Amanda Lester and the Green Monkey Gotcha (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 7)

It's been two years (almost to the day!) since I read my last Amanda Lester mystery, so I figured it was about time I picked up the next book in the series - which, I realize, is not the most recent, since Amazon shows there are currently 10 books published in the series.  So I am three books behind at this point.  But, that's okay, as it appears there have been no new stories since book 10 was published, so I have some time to catch up.  This series is sort of like a Harry Potter world for detectives - a group of children with detectives in their heritage join together at a secret school where they train to be detectives, all the while fighting off a villainous school that teaches criminals led by none other than a descendant of Moriarty.  And that shouldn't be much a surprise, since the title character is a descendant of Inspector Lestrade.  The series started off rather mysterious (as any good mystery should!), but as it has progressed, I can't deny the fact that the stories and situations have gotten more and more outlandish, and this book - well, this book definitely takes the cake!

Amanda Lester and the Green Monkey Gotcha is the "green book" for this series.  Like the Connie Blair series back in the day, author Paula Berinstein chose to go with a color theme for this series, each book title referencing a mystery related to a different color - pink, orange, purple, blue, red, gold, and now green.  Based on the title, I went into the book believing a green monkey would be the focus of the story (as in the previous books, the object in the title was a huge part of the mystery).  Oddly enough, the "green monkey" played a very small part of this book - perhaps that's what the "gotcha" part of the title means!

In any event, the story opens not with our title character, but with Blixus Moriarty and his now-known-to-be twin brother, Professor Christopher Scribbish ... and then students Simon and Clive ... then back to Blixus in his dungeon cell ... then Scapulus Holmes, sitting in the dungeon cell next to his mortal enemy.  Amanda Lester doesn't actually make her first appearance in this story until the third chapter, as she and her friends try to figure out how to locate the Detective Bible that has been lost.  Simon may know its whereabouts, but he won't reveal how he knows.  So, the kids head off to search for the Bible ... but out of nowhere, Amanda's crazy, fifty-two year old cousin, Despina, is the one who happens to find it in the reeds at Lake Windermere (the very location all of the students were searching for the book!).  This does not make sense story wise, since these are supposed to be some of the world's smartest kids, and yet they don't find the very book they are looking for, which happens to just be lying in the weeds next to the lake?  Feels like a cop-out to me.

Of course, that is only a drop in the bucket for the directions this story takes.  They are able to decipher a portion of the Bible pages (which appear to have been changed when the pages of the book were soaked in the lake), which indicates the importance of a green monkey.  I assumed this would launch into a book-long search for this mysterious green monkey, but no - Amanda and Fern do a few pages of searching here and there, but until the end of the story, there is little said about the green monkey and any importance it may hold for the detectives.  Rather, readers are treated to a constant, revolving story of the way-too-many characters in this series already and get introduced to even more (including a dwarf girl with whom Holmes falls in love!).  Simon and Clive are working on a way to stop Scribbus from mentally communicating with his twin brother ... David and Gordon are trying to prove their own worth as detectives by solving a string of thefts (during which they meet Delara Watson, another new character who is a descendant of - well, I think that's pretty obvious) ... Nick is doing all he can to protect his sister ... Amanda is working to decipher the code in the Detective's Bible ... and then you've got Hugh, Taffeta, Lila, Waltz, Eustace, and so many others ... I don't even know if a daytime soap opera could manage to juggle all of these characters and stories!

Oh, and did I mention that Amanda's dad makes an unexpected return in this book?  And there's the tiny, little part of the story where the Moriarty brothers combine their mental capabilities to control those around them.  Ah, and we mustn't forget the mysterious group of monks who show up at the last minute and literally freeze everyone with a blink of the eye.  Literally!  I'm not kidding!  The series has definitely gone from being grounded in clues and facts to science fiction and fantasy.  And a little bit of supernatural as well (because I haven't even mentioned the ghost yet...).  And, oh, yes, there's also the side-story involving Amanda's decision to use Darius' film studio and begin a new film project with Rhys Cowsill.  If you're confused yet, don't worry - there is so much going on in this book, I feel like we need scorecards to keep track of everything and everyone!

The first few books in this series seemed more focus; however, as the series has progressed, it feels like there are just more and more things thrown into the mix to see just how fantastical the stories can become, and I'm left wondering if Berinstein even knows where she is taking the story and the characters.  And, yes, the "green monkey" did finally come into play at the very end of the story in a very contrived way - very anticlimactic, indeed.

I have not yet purchased books 8, 9, and 10, and I haven't yet decided if I will.  Between the craziness of the stories, the non-stop growing cast of characters, the unnecessarily vulgarities scattered throughout this books - I'm just not sure if I want to continue reading these books.  I suppose we shall see...

RATING:  5 bouquets of midnight slippers out of 10 for at least reuniting all of these detectives for a climactic battle unlike any other in this series!

Amanda Lester and the Gold Spectacles Surprise (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 6)

I've compared the Amanda Lester series to the world of Harry Potter - just, instead of a wizardry school full of hopeful future wizards, you've got a school full of future detectives!  And, just like Harry Potter has his Volde - - er, I mean - "he who shall not be named," Amanda Lester and her friends have the fiendish Moriarty.  However, Amanda Lester's world becomes even more complicated, because Moriarty is not the only villain.  There is also Banting Waltz.  And Amanda's own mother, Lila.  And Taffeta Tasmania, who had brought back the school for training criminals. And Eamon Augustus Moran, a descendant of the assassin, Sebastian Moran.  With criminals on every side of them, Amanda and her friends have their work cut out for them, that's for sure.  Particularly when they are looking for the pages to the Detective Bible.  And trying to find the Metadata.  And uncovering Nick's true family.  And searching for the mysterious gold spectacles that have unusual properties.  Meanwhile, Simon is still trying to win Ivy's heart.  Nick is hiding out in the woods, trying to stay alive.  Scapulus is upset that Amanda chose Nick over him, so he has decided to follow a different path - one that changes him both physically and emotionally.  As for Amanda?  Well....

Amanda Lester the Gold Spectacles Surprise is probably my least favorite of all the books in the series thus far.  Actually, let me take that back.  It is absolutely my least favorite.  Up until this book, I have pretty much enjoyed the series.  Sure, there have been moments or aspects I didn't necessarily like.  But, overall, the series has been pretty well written with enjoyable stories.  However, this book somehow just goes off the rail.  Quite frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if it was written by someone other than Paula Berinstein, as the characters do not have the same feel as the prior books, and the story is so jumbled and all over the place that the reader can get completely lost trying to follow along.

Berinstein opens the book not with its title character, but with Nick Muffet, who has lost his hearing and is wandering alone in the woods, trying to stay hidden and stay alive.  I will admit, the first chapter does give the reader a pretty good idea of Nick's mindset, with not only his confusion and frustration, but his self-doubt as well.  I guess, in a way, this sets the tone for the entire book.  From here, Berinstein immediately switches over to Amanda and Ivy as they meet Nick's real mother, Sasha, and quickly discover that not only is Basilica Nick's sister, she's also the daughter of Darius Plover!  Then, gears are switched again, this time to Amanda's mother, Lila, who has now thrown in her hat with Banting Waltz to take revenge on Thrillkill.  Next, Berinstein moves on to Scapulus Holmes, who suddenly decides to reinvent himself - if Amanda likes the bad boys, then a bad boy he would be!  Then, readers get treated to some Simon Binkle time, as he enlists the aid of Holmes to prove a theory about the Detectives' Bible and the quarry where it was thought to be lost.  As if that weren't enough, then we follow Harry Sheriff and his new girl, Summer, as they show up to see Thrillkill in prison to demand the metadata from him. And from this point, it becomes a spinning story of Nick, Amanda and Ivy, Lila and Banting, Holmes, and Simon, as the points of view change more rapidly than most people change clothes!

This is not to say there are no good points to the story.  The events that take place in the castle, which is now holding the school for young criminals in training, are actually pretty intriguing and more along the lines of Berinstein's prior stories.  Amanda is determined to get the gold spectacles that Taffeta has stolen (yes, the book finally does get around to addressing those mysterious "spectacles" for which the book is titled) and sneaks into the school disguised as a plumber to get them.  The only thing is, she is not alone.  It seems Blixus Moriarty is after something in Taffeta's safe.  As, so it appears, is Harry Sheriff!  And Amanda is surprised to find Eustace Plantagenet at Schola - but when he sees her, he simply turns away and doesn't tell anyone she is there.  What is going on?  And then there's Scapulus Holmes.  He is there on his own mission and is surprised when he sees Amanda being chased by Blixus!  Holmes raises his gun and fires...

But, unfortunately, that was not nearly enough to cause me to overlook all of the emotional whining the characters did throughout the entire story.  Since the first book, Amanda has been growing, both as a detective and as a person; however, she seems to have regressed here and spends most of the book worrying about Nick, obsessing over her thoughts of losing him, and seems unable to figure out the mysteries right in front of her.  Holmes is overly obsessed with becoming a new person, wanting to get even with Nick, and there are even chapters dedicated to Holmes' obsession with playing a video game where he believes he is facing off against his adversary (this whole subplot felt unnecessary and nothing more than filler).  Simon has suddenly changed into a quivering blob of emotions for Ivy, determined to do anything to win her love - from creating a musical instrument for her to going on daring missions to impress her.

Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure if Berinstein knows where she is going with all of this, or she's just trying to squeeze in stories utilizing all of her ever-growing cast of characters.  The mystery surrounding the gold spectacles plays such a small part of this story - considering what they are, what they do, and what they ultimately reveal about one of the teachers at the school, one would think they would be the whole focus of the book.  It seems, though, this series has turned into a soap opera (think 90210 crossed-over with Harry Potter), and so everyone fights to have equal "screen time."  The story is becoming so convoluted, with an ever-increasing cast of characters, too many subplots, and so little time focused on the actual title mystery.  I think I preferred the earlier books where Amanda Lester was the main focus, and her supporting cast did that - they supported her, they didn't take over the stories!

I already have the next book, The Green Monkey Gotcha, so we will see where that book takes us.  I figure I'll give it one more chance, and if Gotcha gets the series back on track, then I'll look at purchasing the next books in the series; otherwise, book 7 may end up being my last one.

RATING:  4 love-felt ivy-fortes out of 10 for at least giving readers a great climactic race for the glasses in an old castle, even if it was short-lived...

Amanda Lester and the Red Spider Rumpus (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 5)

The wonderfully colorful world of Amanda Lester returns in this fifth novel of Paul Berinstein's mystery series. The ongoing story involving the students and teachers of Legatum Continuatum school for aspiring detectives continues, as Amanda and her friends keep searching for clues that will lead them to the Detective's Bible, while at the same time dealing with considerable personal issues and fighting off the Moriartys and their gang of evil-doers!

Amanda Lester and the Red Spider Rumpus finds poor Amanda torn between her feelings for Scapulus Holmes and her deepening love for Nick Moriarty (who is still in hiding following the events of the previous books). In the midst of this personal crisis, she feels the heavy burden of needing to find the Detective's Bible before Moriarty does - and the two pages that Amanda and her friends had found were taken! Luckily, they have copies, from which Holmes discovers that the Detective's Bible - and the society of detectives themselves! - goes back hundreds of years. If those secrets are now exposed...but the discover of the red spiders of Ambleside changes everything. It seems those innocuous, shy little spiders hiding under an abandoned old house in the countryside have a very special gift - one painful bite releases a venom that causes a person to speak the truth - no matter what!

Berinstein provides another fun romp through the English countryside as Amanda and her friends work to outwit not only Moriarty, but also Amanda's own sneaky stepfather (to be), who seems to have plans of his own. The spiders, which play an important part to the story, also provide for a bit of comic relief, as the kids test the spiders on themselves, discovering some rather uncomfortable truths about their friends. And Berinstein also continues her tradition of the most unusual names for her characters - Professor Mukherjee, Professor Pargeter, Professor Snool, Professor Tumble, Professor Goodgrief, Professor Darktower, Professor Scribbish, Lovelace Earful, Banting Waltz, Celerie Wiffle, and so many others. Each one brings a smile to myself (and sometimes even a giggle!). In addition to all of this, there are some subplots involving a ghost-hunting student, the bid for power in the school by Amanda's mother, the artists who are moving in under the school (under the pretense of protecting all of the secrets hidden there), and the testing of Nick Moriarty to determine whether he should be allowed back into the school for detectives - a literal life-and-death test consisting of three parts!

Honestly, the best part of this entire book is the climactic battle with the Moriarty men at the end - which takes place on a movie studio set during the filming of a robotic monster film.  Berinstein pulls out all the stops to make it thrilling, dangerous, and fun all at the same time.  Quite frankly, this was one of the best scenes in any of the books to date!

Berinstein is also clearly setting up future stories, as there are several mentions of the monkeys that were used to take some of the secrets from the vault beneath the school - which are clearly meant to be foreshadowing of the seventh book, Amanda Lester and the Green Monkey Gotcha (or, at least, so I would think), which is still two books away.  So, it's nice to see that while the book has its own story, there are still elements of the ongoing battle between the school and the Moriartys that keep coming into play.  I'm curious to see just how long this over-arching saga will continue before it is wrapped up and the characters have an opportunity to move on to something else.  As much as I understand the need to have a main protagonist, and as much I enjoy having a multi-epic, multi-book story, it would be nice to see them wrap this one up and move on to something new.  At this point, we are five books into the series, and it doesn't seem likely it will conclude with book 6 or 7 - does Berinstein have the full story plotted, or does it simply evolve as the books are written, with no particular conclusion in sight yet?  Only time (and more books) will tell, I suppose...

Regardless, I am enjoying the opportunity to follow Amanda, Ivy, Simon, and all of their friends as they grow and learn and mature and solve one mystery after another in search of the Detective Bible.

RATING:  8 giant movie sea monsters out of 10 for offering fans of mysteries their own "wizarding" world of detectives learning and fighting to protect their school and profession!

Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacock's Secret (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 4)

Amanda Lester, Detective
Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacock's Secret
Publisher: The Writing Show
Publication Date (March 2016)
ISBN 10 - 1942361041
ISBN 13 - 978-1942361046
338 pages of story

I've come to realize that another reason I enjoy series books so much, as opposed to stand-alone stories, is because the soap opera feel to the ongoing stories. Yes, each individual mystery or adventure may stand on its own; but, the ongoing subplots and character development keep me interested in the characters, to see how they are growing and where they will go next. The world of Amanda Lester definitely proves my point. In the course of her first four books, Amanda and her supporting cast have evolved, matured, learned, and become stronger, while the ongoing subplots regarding Blixus Moriarty, the Detective's Bible, and Amanda's love for both Nick Moriarty and Scalpulus Holmes continue to interest me.

Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacock's Secret picks up on the story of the Arthurian coins that were discovered in the last mystery, as Ivy Halpin's father begins an archaeological dig to uncover the truth. Are the coins really from Camelot, or is it all one big hoax? Professor Halpin and the young aspiring detectives of Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives set about to validate their find - and when they discover what appear to be pages from the Book of Merlin in a hidden room in the tunnels, it seems they might just get their wish.

But someone is determined to sabotage the whole discovery...and someone else has been discovered to have faked the pages from the Book...and while all of this is going on, Amanda has discovered the Nick has been living on his father's houseboat and will do just about anything to prove himself worthy of her and of returning to Legatum - even if that means giving up the location of his father.

And just what is going on with those blue peacocks that keep chasing after Amanda?

I have to give author Paula Berinstein credit. Not only does she have a plethora of characters with whom she must keep track (and she must have a card catalogue or something, because as a reader, even I have a hard time remembering the names of all these people - and what names they are! Elbow Macaroni. Banting Waltz. Alexei Dropoff. Dreidel Pomfritter. Twinkle Earnshaw. Seriously, those are character names in the book!), but she has to remember who has said and done what, where they currently are (still at school, kidnapped, run off, etc.) and how they fit into the story at hand. And this story has more going on than any of the prior books. There is the archaeological dig for Camelot; there is the continuing search for the pages of the Detective's Bible. There is the ongoing fear of Blixus Moriarty and his threats. There is the matter of the kidnapped students and family members. There is the concern over Thrillkill's disappearance. There is the mystery surrounding the zombies that appeared in the previous book. There is the return of Nick Moriarty and what that means for both Amanda and the school. The separation of the Punitori from Legatum. The appearance of Amanda's mother as a new teacher at the school. And last, but not least, those darned blue peacocks and the secret that they hold (although, honestly, I was a bit disappointed how little those peacocks really play a part in the story, considering the book is named for them!).

Overall, another satisfying tale of Amanda Lester's world that, once again, leaves us with more questions than answers - and the last two pages definitely set the stage for her next book (as do certain creatures that are seen down in the tunnels while searching for proof of Camelot...).

RATING:   9 poisoned heads of lettuce out of 10 for expanding not only Amanda Lester's world, but also the readers' minds and enjoyment of a good mystery!

Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 3)

The drama that fills the Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives continues in this third book of the Amanda Lester mystery series.  For those just coming in, be warned - if you haven't read the first two books in the series, you might want to stop and go do that.  This is one series where each book builds on what has gone before, so jumping in now, with the third book, might leave you just a bit confused, or at the very least, behind on all that has gone before.

But for those who did read books 1 and 2 in the series, then prepare yourself for Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle.  After the turmoil of the last book, what with the Moriartys breaking out of jail, Amanda's shock to discover that Nick was still alive, and the betrayal of Editta, Philip, and Gavin, the reader is left to wonder just what else could possibly go wrong?  I mean, the Detective's Bible is missing, if not destroyed, the teachers at Legatum are divided into warring factions over whether to save the school or close it, and now, as this third mystery opens, the parents of the missing children are determined to see Headmaster Thrillkill and the school pay for what has happened to their kids!  And, of course, poor Amanda gets sucked into the midst of things when Thrillkill asks her to gather her friends back at the school for the summer break to help him resolve:

1.  Rescue Editta Sweetgum
1.  Find Philip Puppybreath and Gavin Niven
2.  Find out what the key discovered with Wink's body goes to
3.  Find the Detective's Bible
4.  Solve Wink Wiffle's murder
5.  Monitor Professor Redleaf's computer
6.   Find attorney and prepare for wrongful death lawsuit
7.  Make film about our options without the Bible
8.  Speak to David Wiffle

And if you think that list would be enough to keep Amanda and her friends busy over the summer, let's not forget the mysterious purple rainbows that have suddenly started appearing in Windermere and the surrounding communities, as well as the numerous zombie sightings all over the Lake District.  Add in the gold leprechaun coins, the mysterious love letters from Mavis Moriarty to Wink Wiffle, the 3-D images coming out of Professor Redleaf's computer, and the torment Amanda suffers about her feelings for Scapulus Holmes and Nick Moriarty, and you've got yourself a complicated mystery to solve!

Author Paula Berinstein has definitely created a soap opera-ish world, with Amanda Lester at the center.  The teen angst is taken up a notch with this book, as Amanda suddenly finds she is competing with her friend, Amphora, for Holmes' attention, and meanwhile finds herself unexpectedly kissing Simon Binkle.  Meanwhile, amidst all of the drama, and the responsibility of solving so many mysteries, Amanda finds that famed director Darius Plover is demanding more and more of her time, as he seeks out her aid with reviewing and revising the script for his latest project.  This man has been her idol for so many years, so how can she say no?

There is a somewhat slow build-up in this book, as Berinstein provides a bit of a recap and walks Amanda through her numerous quandaries of how to approach each of the mysteries.  However, after the half-way point, the action and pace definitely pick up, leading to another explosive conclusion that leaves another person dead, six more people kidnapped, a mysterious girl who aids the detectives, and the school split down the middle as half the teachers leave to form their own school in Scotland.

At 380 pages long, there is plenty of room for the story, but prepare yourself, for the ending leaves the reader hanging, meaning the only way I'll find out what happens next is to pick up book four and start reading!

RATING:  8 acoustic levitators out of 10 for building a Harry Potter-type world with the descendants of famed detectives, all the while keeping it fresh and exciting!

Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 2)

Paula Berinstein returns to the world of Legatum Continuatum, that famed school that serves only the descendants of the world's greatest detectives. This second novel in the mystery series finds Amanda Lester and her fellow detectives-in-training returning to school after the break, only to be thrust into the middle of another crisis.

The Orange Crystal Crisis begins right after the school break, as Amanda Lester and her fellow classmates at Legatum return for the new semester. Berinstein throws her young detective right into the thick of things from page one, when Amanda overhears the teachers discussing the fact that something is missing from the school - something that could spell disaster for the school and everyone in it! Needless to say, Amanda confides in her friends - Simon, Ivy, and Amphora - and they realize the semester has yet to start, and they already have a new mystery to solve!  After stopping the Moriarty clan from spreading their poisonous pink sugar in the last book, you'd think these kids would want a break.  But, as the saying goes, there is no rest for the weary!

With 404 pages of story, Berinstein provides readers with not one, but multiple mysteries that somehow fall into the laps of Amanda and her friends - while the mystery of the missing whatzit seems to be of most importance to the school, there is also that skeleton that they stumble upon after an earthquake reveals a hidden room under the school grounds. Who is it, how did he or she die, and how did he or she wind up under the school?  And just what are those glowing orange crystals surrounding the skeleton?  And just where is Editta - no one has seen or heard from her, and she is never late for anything! Plus, there is the matter of the countless drawers down in the tunnels beneath the school - why are they there and what secrets could they hold?

And if that weren't enough - Amanda comes face to face with Scapulus Holmes!  If you thought their ancestors were always at odds, you ain't seen nothing yet. Amanda takes an immediate dislike to the Holmes boy, even though he is nothing but friendly and courteous to her. When the headmaster gives the two of them a project that they must complete together, Amanda doesn't know how she will survive it. However, all of her pride gets swallowed when she and her friends discover something unexpected about the crystals - they are alive (in a way), and the only way they can ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands is with the help of - - yup, you guessed it - - Scapulus Holmes.

Despite the length of the book, the story is constantly moving, and Berinstein weaves back and forth among the numerous mysteries without losing the reader.  We are introduced to a number of new students (new to us, not necessarily the school), as well as new teachers (again, new to us, not the school), and we get to see a lot more interaction among Amanda's friends, fleshing out their personalities.  However, I do think the author went just a bit far with Amanda's dislike of Holmes.  I realize the characters are barely teenagers, but Amanda's constant whining about Holmes and her dislike of him began to grow old after a while - and the sudden change that takes place about 2/3 of the way through the story happened so quickly, with no gradual build up, that it felt forced (and sadly, did not last).  I did, however, enjoy the inclusion of Clive into this little group of mystery-solvers.  He makes an excellent edition, and I certainly hope Berinstein continues to utilize him in future books.

And not to be nit-picky (but these next items were too glaring to not be noticed), but there were two major continuity issues that literally jumped off the page when I read them.  On page 157, when deciding how best to search the tunnels under the school, the kids decide to flip a coin - - only problem is, no one had a coin, so Simon used a virtual coin.  Then, just two pages later while they are still in the tunnels, Ivy fines Amphora for insulting Simon (an on-going thing throughout the book as Ivy tries to get Simon and Amphora to stop fighting) and Amphora easily produces a fifty p coin!  Now, just where was that coin two pages earlier when they needed to flip one?  Later in the book, as Amanda and her friends are in the common room discussing the mysteries, on page 326 it states, "Meanwhile, Editta and Amphora left and Amanda and Simon turned the subject back to the crystals."  Just three paragraphs later, at the top of page 327, when Amanda makes it clear her feelings for Nick are gone (after what he did in the previous book), the author writes, "Simon and Amphora looked at each other."  If Amphora left with Editta, how did she and Simon look at each other?  Obviously, neither of these ruined the enjoyment of the book, nor did they completely take me out of the story when I read them - but they were pretty obvious errors that I'm surprised ended up getting past the editing stage and into the final printed version.

Surprisingly, the resolutions in this mystery are not quite as clear cut as they were in the first - yes, we do find out what the missing item is, who has it, and what ultimately happens to it.  Yes, we find out exactly what the crystals are and how they do what they do.  But the remaining mysteries are not neatly wrapped up, leaving elements unanswered (perhaps to be resolved in future mysteries, as this book makes it clear that the Moriarty family is going to be an ongoing threat to the school and its students, and that there may even be a bigger threat orchestrating behind the scenes!).

Oh, and lest we forget, Amanda's passion for film-making is not overlooked.  There are some interesting developments with her continued communications with the director, Darius Plover.

Overall, this was a great read, well-plotted and perfectly paced.  Am definitely curious to see what Purple Rainbow Puzzle holds in store for Amanda and her friends.

RATING:  8 surprise birthday parties out of 10 for showing readers that being a Lestrade can sometimes be better than being a Holmes!

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester Mysteries No. 1)

This book was an absolute JOY to read!  I had never heard of the author, Paula Berinstein, nor the books themselves, before stumbling across them on Amazon one day.  The cover was colorful, it was toted as a new mystery series, and it combined elements of Harry Potter, Nancy Drew, and Sherlock Holmes.  So, let's face it - how could I pass it up?

While there are currently four books in the series published, I bought the first one to give it a try.  Wasn't really sure what to expect - I mean, with a title like The Pink Sugar Conspiracy, what is one to think?  The moment I started reading, though - WOW!  Literally, that's all I could think.  Wow!  Amanda Lester may only be twelve, and she may have the typical tween-ager woes (problems with friends, problems with parents, problems with school), but right off the bat I liked her.  I identified with her.  I cared about her and her problems.  And by the end of the first chapter, the reader is so invested in this character that you have to know what is going to happen next.

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is by far one of the best first books of a series that I have ever read.  With 344 pages of story, Berinstein has plenty of room to build her story, flesh out her characters, misdirect her readers (after all, what would a good mystery be without some misdirection here and there), and provide an absolutely amazing mystery story.  Yes, there are some deaths in the book (the cook and the doctor at the school are both killed), and yes there is a bit of romance that occurs (Amanda pretty much falls head over heels for Nicholas Muffet, one of the first students she meets at her new school) - but they are all a part of the greater story - in fact, there's nothing that occurs or is said within the story that doesn't somehow play an important part.

And speaking of the school - Berinstein has created a Harry Potter-type school, only instead of wizardry, this school teaches detecting.  It even has the various "houses" for the students named after famous detectives - the Holmes House, the Father Brown House, the Dupin House, and Van Helden House.  There are also nods to a number of famous authors, via statues on the school grounds - the Enid Blyton statue, the Agatha Christie statue, the Edgar Allan Poe statue, the Dorothy Sayers statue, the Conan Doyle statue, and so on.  This exclusive, secluded school (Legatum Continuatum) is not known to the outside world.  It is hidden away just outside of London and is extremely selective in the students it accepts.  In fact, each and every one of the students has a connection in some way to a famous detective!  For Amanda, unfortunately, that famous detective is none other than G. Lestrade, the inspector that was made famous by Sherlock Holmes.  She is ashamed of that fact, viewing Lestrade as nothing more than a bumbling idiot.  She has no desire to become a detective - she wants to create and direct films!  She resents being shipped off to the school, and she expects to hate every minute of it.  Very quickly though, her attitude changes, as she makes friends with Ivy, Amphora, and Simon (as well as Ivy's seeing-eye dog, Nigel, because, yes, Ivy is blind) and soon discovers that her knowledge of film and the movie industry very easily transitions into the world of solving crime.

Berinstein offers up an unusual mystery here - the students are told at the beginning of the school year that they will have a mystery to solve throughout the semester.  They will not be told what it is, but they will know it when they see it.  Further, it will be up to them to use everything they are learning in their classes to solve the mystery without any help from the teachers or staff.  Simple enough, right?  But what happens when first, the school garage explodes, taking with it a valuable car that is the prized possession of one of their teachers; and then they discover that the cook is acting oddly, stealing pink-colored sugar and hiding it in a secret underground room on the campus grounds?  What is the real mystery?  And what is causing the sounds behind the walls?  And why are all of the desserts so bland, when there is so much sugar on the school property?  And who was flashing that mirror from behind the trees?  And how does any of that connect to Amanda's father being kidnapped?

The story moves at a great pace, taking place over the span of the entire first semester.  While Amanda grows closer to her friends, and even more so to Nick, she still has a tendency to act on her own and not include her new-found friends in on the action.  When she stows away on a delivery truck in the hopes of getting to her father, she is thrust into an unexpected (and honestly, quite humorous) adventure that takes her entirely in the opposite direction where she gets to drive a truck, gets car-jacked, gets attacked by a monkey on a train, and has the opportunity to use all of her skills to not only stop a criminal mastermind from completing a nefarious plan to take control of the world's sugar industry, but also to save her father's life.

I cannot say enough good things about this book.  The writing is excellent, the characterization is engaging, and Berinstein keeps it real by acknowledging the differences in Amanda's American upbringing and lifestyle to those of the other students, who are British.  She even manages to throw in a good Nancy Drew reference:

What was really neat about the car wasn't all that flash though.  It had a way cool rumble seat.  Amanda had wanted to ride in a rumble seat ever since she'd read the early Nancy Drew books, in which the girl sleuth had driven a blue rumble-seated roadster. (p. 102)

Interesting that she points out that Amanda read the "early" Nancy Drew books, which says the author has more than a passing knowledge of the Nancy Drew history, since it was in the original text books that Nancy drove a roadster.  In the revised editions, she drove her blue convertible.

Now, I do have to admit, I did pick up one minor discrepancy, and the only reason I mention it is because if it stuck out so easily to me, I have no doubt others will notice when reading it.  On page 101, right after the explosion in the garage, Amanda is spying on the teachers and the firemen.  She wonders if one of the teachers is injured, but realizes, "She couldn't see how.  He looked perfectly fine.  There were no paramedics at the scene and no one was paying attention to him."  Then, just four pages later, when she is joined by Nick, She comments, "It looks like no one was hurt," to which is responds, "Because there's no paramedics?"  Here, the book indicates that Amanda realizes Nick is right, as "She hadn't noticed."  Now, how could she not notice there were no ambulances, when just four pages prior, she had determined her teacher was not injured because there were no paramedics on the scene?  Does this spoil the reading of the story?  Of course, not.  One minor continuity glitch in a 344 page book, I'd say that was pretty darned great!

I so wish this author were writing the current Nancy Drew and/or Hardy Boys books - they would certainly be a far cry better and would probably be selling a lot more than what they are.  Berinstein is a superb author who knows how to tell a truly engaging story with lots of twists and turns.  And while there are two mysteries (the staged one by the school and the real one involving the sugar conspiracy and her father), both get played well.  Definitely a series I would recommend to anyone of any age - young or adult.  Can't wait to dig into the second one (The Orange Crystal Crisis - and yes, the series does focus on colors, as the old Connie Blair series of days gone by did), where, based on the last paragraph in this book, Amanda will be meeting an interesting new student at the school!

RATING:  10 gluppy things out of 10 for proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that a great young adult mystery does not have to be short or simple, but can be fully fleshed out with believable characters and intricate plots!