Tom Swift Inventors' Academy, Book 4 - The Virtual Vandal

The young inventor is back in the fourth novel of his latest series from Simon & Schuster. While it has been a number of years since the last Tom Swift series (the Young Inventor series back in the mid-2000s), it seems S&S is hoping that this one will fare better than the previous one, which only lasted six books before it was cancelled.  Like both of the current Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series, this one is in first-person narrative and usually runs 150 pages or less - which means the stories are quick, leaving little room for in-depth descriptions or much characterization.  Yet, despite these drawbacks, this series has actually been pretty fun to read so far.

The Virtual Vandal finds Tom and his friends, Noah, Sam, and Amy, preparing for a summer camp, where the students of Swift Academy of Science & Technology will field test their inventions in a competition against other advances technological schools to see who can come up with the most ingenious tech to help better the world.  Tom and Noah are hard at work on a device that will help seed clouds to create rain, while Sam and Amy are working on a secret project that they won't even tell their best friends about. And while all the other students from the three schools are working hard to perfect their own inventions, the one thing that everyone is raving about and can't get enough of is Noah's latest creation - a virtual reality world that is set up to look like Swift Academy - only, the kids are able to make their own modifications and create their own features in the game - from making the second floor into a zombie apocalypse to having a dinosaur poster come to life and attack the players!  But Noah, Tom, Amy, and Sam have a secret of their own within the game - for only they know how to get into the basement of the "school," and it is there that they have set up the means to leave messages for one another...

What I find interesting is that the title would seem to indicate that the vandal is somehow attacking through the virtual world, or that he or she is somehow disrupting the virtual game - but nothing could be farther from the truth.  The mystery, instead, focuses on the inventions on which the students at Swift Academy are hard at work.  Before the camp even begins, some of the students face problems with their creations.  They appear to be simple mishaps, or perhaps misplaced parts.  But soon enough, the problems get bigger and more students are affects.  And when everyone gets to camp, it seems all of the students are Swift Academy have had their inventions tampered with, including Tom and Noah's!  Well, all except one, that is.  It seems that Sam and Amy's invention has not been tampered with at all. And a rumor is quickly spreading that Sam is the one behind all of the vandalism in an effort to ensure she wins the competition!

The identity of the vandal doesn's really come as any big surprise - however, that is not to say the book doesn't offer up a big surprise for long-time Tom Swift fans.  The book features the return of an old Tom Swift character, someone who was a sometime nemesis of the genius inventor - Andrew Foger! For those who don't know (and I was one of those!), online research reveals that Andy Foger was Tom's antagonist in the early books of the first Tom Swift series, and the character popped back up again in the Tom Swift, Young Inventor series in the mid-2000s (which I did read, but I didn't recall Andy from that series).  It's nice to see that the author at least brought back some of Tom's history into this series - I guess we will have to wait and see whether Andy pops up again in this series to create trouble for Tom and his friends...

At only 141 pages, the story moves long at a pretty swift pace (pun intended!), but I think had the author been given more pages to work with, the story and characters could have been fleshed out more to create a great tale with more suspects and some additional time for the vandal to create havoc among the students.  Maybe now that Penguin has purchased Simon & Schuster, the Stratemeyer properties (Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Tom Swift) will be allowed to have longer stories that will allow for more characterization, more plot development, and richer, detailed descriptions to help make the story even more engaging.

RATING:  8 survival cabin shipping containers out of 10 for showing readers just how ingenious Tom Swift and his friends can be!

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #31 - The Ringmaster's Secret

Another month means another Central Florida Sleuths gathering, which in turn means another Nancy Drew book read!  With so many books to choose from, it's always fun to see which one the members of the CFS will choose to read next, and this month, Geoffrey Lapin suggested we read The Ringmaster's Secret, which is the 31st book in the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, first published back in 1953.  Of course, all of the first 34 books in the series had two versions - an original text with 25 chapters and a later, revised text with only 20 chapters and less pages (updated to speed up the action and remove stereotypes and, of course, to save money - less pages printed means less cost to the publisher).  While a couple of people in the group chose to read the revised text, I opted for the original text story so I could get the full flavor of writing in the 1950s.

 

The Ringmaster's Secret is said to have been  originally outlined and written by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (with the revised text written in 1974 by June Dunn); however, there was some discussion in our group meeting about whether this is accurate, since elements of the story and characterization did not align with the way Ms. Adams wrote Nancy Drew.  Regardless, the story was chock full of mystery, adventure, and dangerous foibles that make the Nancy Drew books so entertaining.

The mystery begins when Nancy receives a mysterious gift from her Aunt Eloise (her father's sister). It is a bracelet with five horse charms - but a sixth one is missing, and therein lies the mystery. It seems the bracelet belonged to a circus performer (a woman) who did not want to part with it, for it had special meaning.  Hannah Gruen, Nancy's kindly housekeeper who had helped raise her since her mother died (c'mon, who hasn't read that exact description a hundred times in the Nancy Drew series?!), readily surmises that Nancy intends to locate this circus performer and help her out of her troubled times.  And, as luck would have it, a circus had just arrived in River Heights and Nancy had promised to take her young neighbor to watch the tents and displays being set up.

Meanwhile, Nancy goes for her riding lesson with Senor Roberto, who happens to have been involved with the Sims Circus that has come to River Heights.  After receiving a warning from the stablehand, Hitch, to stop with the "circus riding" and being thrown from her horse when someone throws a rock at it, Nancy questions Senor Roberto about the necklace and the story relayed to her by her aunt. Senor Roberto vaguely recalls hearing a story while in the circus, but he cannot recall the specifics.  Hitch, on the other hand, tells her that he remembers hearing about a horse bracelet while he was working with the Sims Circus!

Needless to say, Nancy is all set to solve the mystery while spending time at the circus.  There, she meets the lovely young Lolita, who is an expert aerialist - a woman whose parents had died years ago and she was now the ward of the very cruel ringmaster, Mr. Kroon - and the love of her life, Pietro, who is a clown in the circus.  Pietro recognizes the bracelet, saying that Lolita has a necklace with a horse that matches the charms on Nancy's bracelet!  From that point on, clues seem to fall in Nancy's lap one after another, all of which lead her to suspect Hitch, as well as the Kroons, on somehow being involved with swindling poor Lolita out of her rightful inheritance.  Plus, Nancy begins to suspect that Lolita's mother may not be dead after all!

While one would think that a mystery involving a circus would pretty much keep Nancy busy beneath the big tent, but no! Not only does Nancy travel with the circus from River Heights to Danford (she has no choice, since she has to take over the role of one of the stunt women who was injured during a performance - Nancy's expert-level skill at trick horse riding quickly earns her a place in the circus - more on that later!), but she takes a rather abrupt trip to New York to visit her Aunt Eloise, and then takes a last minute trip with her father and Pietro to London to help search for the woman that could be Lolita's mother!  Oh, to have the unlimited freedom and funds that Nancy Drew has to travel the globe for the righteous cause of helping those in need!

Ultimately, Nancy solves the mystery (was there ever any doubt?) and helps reunite mother and daughter, save Lolita's inheritance, and save the Sims Circus in the process!  All in a day's work for an amateur sleuth like Nancy Drew!

Now for the fun observations that were never really considered when reading this book as a child.  First, Nancy's unbelievable skill at trick riding is just that - unbelievable.  While the author clearly knows a lot about horse-riding, based on the detailed descriptions of the various trick riding techniques and horse riding in general (which, in and of itself is a clue to the fact that it is unlikely Harriet Stratemeyer Adams wrote this book, since [according to Geoffrey Lapin] her daughter had indicated that Ms. Adams did not like horses and was afraid of them), having Nancy be such an expert at the trick riding, so much so that the circus would ask her to join them, is a bit over-the-top!  Also over-the-top is the scene where Bess stands in for Nancy to avoid detection by the evil ringmaster, but when Nancy appears again, she must look like Bess - so the circus make-up artist does a quick number on Nancy's hair and face and remarks, "You could pass for Bess's thinner sister at a short distance" (p. 87 OT).  Wow, poor Bess!  That girl can never catch a break from these authors who always want to poke fun at her weight!

Then there is the matter of the police in every city Nancy visits being more than willing to help out this teen sleuth - whether it's in New York or Melville, London or Danford, it seems that Nancy has such a presence that the police have no problem bending over backwards for her.  And in her own hometown, well the River Heights Police Department are more than willing to overlook Ned speeding well over the speed limit when he is aiding Nancy in a case, and in fact, they are happy to give her a police escort to where she is going (pp. 114-15 OT)!  Then there's the lion attack in the last chapter, where Ned pushes Nancy out of way, only to have his own hand slashed by the lion's large claws, raking it badly (p. 208 OT) and causing it to bleed profusely (p. 209 OT).  Apparently, though, it wasn't bad enough to keep him away from the police station just a short while later when the police interrogate the Kroons (p. 210 OT) - which brings up a point - why in the world would the police allow Nancy, Ned, Pietro, and Lolita to observe the interrogation and to even participate?

And speaking of Pietro - is that his first or last name?  All through the book, I had assumed it was his first name, but when they met his father in London, they referred to him as Mr. Pietro (indicating it was his last name).  What's up with that?

At any rate, the overall plot was good, and overlooking the zaniness of some of these things, the story was enjoyable.  The original cover art was provided by Rudy Nappi (his second cover in the series), and for the first time ever, I noticed that Nappi provided much detail to the cover, since if you look closely at Nancy's right wrist, just next to where Lolita has her hand, you will see the horse charm bracelet - something I never noticed before.  I do have to wonder, though - why did he put a flower sticking out of Nancy's dress, just above the top button in the front?  An odd place to put a flower, don't you think?  Nappi also provided the cover art for the revised edition in the 1970s, but we won't discuss here the things the CFS group noticed about that cover!

RATING:  8 helicopter jaunts to Newark out of 10 for giving Nancy Drew the chance to work in a circus, help an unfortunate young woman, and become Bess's twin even if only for a few moments!

Wonder Woman: Dead Earth (A DC Black Label Mini-Series)

I can't help but love female comic book characters.  Huntress, Power Girl, Supergirl, Batgirl, Batwoman, She-Hulk, Hellcat, Black Cat, Vixen, and so on.  Ever since I first started buying comics back in 1979 (I was 10 years old at the time - do the math, and you can figure out my age!), I have been drawn to the female-led comics.  It should came as no surprise, therefore, that the Wonder Woman title was one of my first comics headlined by a female superhero.  I watched her television show on TV (c'mon! who didn't see Lynda Carter and think that she WAS Wonder Woman!?!?!), and I had seen her on the Super Friends cartoon for years.  So, the transition to comic book form was not much of a jump.

Flash-forward 40-ish years. Wonder Woman is STILL being published, which for a female comic book character is a major accomplishment.  Sadly, DC does not give her the star billing she deserves - Batman gets a plethora of books every month, and Superman gets a minimum of two; but Wonder Woman? She has a single title that is nearing its 700th issue.  But, occasionally, DC offers up a mini-series starring the amazing Amazon, some good, some not-so-good, and some truly exceptional.  The most recent take on the star-spangled super-hero puts Diana in a post-apocalyptic setting where she must find her way again.

 

Wonder Woman: Dead Earth was written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson.  It is a four-issue mini-series published under DC's "Black Label" ... uh, label ... which pretty much means that the series is darker than the standard DC comics and is not necessarily in continuity with the DC Universe proper.  Basically, it allows the creators free reign with the characters, and Mr. Johnson definitely takes Wonder Woman on an uncertain and frightening journey into a future she could have never expected.

Johnson opens the first issue with a brief glimpse into Diana's past - her mother showing her of the power and hope that she has to bring to the world. But very quickly things change, when a nuclear holocaust forever changes the landscape of the Earth. Flash-forward, and a group of scavengers are out searching for food. They stumble across a hidden cave, where they accidentally crack open a glass-enclosed chamber.  Just as a horrific spider-like creature is about to attack them, a dark-haired woman of immense power jumps out of the chamber and saves them (most of them, anyway).  She is confused, and although she knows who she is, she is unsure where she is or what has happened to her.  But she recognizes the cave. And heading topside, she recognizes the skeleton in the bat costume leaning back on the couch in the crumbling mansion.  Gathering an outfit, the bat belt, and some needed supplies, she joins this group of scavengers to see what this new world holds for her...

The one thing I can say about Dead Earth is: expect the unexpected. As with any post-apocalyptic world, no one seems to trust one another, and those in power are quick to lord it over those beneath them.  Deadly monsters abound everywhere, and there does not seem to be any superheroes anywhere to be found. The truth about what happened to the Earth seems to be shrouded in mystery, long forgotten by the people who now populate it.  Diana sets about to not only create a better way of life for these survivors, but to find out the truth about what happened to all of her friends and to the world itself.  What she finds out, however, will shock the readers pretty much as it does Diana herself!

Johnson holds back no punches with this story, and not even Diana herself is 100% purely good.  There is no guarantee for anyone to survive in this story, and when the truth is finally revealed, Diana must make a choice that no one should ever have to make.  While I am not one to like all of the dark, gritty worlds that exist in comic books today (wishing for the days when comic stories were more light-hearted, more good vs. bad with little gray areas, and more fun!), I have to admit that the world Johnson has created within these four issues intrigues me.  I like the characters, I like this totally different take on Diana, and I would definitely like to see some more stories in this universe at some point in the future.  Not sure whether DC will revisit it or not, but we can certainly hope so!

Darren Warren Johnson is a newcomer to me.  I've never seen his name on any comics I've read in the past, but he definitely knows how to write a good tale.  His art reminds me somewhat of Keith Giffen's work on the Legion of Super Heroes back in the day, but it definitely fits the mood and tone of this story very well.  This is a frightening world and his art definitely portrays it as such.  This is one mini-series I would definitely recommend to Wonder Woman fans and just comic fans in general if you want a good, self-contained story to read.

RATING:  10 robot Superman out of 10 for showing the world just why Wonder Woman truly is the most powerful superhero in the DC Universe (and why she deserves a second ongoing title!).

Domino Lady: Money Shot

I have been a fan of Domino Lady since I was first introduced to the character in the pages of Moonstone Publishing comics.  Created in the vein of The Shadow, Doc Savage, and other "pulp" heroes, Domino Lady has no super powers, nor does she live in a world populated with strangely powered beings. No, Domino Lady deals with the gritty underbelly of society in 1930s' Hollywood.  Domino Lady is actually Ellen Patrick, a high-society, well-loved member of the royal class in California's land of make-believe; and while most of the world considers her only in terms of her beauty and glamour, only her best friend knows that she has an alter-ego that has taken down some of the toughest criminals in Hollywood.  And in this new novel, Ellen discovers just how tough some of those criminals can be...

Domino Lady: Money Shot is written by Bobby Nash, with whom I was not really familiar until I met him at DragonCon in Atlanta in 2019.  I picked up his Nightveil novel, based on the character by AC Comics, and which was a thoroughly enjoyable book. So, I was curious to see how he would handle a non-powered female character and picked up his Domino Lady novel.  It has taken me more than a year, but I finally sat down and read it. And I enjoyed it for two reasons.

First, the story captured the essence of the pulp era. Crime is everywhere, cops are on the take, mafia control the city, and hit men are seeking their targets. Ellen's own father was taken out years ago, which caused her to don the Domino Lady persona in the first place - and while she has taken down a number of crime lords over the years, her work is not done. But, as Ellen, she has finally fallen in love, and possibly, she can have a life for herself outside of the vigilante work she does at night. Everything is perfect - until a day at the beach ends in the death of her fiance and the beginning of a hunt for his killer.  Was it the opposing candidate in the race for governor for the State of California? Or was it someone he had put behind bars when he worked for the state attorney?  Or was it someone on the police force afraid he might out them for being on the take?  Domino Lady will use every means at her disposal to find out who it was and bring them to justice.

Nash doesn't pull punches when it comes to the fights, the chases, and the deaths.  Domino Lady herself faces the grim reaper a couple of times in the story, but she manages to escape its eternal clutches and lives to fight another day.  She takes on hit men, evades cops, and even has a vicious fight with a naked assassin (you have to read it to believe it!), but ultimately she uncovers the truth - and it definitely ain't pretty.  The story provides a satisfying conclusion, but definitely leaves it open for more stories that, perhaps, one day Nash will tell.

The second reason I enjoyed the book is that Domino Lady was not the only star. Domino Lady had 94 pages (13 chapters), so that begs the question - what was in the remaining 111 pages (21 chapters) of the book?  Well, that's where readers get a taste of a character known as The Golden Amazon.  In a reprint of story entitled "Ripper, Burning Bright," author Howard Hoplins (who passed away in 2012), readers meet Violet Ray Brant, the adopted daughter of a wealthy couple who have kept her past a secret from her. But there is something important about that past she can't remember - because from that past, somehow, in some way, Violet gained the power that burns within her.  A power that has a personality and agenda all its own.  A power that is so great, it takes over when she sees people in need, and that's when The Golden Amazon appears!

The story centers around a young burlesque dancer named Belinda, who Violet vaguely recognizes from her past. The Golden Amazon saves Belinda from several thugs who threaten to do unspeakable things to her, and now Violet fears the girl recognized her. When Belinda comes to her for help against the husband who beats her, Violet has to control the urges of the power within her to make the right decisions that will not put Belinda in a worse position.  Oh, yeah, and along the way, Violet must deal with Chris Wilson, a not-so-slick private detective who is working for a secret organization that wants to capture The Golden Amazon and harness her power. And before you think that's all, there's also the little matter of Jack the Ripper, who touched a strange glowing power in the past and was thrust forward into the year 1939, where he has decided to carry on his work. Only now he has an odd power with him ... a power that seems very similar to that of The Golden Amazon ...

Both characters are unique, both worlds are dark and gritty, and both stories leave you wanting for more.  Two great books for the price of one!  I have no doubt we will see more of Domino Lady forthcoming from Moonstone Publishing (although not necessarily by Nash), but I'm not so sure about The Golden Amazon.  Guess it's time to take a trip on the internet and see what I can find out about this new (to me, at least!) hero!

RATING:  9 shiny but deadly .45s out of 10 for hard-hitting, pulp story-telling with strong female leads that make for great reading.

The Pathfinders Society, Vol. 1 - The Mystery of the Moon Tower

I keep telling myself I won't be picking up any new series.  I repeat to myself over and over that I collect enough series right now, so many that I can't read all the new books that come out fast enough. I think to myself that I will have enough willpower to say "NO" to any new series that comes along and strikes my interest.  Then, of course, I see something, and all those thoughts just disappear! Such is the case with this first volume of The Pathfinders Society series of graphic novel mysteries for young readers. 

"The Mystery of the Moon Tower" is an introduction to the characters and world of The Pathfinders Society. Written by Francesco Sedita and Prescott Seraydarian and illustrated by Steve Hamaker, the story centers around a group of young pre-teens at Camp Pathfinder who set out on a scavenger hunt that quickly leads to a search for a long-lost treasure by the man to established by the camp's founder, Henry Merriweather.  Five unlikely kids get thrown together as a group and quickly find that they each possess skills that compliment the others, which, of course, will ultimately help them on their quest to find the lost treasure.

Kyle is the new kid who has an aptitude for drawing. Beth is the history expert who also happens to be extremely organized. Harry is the kid-clown of the group, always teasing, but who has the inane ability to see what others may miss. Victoria is a popular cheerleader who has a hidden talent with math and puzzles. And Nate is the kid genius who loves to invent things from whatever he has at hand.  Each one on their own is not particularly special - but throw them together, even unwillingly, and suddenly you have a team of treasure-hunters who can pretty much conquer any obstacle and solve any riddle thrown before them!

The story centers around the mysterious treasure that Henry Merriweather is claimed to have been searching for in the town of Windrose - but he never found it (at least, not that anyone is aware of). When the five pre-teens are thrown together at camp and given a scavenger hunt to locate local landmarks, the adventure turns into something far more than any of them anticipated when they begin to uncover clues that Merriweather placed so that others that came after him could follow in his footsteps.  Their search leads them to Merriweather's castle home, where his great-niece gives the group free reign to explore the castle (since it is set to be foreclosed, along with the camp, due to a lack of money).  They unexpectedly discover hidden rooms and as they search through old Merriweather's belongings, they are literally transported into the past where they see what happened to Henry Merriweather when he first introduced the townspeople of his time to the mysterious Moon Tower that he had built.

Part mystery, part supernatural, part adventure - "The Mystery of the Moon Tower" is a well-written, perfectly-paced tale of fun and suspense that introduces readers to the Pathfinders Society and its amazing world.  The art is somewhat cartoony in nature, but it still retains the spooky elements to create a Scooby Doo-ish feel that will leave you smiling by the time you read the last page.  The book ends with a "To Be Continued..." so here's hoping the creators are able to produce at the very least a second volume in the series, if not more!

RATING:  8 black-tie and black-out affairs out of 10 for opening up a whole new world for mystery and comic fans to enjoy!

In the Hall with the Knife - the first Clue mystery

You recognize the character names. Plum. White. Scarlet. Mustard. Green. Peacock. You are familiar with the weapons. Knife. Lead pipe. Revolver. Rope. Candlestick. Wrench.  And you have visited those rooms countless times. Library. Study. Conservatory. Billiard room. Kitchen. Lounge. Hall. Ball room. C'mon. You know the game. Everyone knows the game. Everyone has played it at some point. And for those who are old enough, you remember going to the movie theater to see all of these things brought to life on the big screen (wondering which ending you would get to see!). And more recently, perhaps you read the two comic series published by IDW Publishing.  Now, there's a young adult mystery series that gives readers a whole new look at this old favorite...

In the Hall with the Knife is the first Clue mystery. Written by Diana Peterfreund and published by Amulet Books, this new series was a huge surprise to me when I happened across this book at my local Barnes & Noble.  I saw the title and thought, "that's funny - sounds like something from Clue." So, I pulled it off the shelf, and imagine my surprise to find that it WAS indeed based on Clue.  Obvious.y, I couldn't pass that up.  Being a young adult book, it is set at a private school hidden away on a small, New England coast.  Mister Boddy is the headmaster, Mrs. White is the house-mother for Tudor House, the dorm for the upper echelon of young ladies who attend Blackbrook Academy.  Then there is Rusty Nayler, the school custodian.  And, of course, there are all the students...

Orchid McKee ... she stays out of the limelight, disguising herself behind the long bangs and glasses in the hope that no one will recognize her ...

Beth "Peacock" Picach ... the star tennis player who has a quick temper and a secret that could get her kicked out of the academy ...

Finn Plum ... the super-smart, super-quick witted science major who will turn on anyone if it will get him further ahead - and who has his own reasons for all the lies he tells ...

Vaughn Green ... he's attending Blackbrook on a scholarship, and he helps out the custodian, the headmaster, and everyone else ... but his brother is a reminder that everything is not what it appears ...

Scarlett Mistry ... a girl of wealth and stature, she keeps her eyes and ears on everyone and everything - nothing goes on at Blackbrook that she doesn't know about - or so she thinks ...

Sam "Mustard" Maestor ... a former military school student who transferred to Blackbrook under mysterious circumstances, which he will do just about anything to keep a secret ...  

Kayla and Karlee Gould ... twins who appear to be flightly and self-absorbed, but like everyone else at this school, they have their own secrets ...

It's like a good, old-fashioned teen soap opera-turned-murder mystery when a deadly snow storm traps everyone at Tudor House.  That first night, with everyone scattered throughout the house (the library, the billiards room, the study, and so on), a murder occurs - and when they wake up in the morning, they discover the body (yeah, that pun is intended) of Mr. Boddy in the conservatory with a knife protruding from his chest!  So, right away we know the where and the how - all we need to do is figure out the who.

Peterfreund tells a superb tale of intrigue, mystery, lies, betrayals, and secrets as these students have to put aside their differences and work together to figure out who could have killed their headmaster. Was it an unseen looter?  Was it an enemy of Mr. Boddy's? Was it a suicide?  Or - a possibility that none of them want to consider - was it someone that was in the house?  The game's afoot, so to speak, and Orchid and Mustard seem to be the ones who are truly determined to get to the bottom of things.  Scarlett and Plum have their own issues, Green sets off with Rusty to see if they can make it through the storm to the nearest village to summon the police, and Peacock wants nothing to do with any of them.  But the questions remain:

Why was Peacock called to Mr. Boddy's office the day the storm hit, and why had she thrown the candlestick at him?

Why was Plum called to Mr. Boddy's office, and why is he so protective of the bag he brought with him to Tudor House?

Why was Orchid called to Mr. Boddy's office, and why does she seem to intent on making herself look plain when others can see the beauty in her eyes and face?

Why was Green acting so strange lately - one minute he's nice and helpful, the next he's mean and spiteful?

Why has Rusty not come back with the police?

Why does Mustard have so much knowledge about the type of knife used to kill Mr. Boddy?

Now, being a fan of Clue and of murder mysteries in general, the identity of the killer was not so difficult to pin point early on; however, it's not really the revelation of the killer's identity that is the joy of the story - it's following the characters along as they start to discover one another's secrets (as well as the secrets of Tudor House itself, including the hidden passages that lead from one room to another - I mean, this is Clue, after all, did you really think they wouldn't be there?).  And while I will admit the story did seem to drag in a few places, over all it was paced fairly well, and the characters are diverse and each have their own story.  Not all of their secrets are revealed in this first book, but some of them (such as Mustard), it's pretty easy for the reader to figure out what the secret is.

As with the game itself, it's a matter of crossing off names until you finally have only one left.  But once the murderer is revealed, that's the end, right?  Nope, not for this series!  It seems that the murder of Mr. Boddy is only the beginning.  Someone has set their sights on Blackbrook Academy, out to get revenge, so it's only a matter of time (like the second book, perhaps?) before someone else falls victim to another killer...

RATING:  7 broken pairs of glasses out of 10 for spinning a new twist on an old board game and making it a good read!