The Secret on Set - The Hayley Mysteries, Book 3

Well, I've reached the third final book in The Hayley Mysteries series.  This has been an enjoyable little series, and while aimed at early readers, it has still presented some fairly well-plotted mysteries that, I have no doubt, will make its intended audience really think to figure out.  The main character and her supporting cast are fleshed out nicely, and by the end of this book, you definitely have a feel for them (and find yourself wishing more stories were to be told!).  And the author, Hayley LeBlanc, is a social media star, and at only fourteen years old, she has already garnered a small level of "fame."  Whether she fully wrote these stories or simply developed the characters and plots, while others ghost-wrote the mysteries, we will likely never know - but it doesn't change the fact that the books are fun to read.

The Secret on Set has Hayley and her best friends (and co-stars in the show, Sadie Solves It) are preparing to film the Halloween episode of their series.  The producers have snagged a special guest star for the episode - Alex Vangoth, who is a widely celebrated actor, known mostly for the television show in which he plays a vampire.  Hayley is certain he will be playing a vampire in this episode, but neither she nor her friends are able to know for sure, since Alex manages to constantly avoid them, remaining aloof when he is forced to interact with them.  To make matters more stressful, a well-dressed man that Hayley is certain is a television exec begins appearing on the set, and she wonders if he has heard about the trouble they have previously had (in the last two books) and is considering cancelling the show.

And that's when things start happening.  Items of clothing disappear from the wardrobe department.  Food goes missing from the craft services table.  Props are moved around on set just prior to filming.  Schedule changes are misplaced and not given out, causing actors to miss their call times.  And the newest production assistant, Kara, seems to be in the middle of everything, as she has been spotted in several places where the incidents have occurred.  She insists she is innocent, but after one too many mishaps, she is fired from the show.  Hayley, Cody, and Aubrey believe Kara, and they begin to look for clues that will lead them to the real culprit.  Is is Alex Vangoth, who is unhappy about having to do this show?  Is it the TV exec that Hayley has seen, wanting to see the show fail?  Could it have anything to do with the super-secret movie that is being filmed in complete secrecy just a few sound stages away?  Or is there someone else prowling around in the sound stage?

 

Oh, and what about the disappearing dead bodies?!   Yes, you heard that right.  Hayley pretty much stumbles across a body in an empty sound stage, but when she brings back security, the body is gone.  Then a second body is discovered and disappears.  And a third.   There is definitely something strange going on, and Hayley and her friends are dead-set on finding out what it is!

 

I have to wonder what further adventures Hayley, Cody, and Aubrey could have had if this series had continued.  The idea of a teen sleuth who is also a television star is somewhat different (we've had nurse sleuths, stewardess sleuths, theatre sleuths, sister sleuths, brother sleuths, reporter sleuths, and so on, but I can't think off-hand of a sleuth who was also a television star, unless you count the Whitman authorized editions from back in the day), and having mysteries set in and around a movie studio could have had countless opportunities for mysteries to pop-up!  But, alas, we shall never know, as The Hayley Mysteries seems to have been retired after this third entry.  What a shame...

 

RATING:  9 empty coffins out of 10 for a great case of mistaken identity, disappearing bodies, and sabotage all rolled into one!

The Missing Jewels - The Hayley Mysteries, Book 2

It's been a few months since I read the first of The Hayley Mysteries, so I figured it was time to pick up the second book in the series and give it a read. The series is written by actress Hayley LeBlanc, a social media "star" who has performed in the online shows, Chicken Girls and Mani.  This series is her first stab at writing, and for a thirteen year old (although she's probably fourteen or even fifteen by now!), they are actually not bad at all.  The stories are fast paced and, while the mysteries are relatively tame, they are pretty good for the target audience.

The Missing Jewels opens with the main character, Hayley (go figure!), getting ready to film an episode in the second season of her hit television show, Sadie Solves It!  Yes, the main character is an actress, just like the author, and they even share the same name.  But, no, the books are not autobiographical in any way - they are pure fiction.  Hayley, along with her two best friends, Cody and Aubrey (who also happen to be the co-stars of her show), solved the mystery behind the "ghost" that was haunting their studio in the first book, and as they begin filming new episodes for the second season of their show, the creator of the show has made it clear he does not want them getting tangled up in any new mysteries.

Yeah, sure, okay - like that's going to happen.  After all, this is a mystery series, and with the title of this book, you know there's going to be some stolen jewels that Hayley and her friends will have to find.  It starts with a prop tiara missing.  Then a pair of ruby earrings belonging to the mother of one of the actors on the show go missing.  Then a ring that is very important to Hayley disappears.  It's clear that someone is swiping jewelry from the set, but who could it be?  No matter how much they want to get involved, they did promise the show's creator no more mysteries.  But then there is evidence that points to Vee, the show's make-up artist, as the culprit.  Hayley and her friends know Vee is innocent, but how can they prove it without breaking their promise not to get involved?  Well, it's simply a matter of deciding what ... or rather who! ... is more important.  And the answer to that is an easy one.

Although the culprit is pretty easy to discern from the get-go, it is rather enjoyable to follow along as Hayley, Cody, and Aubrey piece the clues together to uncover the culprit.  In the tradition of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, there are even some educational elements to the story, as LeBlanc makes sure to provide explanations for a number of the technical aspects of filming a television show (and there are even moments where the reader gets to "watch" as the Sophie Solves It! show is being filmed.

While the first book was more about friendship and trust, this story is more about loyalty and not being so quick to judge.  The younger actress who plays Hayley's little sister in Sophie Solves It! once again joins the crew as they try to solve the mystery (after all, it was her mother's earrings that were stolen, and she does come up with a good idea now and again!), and readers are introduced to Vee's daughter, Ava.  I was excited at first, as Ava is deaf, and I thought we would get to see some interaction through sign language; however, the story deals more with the surgery Ava wants to have cochlear implants that will allow her to hear better (and there is no sign language used in the story).

Overall, it's not a bad little mystery, and again, for its target audience, I'd say it's pretty spot-on.  I think young readers will really enjoy this series, particularly if they are fans of social media stars and YouTube shows, as these characters seem to fit right into that genre.

RATING:  7 poker-playing dogs out of 10 for proving even mysteries for younger readers can be enjoyable and well-written!

The Haunted Studio - The Hayley Mysteries, Book 1

I keep telling myself I am NOT going to pick up any new series, I am NOT going to start reading any new series, and I am NOT going to look at any new series that I may come across while in the bookstore or strolling through Amazon.  Then, of course, I happen across a new series that catches my eye, I pick it up and look at the premise and story, and I suddenly find myself buying a new series.  (SIGH)   I supposed I'm addicted, what can I say?  But, at least so far, I have been pretty good at picking up new series that are actually worth reading (only a few here and there have been less than stellar).  And The Haley Mysteries is no exception.  My eye happened to catch the cover art for the first two books that were on display at Barnes & Noble - the painted cover with the eye-catching logo (where the word "The" is placed within a magnifying glass next to Hayley's name!) - and I found the third book shelved in the children's section.  So, I picked up all three books with the hope that I would not be disappointed.

The Haunted Studio is the first of the Hayley Mysteries.  It introduces readers to thirteen-year old Hayley and her two best friends, Aubrey and Cody.  Hayley is the star of a TV series called "Sadie Solves It!" about a young teenage sleuth, aided by her two friends, played by Aubrey and Cody.  The three young friends are getting ready to start filming the second season of their show and are a bit nervous - the show was successful enough to have it moved from the studios were the first season were filmed in the Valley to a major studio in the middle of Hollywood!  There are a number of new crew members on the set, and when one of them warns Hayley and her friends about the ghost that is said to haunt the studio, Hayley has to wonder if it is true or not.  Aubrey is confident it is true, but Cody doesn't believe in ghosts. Soon enough, accidents begin to happen on the set, and the young actress who plays Sadie's younger sister on the show claim to have seen the ghost up in the rafters.  The show starts to fall behind schedule, and the director is growing concerned that if they go over-budget, the show may get cancelled!  Not wanting to see their show cancelled, Hayley, Aubrey and Cody set about trying to uncover the truth behind the ghost - is a young actress who died in a tragic accident years ago really haunting the studio?  Is she the reason the show that was filmed here last season was cancelled?  Is the ghost now trying to prevent Hayley from having a successful second season?

I have to say, I am rather impressed with this first mystery, particularly since it was written by Hayley LeBlanc, a thirteen-year old actress and social media star who happens to have been in the online show, Chicken Girls (which, interestingly enough, had one mystery book published that I read and reviewed back in September 2019 on this blog).  Now I can't say whether Hayley actually wrote this book herself, or whether she plotted and outlined it and a ghostwriter actually did the writing - but I can say that the story was engaging, the characters are definitely likable, and the mystery itself was well-thought out (although for seasoned mystery fans, it is not really too difficult to figure out who the culprit is).  I also enjoy the fact that Hayley has a pet cat, Salmon, that goes with her to the set and who she carries around quite a bit.  Being a cat fan myself, I enjoy seeing cat-lovers in the books I read.

The cover art and interior illustrations are done by Alessia Trunfio.  I'm not familiar with this artist, but I do enjoy her art tremendously.  I miss the days when the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and other mystery series books had internal illustrations to complement the stories, so it's great to see that some newer series are following in that tradition.  

Overall, this was a great start to a new series - it introduces readers to the characters in a very natural way, so that you get a good feel of who each one is, and it provides an overall feel to the type of mysteries the kids will be solving.  I still miss the days when the sleuths in children's mystery series were 16 or 18 years old, instead of the 12 to 14 year old sleuths of today's series, but I suppose the times, they are a'changing!  I would recommend this to any fan of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Boxcar Children, Happy Hollisters, and such - it rates right up there with them.

RATING:  8 cans of tuna for Salmon out of 10 for kicking off a brand new series with a brand new sleuth in such a great way!