The Third Enchantment Lake Mystery - The Silver Box

Okay, time to take one last trip into the world of Enchantment Lake and follow young Francesca (Francie) Frye (a/k/a "French Fry" or "little Frenchie") as she tries to discover just what happened to her mother, who was presumed dead.  In the first book of this series, Francie helps her aunts solve the mystery of who is forcing people around the lake to sell their properties.  In the second book, Francie must help clear her brother's name of a murder that he did not commit.  And along the way, Francie not only rebuilds her relationship with her brother, which was strained for many years, but she also gains bits and pieces of knowledge that strengthens her belief that her mother is not really dead, but out there somewhere.  But, if she's not dead, then why hasn't she come home?  And just what does that mysterious little box that keeps popping up have to do with it?  Well, in this final book of the trilogy, all these secrets come to light!

The Silver Box opens as Francie and her friends are ready to return to return home and get back to their classes and finish school.  But Francie can't shake the feeling that the silver box she found holds more than a clue to what happened to her mother and where she is now.  And, so, right off the bat, author Margi Preus takes Francie and her friend Raven (along with the readers) on a tramp through the snow-covered woods, where the two girls find a ramshackle cabin that brings back some flashes of memories for Francie.  Of course, we don't stay there long, because it's back to school for Francie, Raven, and Jay.  The mystery of Francie's mother, though, follows her to Walpurgis, and Francie soon finds herself in a whole world of trouble and danger - particularly after she sneaks away from a school field trip, gets into a car with a complete stranger, and ends up at the greenhouse of a very eccentric man who claims to know the answers about Francie's missing mother - but he will only share them if she provides him with the contents of that silver box - a box that Francie has only recently figured out how to open (and which was disappointingly empty).

Then the plant man winds up dead.  And the silver box goes missing.  And Francie is sent by her grandfather to go live with her aunts in Arizona. And a mysterious woman at a nursing home provides some cryptic stories about the past.  And Theo gets kidnapped.  And Francie sets out to play a deadly game of sleight of hand that could get both her and Theo killed!  There's definitely not a moment's respite within this story, as Francie finds herself in danger in pretty much each and every chapter, hiding in closets, running across ice, snowshoeing through the forest, and getting chased by snowmobiles.

The ultimate revelations regarding the silver box and what it contains, as well as why its contents are so important that people are willing to kill for it, is a bit anticlimactic.  Honestly, I was expecting something a bit more exciting or complicated; but, I guess sometimes, it is the simple things in life that can cause a lot of problems.  Of course, I must say that Preus provides several surprises with regard to the woman in the nursing home, the ramshackle cottage, and the secret stash that everyone seems so desperate to get their hands on that made me smile.  A purely genius way to making sure the criminals not only never got their hands on the goods, but also to prevent the big corporations from achieving their goal at the cost of the Northwoods that surround Enchantment Lake.  And Preus does manage to get in a couple of Nancy Drew references (after all - when the book advertises itself as a "modern Nancy Drew," you've got to count on the fact that everyone's favorite sleuth will be referenced somehow in the story).

The only part of the story that I felt did not get resolved was the triangle (of sorts) with Francie, Sandy, and Nels.  From the past two books, it has been obvious that Sandy likes Francie, but Francie likes Nels, and Nels likes Francie.  And while Preus briefly touches on both Sandy and Nels in the book, there is no real conclusion or resolution to that story (and who knows?  maybe that means Preus will bring back the characters for another trilogy, which will give this particular story a chance to grow!).  But otherwise, Francie finally finds out what happened to her mother, what the big secret is inside the box, what secrets her brother and grandfather have been keeping from her, and the memories of her childhood that have always seemed just outside her grasp.  So, readers are left with a satisfying conclusion to the Enchantment Lake mysteries, with the wish that it wasn't the end...

RATING:  10 duck nests out of 10 for enchanting readers with a world of mystery, danger, and adventure that makes for an amazingly satisfying read!

The Second Enchantment Lake Mystery - The Clue in the Trees

While this is technically the second "Northwoods Mystery," the publishers decided to take the title of the first book and re-name the series after that, making this an "Enchantment Lake Mystery" instead.  But, that's okay.  As long as the writing is good, the plots are believable, and the characters are engaging and enjoyable to read, they can call the series whatever they'd like.  And since this second book in the series succeeds in all three categories, then let's take a look at the second Enchantment Lake Mystery!

The Clue in the Trees is a bit misleading, since the only thing that our protagonist, Francesca (Francie) Frye (a/k/a "French Fry" or "little Frenchie"), finds in the trees is a hand spade, and quite frankly, that little hand spade does not really provide a clue to anything.  It certainly does not provide a clue as to who killed Dr. Digby, the cantankerous old archaeologist that everyone had reason to hate.  And the author, I think, has a little fun with this, since Francie gains some new sidekicks in this book - two new friends from school, Raven and Jay - and Jay provides Francie with some proposed names for her latest mystery (that she insists she is not going to get involved in trying to solve!) - "The Perplexing Puzzle of the Perished Paleontologist" or "The Theory of the Three Thoughtful Thespians" or "The Bewildering Breach of the Buried Bones" or ... well, you get the gist.

Alliterated titles aside, The Clue in the Trees does provide Francie and her friends with a perplexing and bewildering mystery to solve.  Francie, who heard her brother arguing with Digby on the day he died and later saw him washing his hands in the lake after she discovered his body, is determined to stay out of it.  Despite the fact that everyone in town calls her the Northwoods Nancy Drew (yes, everyone's favorite pop culture icon gets referenced more than once in this book!), Francie does not want to solve this one.  Her brother Theo, who has returned under mysterious circumstances and has been keeping secrets from her, such as what really happened to their mother, seems to be prime suspect number one, and since all evidence points to him, Francie does not want to know.  But circumstances conspire against her, and although she auditions for and gets the lead role in the school's play as a distraction, she still can't avoid following the clues that fall into her lap.  Particularly when they lead her in the direction of that mysterious silver box that belonged to her mother...

Yes, you remember that box she saw at the mansion across the lake in the last book, right?  Well, it returns in this book, and Francie wants to find it more than anything.  She believes it is her last connection to her mother.  But if she found it without any difficulty, then where would the drama be?  Author Margi Preus continues to keep things not-so-easy for Francie as she continues to search for answers to her family's past.  In the meantime, she is also finding herself drawn more and more into the mystery surrounding Digby's death and how her brother fits into everything.  There are some surprising twists along the way, and the ultimate resolution is somewhat out of left field (and a bit beyond belief - but a quick search on the internet shows that the reason for Digby's death is an actual thing, so when you read it and think how crazy it sounds, go look - it's based on fact!), but Preus does provide a climactic chase through underground tunnels, a hidden passage, and a battle with a villain holding a very large kitchen knife!

All-in-all, a very satisfying read and a great mystery - and while I don't see any more solicited on Amazon yet, my fingers are crossed that a third mystery will be forthcoming!

RATING:  10 pieces of mastodon bones out of 10 for giving readers an older teen detective with great characters, a well-plotted mystery, and an underlying subplot throughout the series!

The First Enchangment Lake Mystery - Enchantment Lake

I love books.  If you've been reading this blog, then you KNOW how much I love books.  Mysteries are, by far, my favorite all-time books to read.  My love for mysteries stems from my mom buying me Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, and other various series books back when I was a kid.  Thus, while I enjoy some select adult mystery series, my true love will always be children's and young adult mysteries.  And in the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to stumble across some really good series (particularly in light of the slim pickings when it comes to children's mysteries today).  But rarely do I buy a "one-off'er" mystery.  I prefer my ongoing series.

Yet, for some reason, I was drawn to Enchantment Lake, by Margi Preus.  I'm not sure if it was the "A Northwoods Mystery" header, or if it was the description of the book that describes the protagonist as a Nancy Drew-type, or if it was the rather unique cover art and design.  Regardless, I did ultimately purchase the book through Amazon in the hopes that it would be a good read.

I was wrong - this was not a good read at all - it was a FANTASTIC read!

Preus introduces readers to her reluctant teenage detective, Francesca (Francie) Frye (a/k/a "French Fry" or "little Frenchie") at an audition in New York, where Fancie is nervous about her audition.  Before she can audition, however, she gets a call from her Aunt Astrid, who lives with her other aunt, Jeannette, up in the north words of Minnesota.  The connection is anything but good, but it's enough for Francie to hear her aunt say "murder" and that "someone is trying to kill us" and "come quickly."  Now, her aunts are known for their absurdity and odd ways, but Francie can't imagine them asking her to leave New York where, despite being only seventeen, she is pursuing her career as an actress.  But they do - - and she does, flying halfway across the country to discover whether her aunts really are in serious trouble.

She soon finds her concern for her aunts misplaced, when they reveal that someone is forcing people to sell their properties on the shore of Enchantment Lake to build a road through the area.  Francie could kick herself for dropping out of an audition for this "emergency" - until her aunts reveal that the people who sold their property have been dropping like flies!  A falling tree limb, a drowning, a poisonous snake bite, a poisoned well, a heart attack, and most recently - a gunshot made to look like a suicide.  Are they merely coincidences, or is something more sinister happening around Enchantment Lake.  And what is this story Francie hears about a supposed treasure said to be under enchantment?  Or, more accurately, under Enchantment (as in, under the lake)?

Preus weaves a wonderful mystery tale about murder, secrets, greed, and blackmail, and quite frankly, it will keep you guessing until pretty much the end when the culprit is finally revealed.  Every time I thought I had it figured out, another curve ball was thrown, displacing my theory.  The characters are charming - love the local lawyer's intern, Nels, as well as Sandy, the owner of the local store.  And, of course, Aunt Astrid and Aunt Jeannette are barrels of fun with their quirky strangeness.  And as for Francie herself - she may begin as a rather reluctant detective (having played one as a child on television), she soon finds herself drawn into the mystery, and before you know it, she turns all Nancy Drew, refusing to turn away from solving the crime and saving her aunt's lives, even when her grandfather shows up and threatens to tighten the strings on her trust fund if she doesn't drop it and return to New York City.

And to top it all off, Francie herself has some mysteries of her own to solve - like, what really happened to her father?  Was his death an accident, or something else?  And who is her mother?  Why will no one tell her anything about her?  And what happened between her and her brother to create the strained relationship that they now have?

With a great mystery and fun-tastic characters, there's no way you'll be able to avoid falling under the "enchantment" of Preus' writing.  And thankfully, while writing this post, I checked on Amazon and found that there is a second book in this series - The Clue in the Trees, wherein we will discover more about Francie's estranged brother.  I definitely cannot wait!

RATING:  10 brown casserole dishes out of 10 for giving readers a contemporary teenage detective that is over the age of 13, a well-written, superbly-plotted mystery, and an excellent read!