Friday Barnes, The Plot Thickens

I honestly didn’t think I would be getting any more of this series.  After the first four books were published here in America, I found no further solicits for the remaining books in the series on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other online retailer that sold books.  Eventually, books 5 through 8 of the British version of the series showed up on Amazon, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to order imports, as the prices would be more expensive.  So, I’ve had those last four books on my Amazon watch list for quite a while.  Then, quite unexpectedly, while browsing books at Barnes & Noble recently, I stumbled across the British paperback versions of books 5 and 6 on the shelf!  Now, I am one of those readers who absolutely hates it when a publisher changes format of a series – and up until now, Friday Barnes had been published in hardback, picture-cover format with brightly colored covers.  Now, here are the rather drab, mainly-brown paperback versions of the series for books 5 and 6.  Yet, I refused to pass them up, as who knows if I would see them in store ever again.  So, after God-knows how long, I finally got to read the next chapter in the lives of Friday Barnes and her fellow classmates…

Friday Barnes, The Plot Thickens picks up right where the previous book left off. In fact, just like with the last three books, the story opens with a quick recap of the last moments from the previous book.  In this case, Friday, Ian, and Melanie are enjoying their ice cream after Friday cleared Ian’s name from the charges brought against him – when suddenly, Ian’s father, Mr. Wainwright, shows up to take his son home!  Now, I know it’s been a while, but for those keeping track, the last time we saw Mr. Wainwright, he was being carted off to jail for stealing a diamond, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer.  So how, pray tell, did he get released well before his sentence was complete?  Well, before you know it, Friday’s keen sense of observation and deductive reasoning reveals the truth behind Mr. Wainwright’s sudden interest in his son, and when the truth comes out, Ian and Friday once again become enemies, despite their clear attraction for one another (just ask Melanie!).

The author, R.A. Spratt, provides a frolicking foray into the worlds of art and fitness as Highcrest Academy gets two new teachers – a highly acclaimed artist who has no interest in teaching school and a fitness instructor who is determined to whip the over-privileged children of Highcrest into tip-top physical shape, whether they like it or not!  Plus, there’s a new student, Epstein Smythe, who proves his worth to Friday when he rescues her from drowning after she is pulled into the lake by a motorized picnic table (yeah, don’t ask – you have to read it to believe it).  The mystery this time around involves the mysterious theft of one of the art teacher’s prized paintings, as well as the vandalized art throughout the school.  Someone is up to no good (of course, at this school, other than Friday, is there anyone really up to ANY good?), and Friday is determined to get to the bottom of it.  As always, along the way, she solves a number of minor little mysteries, such as who locked Travis in the art room closet? who knocked out Friday in the classroom? did Tom really cheat in his game of golf against Stephan? who cheated Mr. Maclean out of $10,000 for a new car? who was cutting holes in the fence to sneak out each night?  Friday answers these and more questions as she tunnels through all of the distractions to find out exactly what is going on with the stolen and vandalized art.

I had forgotten just how much Spratt makes me smile with these stories of Friday Barnes, and it finally dawned on me what, exactly, it was about Friday Barnes that I find so amusing.  Friday Barnes reminds me very much of Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory.  Friday is full of knowledge, and she is quick to correct others, but she has absolutely no people-skills whatsoever.  And, despite how much everyone around her hates it, she is almost always right.  And her sidekick, Melanie, reminds me of Penny from Big Bang Theory.  She is clueless to  a lot of what Friday talks about, but she goes along with her, and her mind is always on the most trivial, superficial things.  These polar opposites come together to make a humorous and unlikely pair who manage to solve every mystery put in front of them, which makes for some really great reading. 

And, of course, this book ends with yet another cliffhanger, which once again involves poor Ian, leaving him with an all-important decision to make that could affect his life in countless ways!

RATING:  8 wheels of brie cheese out of 10 for continuing the inane antics of the Highcrest Academy students and their resident girl detective, Friday Barnes.

A Blake Harte Mystery, Book 7 - Skeletons

These mysteries by Robert Innes are so good, I couldn't wait any longer to read the next book that I have, which is the seventh in the series. These "impossible" crimes are so well-plotted, one is left to wonder just how much time Innes has on his hands to come up with these unique and innovate ways to kill off people! Of course, Innes has created a just-as-unique detective that is able to look beyond the obvious and normal and deduce the strange manner in which these murders take place.  And this time around, whoo-wee, does Innes provide a doozy of a case!

A man known the Harte and the police force dies in a car accident, with numerous witnesses watching the car explode with him in it.  They were barely able to pull his wife out of the car before it went up in flames, and luckily, the only injury she sustained was a broken arm. Inexplicably, the widower thinks she sees her deceased husband, and when she runs off at his funeral (attended by a number of people, including Harte), Harte and his boyfriend follow to make sure she is alright. But when they arrive at her house, they are shocked to discover the very man they just buried choking his wife!  He takes off, and everyone wonders if what they saw was real.  Only one way to figure that out - exhume the body.  Under the cover of night (to avoid the prying eyes of the nosy townspeople), Harte and his fellow police bring up the casket from the ground.  The coffin is opened, and to everyone's shock, it is the wife's body inside!

Skeletons definitely provides an ever-twisting mystery of who is dead, who isn't, who killed them, and how?! The solution is not completely a surprise (at least, not for me), but it was rather ingenuous - I have to give Innes credit for coming up with something this unique. And the fact that the first victim is the town's undertaker, and thus someone who is well known throughout the community, adds to the mystique of the crime, since the chief of police and others seem to see a very different side to the man who Blake sees harassing and belittling his wife. Of course, it is those very differences that gave me the first clue as to what may be going on with the case...

Aside from the murder mystery, Innes continues the ever-continuing drama that is Blake Harte's life. Having recovered from his surgery in the last book, Harte and his boyfriend, Harrison, are trying to rebuild their relationship, with Harrison coming to terms with the amount of time Harte's job takes him away. But just when Blake things are beginning to settle, a call from someone in his past turns his whole world upside down! Now, not only does he have to deal with the baffling mystery of the dead seemingly coming back to life, but he has to face a possible consequence of his past that could have a devastating and deadly impact on his present.  (And no, I'm not going to spoil it and tell you what it is - but let's just say that Innes handles it in a very realistic way - Blake's reaction and turmoil over what to do is exactly the way I've seen people act when faced with the same possibility...)

Oh, and just in case you thought all of the above was more than enough for Blake to handle in one book, there is also the unexpected arrival of his landlord's son, Tom Roberts - a handsome young man who strikes up a friendship with Harrison. Blake has been concerned that Harrison doesn't really have many friends with whom he can socialize while he is at work, but as Blake watches Tom taking Harrison out night after night, seeing Harrison come home drunk, he begins to wonder if Tom doesn't have ulterior motives.  Yes, Blake's life is a regular soap opera with a seemingly unsolvable murder thrown in just to keep things interesting.

I just cannot recommend this series enough. I am always telling my friends about it and trying to convince everyone who reads mysteries to pick up the series. Can't wait to see what Innes has in store for Blake in the next book!

RATING: 10 small red books out of 10 for creating the most unique and enjoyable "impossible" crimes and writing characters that the reader truly cares about!

Adventures of the Dover Boys - an Archie Comics One-Shot (1950)

As a huge collector of children's mystery series, while I may not collect ALL of the series that were put out back in the day, I still recognize the names of many of those series - particularly those published by Edward Stratemeyer and his Stratemeyer Syndicate.  One of the earliest series he published was The Rover Boys, written under the pseudonym of Arthur M Winfield.  The series was published from 1899 to 1926 and originally featured the three Rover brothers - Tom, Sam, and Dick.  And the whole reason I mention this historical information is to give you some background on why I ordered from Amazon this reprint comic from UP History and Hobby (whose website, www.goldenagereprints.com is no longer viable, as a quick search brought up a message that indicates the owner of the website failed to pay invoices for the domain use, and thus, it was suspended).  Oh, and what would that reprint comic be, you ask?

Adventures of the Dover Boys #1, published in 1950 by the same company who was publishing Archie Comics and all of their related titles.

A few interesting things to note about this particular comic.  The story itself is actually 30 pages of story and art, with very few ads (being pretty much the last two pages of the comic, as well as the inside and outside of the back cover).  The story is broken up into six chapters, each chapter varying in length from 4 to 6 pages - and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger note, as well as a third-of-a-page advertisement for a various Archie comic title (such as Archie, Wilber, Super Duck, Suzie, etc.) - only the first and last chapters have no ad at the end.  The comic is also not numbered, per se; rather, with no issue number on the cover, the publishing information located at the bottom of the first page merely labels this as "Adventures of the Dover Boys, 1st edition, published by Close-Up, Inc., 420 DeSoto Ave., St. Louis, Mo."  No future issues were specifically planned, although the last panel of the comic, after the story ends, gives out the call: "Adventure-lovers! Would you like to see more breath-taking stories about the Dover Boys? If so, drop us a postcard right away and cast your vote...and we will get right to work on another jam-packed yarn of deep mystery and intrigue!" Thus, we can only be left to guess that not enough readers wrote in to request further adventures, as no second issue of the comic was ever published.  There is no specific credit given to the creators of the comic, although research reveals that Harry Lucey provided the art for the book (nothing I could find revealed the author of the story).  Unlike today, many comics in the past did not feature credit boxes, listing the writers, pencillers, inkers, letterers, etc., so trying to locate the creators for offbeat titles like this is not so easy.

Anyway...getting back to the comic story and the characters.  The inside front cover gives readers the necessary information they need to know about the Dover Boys and their supporting cast so that whey they are dropped into the story on page one, they don't have to worry about tons of exposition to bring them up to speed. The Dover Boys are Dan and Tim Dover (instead of Tom and Dick Rover...), who are 18 and 17, respectively, with dark brown and blond hair, respectively (similar to Frank and Joe Hardy). Their parents disappeared on an expedition, so they are living with and being raised by their Uncle Bill Dover and his wife, Martha.  Silas Croombs is the town miser, and his son, Claude, is a thorn in the Dover Boys' side.  And with this information, readers are ready to read the first comic adventure of the Dover Boys, "The Dover Boys and the Treasure of Death."

The mystery centers around an ancient Inca treasure for which their Uncle Bill was searching.  He came back to obtain more funding, and Silas Coombs pretends to be interested in sponsoring the trip (but in reality, was simply tricking Bill into drawing the map for him so he could find the treasure for himself!). As with your typical children's series book, each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, and this comic is no exception - as Uncle Bill is attacked by a shadowy figure and the small part of the Inca treasure he had brought home is stolen! Needless to say, the Dover Boys are soon on a trip to Peru to continue their uncle's search for the lost treasure. Their plane is nearly shot out of the sky, they and their guide are attacked by tribesmen, the daughter of a university professor in the jungle searching for the treasure is kidnapped and readied for sacrifice, the boys are captured and must face down the Indian chief, and they race against time to avoid being killed in an exploding volcano! All the while, they must avoid and stay ahead of Claude Coombs and his cohort in crime, Mike Foster.  Unlike your standard children's mystery, however, the comic is not afraid to show some of the characters being killed (I won't spoil the fun by revealing which ones); but, otherwise, it is a very clean-cut, fun-filled adventure that reads very much like a fast-paced mystery that might have been put forth by the Stratemeyer Syndicate or one of its competitors.

The art is not too bad - with backgrounds that are fairly simplistic and not overly detailed, and colors that are vibrant while the Dover Boys are in their hometown, but which darken when they head into the jungles of Peru. Some of today's comic readers might find the characters a bit roughly drawn, but for me, I liked the standard art of having people look like people (unlike some of today's comics, where the artist's "style" renders people who look far from human at times).  The artist had a pretty good handle on expressions, such as Tim's shock on page 5 when his Uncle is stabbed, or the boys' glee when they are told they can head down to Peru on page 9 - although I think Tim's shock/surprise on the middle panel of page 18 is probably the best in the entire issue!

An interesting side note - while searching for some information on this comic online, I discovered that this comic is not the only version of "The Dover Boys" out there.  Apparently, WB's Merrie Melodies cartoons did their own "Dover Boys" take on The Rover Boys series back in 1942 with a cartoon short called The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall. The title of the cartoon is interesting, as a lot of series books back in the early 1900s had double titles like this, so it gives it an even strong feel of one of the children's mysteries of that era.  The cartoon was closer to The Rover Boys books, as it featured three brothers: Tom, Dick, and Larry, who attend Pimento University.

I wish the demand had been enough for Archie comics to do a follow up, or even several follow-ups, to this one adventure of the Dover Boys.  Having my two favorite things (comic books and children's mystery) come together like this is always a true joy for me!

RATING:  10 craters of a live volcano out of 10 for everything that makes a children's mystery book exciting, only in comic book form!

Premediated Myrtle - a Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery #1

Trying a new series can always be chancy, since you never really know if it's going to be good or not - particularly when it is from an author that you've never read before and know nothing about.  So, when I first stumble across the Myrtle Hardcastle series on Amazon, I added them to my "want list" to keep an eye out for.  I didn't purchase them right away, mind you - I mean, after all, they were in hardback and by Elizabeth C. Bunce, an author that I had never heard of before.  But the titles were enough to catch my interest, and the cover art and design was eyecatching as well.  I mean, seriously - Premeditated Myrtle and How to Get Away With Myrtle! How could you pass up books with titles like that?

As with nearly all young adult and children's series these days, Premeditated Myrtle is written in first person, and Myrtle Hardcastle is 12-years old.  But she is a very intelligent, observant 12-year old that, that, in a number of ways, reminds me of Nancy Drew. She is an only child. Her father is a lawyer, and he is a widower, Myrtle's mother having passed away some time ago. They have a woman who lives with them, who helps take care of Myrtle (she is supposed to be Myrtle's governess and teacher, but in many ways, she is more of a friend to Myrtle than anyone else!). The only differences are in the age (12-years old instead of 16 or 18) and the time period (this series is set in the 1890s).  Myrtle carries a magnifying glass and is obsessed with solving crimes! So, when one happens right next door to her own house, how can she help but get involved?

 

Bunce provides a well-crafted mystery about a cranky old woman who is found dead in her own bathtub. But nothing makes sense. For instance, why was she covered in mud? Why was her prized garden of lilies gone, with nothing left but trussed-up dirt where it appears a scuffle took place? Why was her gardener burning what could potentially be evidence the morning her body was found? Why were there dirt tracks leading into the house? Why was the woman's niece meeting with someone late at night and handing him a mysterious package? Why was her nephew hiding the fact that he argued with her the day before she turned up dead? And why, oh why, was the old woman's cat covered in syrupy goo that seems to have poisoned the poor thing? Well, if there's one thing Myrtle doesn't like, it's unanswered questions!

A former private attorney turned prosecutor, Myrtle's father does not think that anything untoward happened. She was an old woman and her heart simply gave out. But Myrtle knows otherwise, and following in her father's footsteps, and with the help of her governess, Miss Judson (who, by the way, she believes would make the perfect wife for her father, but that's a whole 'nother thing...), she sets out to track down the clues, uncover the evidence, and find out what really happened to Miss Wodehouse and who killed her! But, what happens when not only does the wrong person end up accused of the crime, but that person also confesses!  How in the world will Myrtle free an innocent person and ensure the real killer is caught?  And all the while, she is doing everything in her power to keep Miss Wodehouse's niece away from her father, as she seems intent on becoming his next wife!  (And we won't even spoil the surprise there by revealing what shocking secret Myrtle discovers about Priscilla Wodehouse!)

I am going to say it outright - I absolutely LOVED this book! It was a superb read, well-written, exceptional characters, a fantastic mystery, and quite frankly, readers of any age can enjoy the story.  There is humor, there is sadness, there is shock and surprise, there is doubt, there is revelation - there is just about anything and everything you could ever want in a great story, and then some. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who wants a good mystery to curl up with, because I can guarantee you, once you start this, you won't want to put it down.

RATING: 10 fancy microscopes with interchangeable lenses out of 10 for giving readers what is, without a doubt, the BEST mystery book of the year, if not the decade!

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #21 - The Secret in the Old Attic (Revised Text)

Now that our “Central Florida Sleuths” group has begun getting together again (having taken a break to protect ourselves from the pandemic that shall not be named!), it has been rather fun to re-read some of these Nancy Drew books.  Many of them I have not read since I first read them as a child (we will NOT talk about how many years ago that was), so it’s almost like reading them all for the first time.  If nothing else, I’m definitely reading them with a fresh perspective as an adult, rather than through the innocence of childhood.  Thus, some elements that may seem a bit far-fetched or outright crazy and unbelievable now were likely exciting and fun to read as a child.  That being said, our November get-together centered on the 21^st book in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, The Secret in the Old Attic.

Now, right off the bat, how can you not enjoy a book where one of the characters is named “Bushy Trott.”  Just say the name out loud, and you can’t help but giggle.  And, as with pretty much any Nancy Drew book, with a name like that, you just know he’s up to no good.  Of course, he doesn’t actually come into the story until later, and he actually has nothing to do with the main mystery that Nancy sets out to solve.  No, the mystery that Nancy actually stumbles upon involves one of her father’s clients who needs help finding some music that his son allegedly wrote before he died.  The aging man is in need of money to help support his young granddaughter, and he is confident that his son’s music will supply the much needed funds. Nancy agrees to help (of course!), and soon she, Bess, and George are searching the man’s once-grand estate to find the missing music.  Along the way, Carson asks for Nancy’s help with another client who believes that his secret formula for creating silk cloth was stolen and is now being used by his competitors! Nancy happens to be a former classmate with the alleged copycat’s daughter, so she finagles her way into the factory, where she comes face-to-face with Bushy Trott!  As usual, the two mysteries ultimately intertwine, and Nancy faces some daunting challenges – such as being trapped in the factory, getting locked in the attic with a black widow spider, and facing off against a skeleton in a wardrobe!

The version I read is the revised, but apparently there are few differences between the original text and the revised text.  It seems the revised text drops the romantic entanglement between Nancy, Ned Nickerson, and Diane Dight (who has set her eyes on winning Ned’s heart in the original text).  The original text was written by Mildred Wirt, based on an outline by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (the daughter of Nancy Drew’s creator).  That text was later revised by Priscilla Baker-Carr, who shortened the book by five chapters, bringing it down from 25 to 20 chapters, tightening the story and giving more focus to the action and the mystery than to the romantic antics of Diane Dight.  This book does give a good example of how the Nancy Drew series manages to integrate a lot of Gothic elements into the story to keep readers on the edge of their seats.  The dark attic, with Nancy exploring by candlelight; the skeleton they find hanging in the wardrobe that seems to reach out to them each time the door is opened; the old, once-stately mansion that is worn and filled with shadows; the secret entrance into the attic; the sad story of relatives who have died, leaving behind a hidden legacy to be uncovered; the young woman (or in this instance, girl, since she is only 6 years old) who lives within the mansion and is in need of “saving.”  Despite the faster pacing of the revised text, the story retains those spooky elements that make it good reading, particularly on a dark and stormy night!

One surprise I did find in reading the story was the mention of the antique dealer, Mr. Faber.  Other than in the first few books, it is rare for a Nancy Drew book (particularly in the first 56 books) to have any supporting character reappear in another book.  Other than her standard supporting case of Carson, Hannah, Bess, George, Ned, Burt, Dave, and Chief McGinnis, readers almost never see any other character appear more than once (with the exception of Helen Corning Archer, who was Nancy’s friend in the first four books, and who made appearances off and on through the remaining books in the series).  However, in this book, Nancy takes some antiques she finds in Mr. March’s house to the dealer, Mr. Faber, to buy.  For those familiar with the Nancy Drew series, you might recall that Mr. Faber was also in the preceding book, The Clue in the Jewel Box, and it is speculated that his name “Faber” is perhaps taken from Faberge, who created the jeweled eggs that bear the same name.  So, his name is easily recognizable and stood out when he appeared in this book.  And, if one returning character wasn’t enough, another one surprises readers with an appearance as well – Effie Schneider!  Yes, that skittish, goof-ball of a maid is asked to help out at the March mansion, and needless to say, she stays scared most of the time (although you have to give her credit – she gets bitten by a black widow spider, but she still has the fortitude to return to the mansion and help take care of Mr. March and Susan until Nancy solves the mystery!). She is definitely the comic relief of the story and resembles very much the Effie from the 1930s’ films with Bonita Granville.

One last thing to mention is the fact that none of Nancy’s prior mysteries are mentioned at the beginning of the book.  Usually, in the first or second chapter of each book, there are references made to the fact that Nancy is an amateur sleuth who has solved many mysteries, and in the Grosset & Dunlap books, there always seems to be a reference to her first mystery (Old Clock) as well as the most recent one that she solved (which, in this case, would have been Jewel Box).  However, for some inexplicable reason, the revised text makes no reference to any prior mysteries whatsoever.  Readers are treated to the standard teaser for the next mystery, The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, at the end, so there is that!

While some of the books do not necessarily hold up as well when read from an adult perspective (Crooked Banister and Thirteenth Pearl come to mind), this one definitely holds up and is one I would recommend to readers of any age.

RATING:  8 yellow silk dresses out of 10 for proving, once again, that Nancy Drew is definitely worthy of her pop cultural icon status!

Murder in the First Edition - the third Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery

Time to find a cozy place to curl up and read the third "Beyond the Page Bookstore" mystery by Lauren Elliott.  It's funny how quickly this series and its characters have become a comforting place to visit - like settling down with old friends and hearing all about the latest adventures in their lives.  Only, with Addie Greyborne and the citizens of Greyborne Harbour, it's all about the latest murder in what used to be a quiet little New England town.  (It's almost like Murder, She Wrote - you love Jessica Fletcher, but you really don't want to go anywhere near her, because everyone around her seems to get murdered!)  But, with my love for mysteries and Elliott's fantastic writing, plotting, and characterization, it's a perfect match!

 

Murder in the First Edition is set right at Christmas time, so I guess this was the perfect time for me to read it, what with Christmas just around the corner. With two murders now solved and behind her, Addie is hoping to settle down for a nice, quite holiday. There's still that small matter of Marc being mad at her after saying her dead fiance's name when they kissed ... and her conflicted feelings over Simon, who is showing her all the attention she craves.  But all of that goes to the backburner when Jonathan Hemingway shows up unexpectedly in her bookstore - the father of her now deceased fiance.  A father who had little time for his son, and who Addie has always known to be a bit of a womanizer. Everything suddenly becomes a jumble for poor Addie, and when she stumbles across the body of Teresa Lang at the bottom of the hospital stairs, she once again finds herself in the middle of a tangled mess of a mystery.

Elliott does a superb job of intermingling Addie's past with her fiance and his father with the present, as well as Addie's own indecision about Marc and Simon and how she can possibly have a romance with either one when she is still hung up on her own past.  All of this, plus throw in the murder mystery with all of its suspects (including her own almost-father-in-law!), her ongoing feud with the baker next door, her friendship with Serena, her managing of the bookstore, and her concern for her friend, Catherine, who has developed feelings for Jonathan Hemingway! You'd think with so much going on in this one book, the reader would get confused as things jump from one to another; but Elliott blends the action, romance, mystery, and subterfuge so smoothly, it's like watching a well-written soap opera with a murder mystery for the characters to solve!

As for the mystery itself, it is rather a tricky one. Teresa Lang was heading up the fundraiser at the hospital, and Addie had donated a first edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was going to be a big event for the small town of Greybourne Harbour - until Teresa turns up dead at the bottom of the stairs, smelling of alcohol, and Addie's book is oddly missing from Teresa's office. At first, it appears to simply be an accident, with Teresa having one too many and falling down the stairs. But Addie knows something is wrong. What happened to her book? And is it just a coincidence that her almost-father-in-law shows up in town just before this happens - and he just so happens to know Teresa and had a meeting with her before her untimely death? And how could the fundraising committee be so badly in the red, when the hospital board had been informed by Teresa on many occasions how well funded it was?  And whose lipstick was on the Styrofoam cup left in Teresa's office?  So many unanswered questions, and Addie is not one to rest until she has her answers. Marc warns her repeatedly to stay away from it, and even Simon is not certain there was a murder until he gets the toxicology report back. But Addie has always learned to trust her gut instinct, and this time, she's sure something is wrong.

One thing I have to make a note about, considering what a huge fan of Nancy Drew I am - Elliott manages to squeeze in not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR references to America's favorite teen sleuth into this one book!  On pages 79, 82, 115, and 203, Addie references, is referred to, or is directly called "Nancy Drew" by other characters in the book.  Considering the iconic status of Nancy Drew as the epitome of all female detectives, I would say Addie should take this as a compliment to her amateur sleuthing skills!  (And just in case anyone feels left out, there are two references to Jessica Fletcher in the book as well - but I don't know that I would want to be compared to Ms. Fletcher, as it seems everyone she comes in contact with is murdered!)

I am thrilled this series is still going strong, as the author has indicated she is working on book seven right now!  So that means I have a few more books to read before I get caught up with this series...

RATING:  10 twinkling white fairy lights out of 10 for giving readers an amazing world of characters and a wonderful Christmas mystery that truly is "A Dickens of a crime..."