (and Ariadne and Rose) must put their heads together to determine what is really going on at the hotel. And when Rose goes missing, and a fierce thunderstorm prevents anyone from leaving the hotel, the girls realize it is up to them to solve this case before Rose - or anyone else - gets hurt!

Sophie Cleverly definitely provides her best story yet in this fourth mystery.  Previous books gave readers insight into the secrets surrounding Scarlet and Ivy's family, but this time around, another character gets to shine, with revelations coming out that change the character - and how everyone sees her - going forward.  The story is well paced, and there are a number of suspects to keep the reader guessing until pretty close to the end (I'll admit, even I was stumped until about half-way through the book).  Each of the books in this series gets better and better, so I can hardly wait to see what the fifth and sixth books have in store!

RATING:  10 wind-up gramophones out of 10 for a suspenseful, thrilling mystery that is fun for any age to read!