The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 7 - The Case of the Blind Beetle

The Maisie Hitchins series is one of those fun little "guilty pleasure" series that is absolutely fun to read. Yes, it is aimed at young children (perhaps 3rd to 4th graders); however, the protagonist is a quirkly little girl detective, and the mysteries, while somewhat simple, are actually well-plotted.  Only the first five books in the series were published here in America, and thankfully, Amazon offered the British-published versions of the remaining books that I was given for Christmas a year or so ago.  There are only eight books total in the series, so this seventh is the next to the last book.

The Case of the Blind Beetle finds young Maisie once again pulled into a mystery that will require all of her wits and quick thinking to solve.  Quite honestly, it's a very good mystery - the jeweled eyes of an ancient Eqyptian scarab are stolen, the Lord Dacre (an old friend of Professor Tobin, who is a tenant at Maisie's grandmother's house) is receiving mysterious threats written in hieroglyphics, and Dacre's daughter is certain that a pharaoh's curse has fallen upon their family because Lord Dacre disturbed the pharaoh's tomb and took his treasured scarab!  It definitely has all the makings of a great mystery, and there are several suspects who could have taken the priceless jewels - Lord Dacre's assistant; Lord Dacre's cousin; the scamps down by the river who supposedly "found" the scarab (conveniently missing its eyes); or even Lord Dacre's daughter, who has remained in bed, ill since the jewels were taken.  It's up to Maisie and Eddie (her little dog that goes everywhere Masie goes!) to solve the mystery.

This book also brings to light an underlying story that has been subtly placed throughout the entire series, but one never realizes the import of that subplot until this book when Maisie receives a letter from her father!  He has been away for so long, and although he has been mentioned from time to time, author Holly Webb has never made a big deal about it.  Now, though, Maisie's grandmother has a new tenant - a sailor who brings word of her father, which makes Maisie more certain than ever that her father could be coming home!  Inside the letter she received, she finds a mysterious message in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Maisie is left to wonder exactly what it could mean.  (The one thing she does know for sure is that if her father wants her to decode the message, then that must mean he does not take issue with her mystery-solving antics!)

This new aspect of Maisie's stories is a welcome addition, and the ending of this book definitely hints at big things to come in the next (and final) book in the series.  And Webb manages to integrate some great historical lore about Egyptian artifacts that will fondly remind readers who the children's mysteries of days gone by used to include educational facts within the stories.  I've grown accustomed to the internal illustrations by Marion Lindsay, which may seem somewhat simplistic, actually have some great details (such as the sailor's tattoo on his arm, or the other passengers on the omnibus Maisie takes) and add a bit of flavor to the story.  It has taken me a bit to get used to them, but now I find them just about as enjoyable as to the story itself.

The identity of the thief will likely not come as much of a surprise, but following Maisie as she gets to that point and her ingenious way of getting the thief to reveal him/herself is all the fun!  It's just rather a shame that the next book will be the last - I do hope that Webb really pours it all into the next one, so that Maisie Hitchins gets the send-off she deserves!

RATING:  8 gold sovereigns out of 10 for another well-crafted mystery for all ages to enjoy!