Goldie Vance, Book One - The Hotel Whodunit

From the comic page to the prose novel, sixteen-year old Goldie Vance makes the jump into her very own mystery series! I was first introduced to this plucky young detective in the BOOM! Studios comic book series, which then graduated into a graphic novel series, and now, through Little Brown Young Readers, has become a series of prose mystery novels, and I could not be more thrilled! The comics have been very enjoyable, so the idea of reading a full-length novel, with the opportunity for a more in-depth mystery is definitely one I can get behind.

Goldie Vance is the creation of Hope Larson and Brittney Williams - but, interestingly enough, neither of them are involved with this book. That doesn't matter, though, because the writer and artist fully capture Goldie's world and the wonderful characters therein. The Hotel Whodunit is written by Lilliam Rivera, with illustrations by Elle Power (incorrectly identified as Elle Powers on the back of the book). The cover, as well as the limited pages of comic art story in the book, so closely resemble Williams' rendition of the title character that one might not even realize Power is not the original artist for Goldie Vance! And Rivera's writing?  Well, that's spot on!

This first mystery finds Goldie becoming enthralled with the whole Hollywood lifestyle! A movie is being made at the Crossed Palms Resort (where her father works, and where Goldie herself works as a valet attendant and part-time hotel detective's assistant), and the star of the film is a big hush-hush secret that even the staff are not to be aware of - but, anyone who knows Goldie knows that she's going to plant herself right in the middle of the action and nothing will be a secret that she can't uncover! And uncover she does, when she steps in to help the actress when she trips and nearly falls - and immediately endears herself to Delphine Lucerne, a/k/a "the Temptress of the Ocean." She will be playing the queen of all mermaids in the film and she is to wear a crown jewel bathing cap that is worth a small fortune! She begs Walter Tooey, the hotel detective, to let her help, and of course, he relents.  But then the unthinkable happens...

During filming at the Mermaid Club, where Goldie's mom works and has been cast as an extra mermaid in the film, the lights go out - and when they come back on, the jeweled swim cap is gone! Goldie's mother was the last person to touch it and see it, so naturally, she becomes suspect number one. Goldie knows her mom didn't do it, but she must race against time to clear her mom's name before she not only loses her job in the movie, but also her job at the Mermaid Club!  Was it the local nosy reporter, Scoops, looking to create some news of his own? Or was it the mean-spirited director who doesn't seem to be happy with anything? Or was a jealous co-star who wanted her own shot at stardom? Or was it the costumer who doesn't seem happy with the production company? So many suspects and so little time.

Once everything clicks, Goldie must insinuate herself into the production in order to catch the crook before he/she manages to get away with the swim cap! But, as always, she creates quite the catastrophe, all culminating in a fun-filled climactic show down that reveals more than a few secrets among the cast and crew of the film!

Rivera is definitely a true fan of Goldie Vance, for she captures the characterization and the world so perfectly - I have no doubt that Larson and Williams are very proud of this novel.  It is a great way to pay homage to such a wonderful creation, and I'm thrilled to know a second book in this series is already scheduled!  For mystery fans or Goldie Vance comic fans, this is a must-read novel!

RATING:  10 heavy statues of Neptune out of 10 for expanding the world of Goldie Vance to a whole new realm of readers with the perfect jumping-on point for new fans!