The Virginia Mysteries, Book 10 - Pirates on the Bay

After the last book in this series went overboard with what felt like the author trying to make a political statement and join the bandwagon of far left, liberal wokeness, completely losing any element of mystery to the book, I had pretty much decided I was done with The Virginia Mysteries.  Up until that book, the stories had been very good, the mysteries fun as well as educational, and the characters had been slowly growing and evolving.  But book nine in the series was a total step away from what made this series so good, and I was afraid Steven K. Smith had lost sight of what these books are.  So, I let book ten sit in my Amazon want list for ages.  I eventually, though, decided I kind of liked the pirate theme of this book, so I decided to give it a shot (figuring if it continued the ideology of the previous book, then I would simply end it with this one).  Now, I'm glad I bought it.

Pirates on the Bay returns Sam, Caitlin, and Derek to their roots - solving mysteries!  This time, though, it's the mystery of a pirate's treasure that is believed to have been left by the infamous Blackbeard on a small island off the coast of Virginia.  While on vacation at Virginia Beach, the trio of sleuths learn from the boys' father that legend has it Blackbeard had buried some of his treasure somewhere in that area.  Derek is all excited at the thought of treasure, but Sam is not sure he believes there is any.  And then they meet One-Eyed Jack.  After helping the man after he is harassed by some local kids, the wanna-be pirate tells the three youngsters the story of Edward Treach, otherwise known as Blackbeard.  It's a great story, but they wonder if that is all it is.  Until Jack gives them a map - one that he says will lead them to the hiding place of Blackbeard's buried treasure!

Treasure hunts are always fun, and this book is no exception.  Smith manages to keep the reader in suspense all the way through - is there a treasure? where is the treasure?  what is the treasure?  And this book gives readers a whole new look at the characters - Derek suddenly takes centerstage, as he is the one intent on finding the treasure, and he'll stop at nothing to get to it - even if it means disobeying his parents and even breaking a few laws (such as sneaking into a military training center, "borrowing" a boat [a/k/a stealing!]).  Caitlin seems to be a bit more adventurous in this book; while she's still a know-it-all, with an encyclopedic mind full of knowledge, she has relaxed her uptightness a bit and is willing to go along with some of Derek's more outlandish plans.  And Sam ... poor Sam ... he appears to have regressed a bit in this book - or perhaps it's just all of the adventures that have come before are making him more timid.  In this adventure, Sam is afraid of lighthouse stairs ... afraid of dark caves ... afraid of tight places ... afraid of shark-infested waters.  In fact, he spends a good portion of the book afraid of something!

The fact that the Jacksons and the Murphys happen to have rented yurts just down the beach from a military training site had me wondering if perhaps the mystery might actually involve the military - but thankfully, that was not the case.  Although the training site and the military do have some importance to the story, Smith manages to keep the focus on Blackbeard's treasure.  And, as with all of the prior books, along the way, he slips in plenty of factual history about Virginia and its past.

The villain of this tale is not really hard to spot at all, and perhaps Smith intended it that way.  His name (SPOILER ALERT!) is Mike Prince, which sounds oddly a lot like "Mike Pence," and it left me wondering if the similarity was intentional on the author's part (particularly after the political leanings of the last book).  But I let it go and just enjoyed the ride as I followed the kids on their hunt.  And I give Smith credit for keeping the three youngsters true to form, because even when Prince threatens them, they don't hesitate to help him when he gets hurt.

The one thing I found a bit disappointing is that the story ends without some resolution as to the trouble Sam, Derek, and Caitlin face once they are rescued and returned to their parents.  I mean, let's face it - they do some incredibly illegal things in this book - trespassing, destruction of property, theft, and not to mention the amount of lies they tell their parents so they can sneak off and go treasure hunting.  But there is no payoff, so I'm hoping it will at least get a mention in the next book, because I can't imagine Smith leaving his young readers to think that they can do all of these things and get away without any punishment at all!

Overall, this as a refreshing tale of mystery and treasure hunting, and an enjoyable read.  Definitely brings me back into the series, and I look forward to book 11.

RATING:  7 crusty chain necklaces with oval lockets out of 10 for returning the series to its roots and putting the kids in some truly dangerous adventures!