The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 8 - The Case of the Weeping Mermaid

Well, yet another series that I have enjoyed comes to an end.  It's always a bittersweet read, the final book of any series.  I put off reading the final book, as I don't want it to end; yet, at the same time, I'm always anxious to see how the author is going to conclude the series and where he or she will leave the main character at the end of it all.  Maisie Hitchins, the title character of a series written by Holly Webb, has been an enjoyable series for young readers.  The books are easy reads, the mysteries are not overly-complicated, but they are certainly well-plotted and full of adventure for the young, pre-teen sleuth.  And throughout the first seven books, Webb has weaved in an ongoing subplot involving the whereabouts of Maisie's father, who went out to sea some time ago.  Well, it only stands to reason that if Webb is going to end the series, she would bring about resolution to that subplot that has been slowly building.

The Case of the Weeping Mermaid, the eighth and final book in the Maisie Hitchins mystery series, drops a mystery right in Maisie's lap from the get-go!  Maisie's best friend Alice is concerned that something is wrong with her father.  Ever since he and her step-mother have returned from their honeymoon, he has been acting strange, and she wants Maisie to figure out what it is.  But Maisie has a mystery of her own to solve when she receives another mysterious package from her father, this one containing a beautifully brass-bound box that contains her father's journal and letters - letters that he informs her contain a mystery that he is trusting her to solve!  In true Nancy Drew tradition, it soon becomes apparent that the two mysteries are intertwined, and Maisie and Alice must work fast before Alice's father loses his shipping business, and her family is ruined forever!

Webb crafts a wonderful little mystery that send out two amateur sleuths to the dirty, dangerous docks ... to the office of Alice's father ... and on board a ship that is about to be sent to a watery grave.  Maisie has solved a number of mysteries, but none of them hit this close to him.  Webb definitely saved her best for last.  Any one that has been following this series will appreciate all the subplots and loose ends that Webb tries up in this final mystery, and the reunion between Maisie and her father is well worth the wait.  And yes, I do realize this series is written from young readers, definitely pre-teen age; however quick the read may be for an adult reader, it is still an enjoyable story.

Plus, I can't help but wonder if Webb is a bit of a Nancy Drew fan, as there are a couple of things from the story that definitely will resonate with fans of the Nancy Drew books!  First, when Maisie receives the wrapped package from her father, Webb describes it as "a beautiful wooden box, so smooth it felt like silk, with brass corners and a brass lock that was engraved with fantastical dragons" (pp. 20-21).  This, of course, would bring up images of that brass-bound trunk from Nancy Drew's 17th mystery of the same name.  Later, when Maisie is reading her father's journal and notes, he makes reference to a mermaid figurehead at the front of a boat that was supposedly lost at sea - he provides a drawing of the mermaid, which Webb describes as "a beautiful wooden statue of a girl, staring out from the very front of the ship ... She was carved with long, waving hair and tears on her cheeks..." (p. 29).  This sounds similar to that wooden lady that became the centerpiece of Nancy Drew's 27th mystery.  Now, it could all be pure coincidence, but let's face it - what's more Nancy Drew-like than coincidences?!

In any event, this final book - and, quite frankly, the entire series! - is a fun, easy read with mysteries that certainly rate right up there with the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and other children's mystery series.  It's just a shame Webb brought an end to the series so soon.  Then again, maybe there's a "Hitchins & Hitchins" series in the future, eh?

RATING:  10 delicate china plates painted with golden flowers out of 10 for providing a well-crafted mystery that serves as a delightfully satisfying conclusion to a wonderful series of mysteries!

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!

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 6 - The Case of the Spilled Ink

The world of Maisie Hitchins is one I never thought I would visit again.  This is another one of those British series that was being re-packaged and re-published here in America, and I picked up the first five books in the series that were published here. And that was it. No more books were solicited, even though there were a total of eight books in the series.  I kept a constant watch on Amazon, and while books 6, 7, and 8 were never listed individually here in the States, Amazon did list a set of all 8 books (British editions), so I added that to my watch list, but never got around to ordering it.  Well, lo and behold, this past Christmas, when I opened up one of my presents, what did I find but the set of 8 books!  So now, more than four years after I finished book 5, I am finally getting the opportunity to finish reading this series.

The Case of the Spilled Ink is the sixth book, Maisie sets about to help her friend, Alice, once again.  It seems that Alice's father and his new bride, Miss Darling (Alice's former governess), are getting ready to travel for quite a long time, and so they have decided Alice would best be cared for in a boarding school for girls.  Her father donates a considerable sum to "Miss Prenderby's Academy for Young Ladies of Quality" to allow Alice to stay at the school with her cat Snowflake and its two kittens (pets are normally not allowed, but Alice would never dream of leaving them behind!).  Alice is afraid of this new school, but Maisie promises to visit as often as she can (since her grandmother could never possibly afford such a place, and anyway, Maisie would never want to go to a school like that - she was quite content helping her grandmother with the boarding house they ran, as well as solving mysteries).

Author Holly Webb provides readers with another fun-filled adventure as Maisie must help her friend and one of the school's maids, Florence.  It seems that after only a few days at the school, Alice disappears, along with her cats.  The only clue that Maisie has to go on is a bottle of spilled ink in one of the classrooms, which shows cat paw prints leading away from the desk to the door - but the paw prints stop before they reach the door.  Clearly, Maisie deduces, at this point, the cats were picked up and carried away.  Miss Prenderby believes Alice was kidnapped for the intent of getting money from her family.  Maisie, however, believes otherwise.  What kidnapper would take the girl AND her cats?  But when another maid informs Maisie that Florence, the maid who Alice had made a quick friendship with had been fired the very same day, Maisie suspects that something else is afoot.

As with the previous books, the mystery is not overly difficult to figure out (I mean, after all, this is a series aimed at young readers, not at adults); however, there can be no denying it is a fun read, and Maisie searches for clues, follows leads, and jumps into any situation without thinking when it comes to helping out those in need - much like Nancy Drew at any age!  There are plenty of illustrations by Marion Lindsay throughout the book, and like with the golden-age of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (wayyyyyyy back when), the internal illustrations add visual enjoyment to the story.  

The only drawback to this story (as I have with so many of the children's mystery series being published today) is that the main character is much too young to have all of the freedom and liberty that she has to go wandering through the streets of London at all times of the night and day - and her level of intelligence to discern clues, figure out motives, and uncover culprits is far too advanced for the age of which she is in the book.  Back when I was a kid reading the adventures of Nancy Drew (who was 18), it did not feel unrealistic, as I was not that age yet, so it was something I could look forward to and aspire to when I reached that age.  The ideology today that the characters need to be the same age as the readers to help them better "identify" with the characters does not resonate with me - but, as long a the stories are well written and enjoyable to read, I'm not going to nitpick on the age of the protagonist.

For a quick, fun read, this is certainly a series I would recommend to fans of children's mysteries.

 

RATING:  8 panes of cracked and filthy glass out of 10 for keeping the mysteries light but engaging, and the characters fun to read!

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 5 - The Case of the Secret Tunnel

Everyone's favorite little detective-wannabe is back in her fifth book - The Case of the Secret Tunnel.  And, as with the four prior books, it's another romp of fun and a devilish good mystery that only author Holly Webb can dish out.

Maisie's favorite boarder at her grandmother's boarding house on Albion Street is moving out - Madame Lorimer is getting married and moving away!  That means it's time to find a new boarder, and when Fred Grange, the rather boring employee of the local biscuit company, moves in, Maisie wonders if she will die of boredom.  There is absolutely nothing at all exciting about him - he simply works, eats, and sleeps.  Her best friend Alice gets a new governess, but even she turns out to be thoroughly nice and trustworthy.

What's a detective to do when there's no mystery to solve?  Well, Maisie takes what she can get, so when she finds a grayish-white woolen flannel on the clothes line, where some rather unmentionable women's undergarments should have been, Maisie figures she may as well figure out what's going on.  Particularly when she learns that their neighbor has suffered the same fate - articles of women's clothing taken from the lines, only to be replaced with woolen flannel (only in her case, the flannel was red instead of white).

Of course, anyone who is familiar with mysteries at all knows that even the smallest thing (such as switched laundry) can lead to a bigger mystery - and boy, does this one ever!  Rare art is being stolen throughout London, right under the noses of security guards and police, and no one can figure out how.  They know Charlie Sparrow and his Sparrow Gang are behind the thefts, but they have been unable to capture them.  Maisie wishes she could solve such a crime, but she has no way to involve herself in it, so she sticks with the case of the switched laundry.

Until her trip on the underground train leads her to witness a frail woman stop the train when she nearly faints...

Until she meets the brother of Charlie Sparrow, who works at the train station and who also happens to be a boarder at her neighbor's house...

Until she witnesses Fred Grange not at work during the day and discovers that he knows nothing at all about biscuits - which is very odd, considering he works at a biscuit company...

Maisie Hitchins suddenly finds herself right in the midst of the very criminal investigation she thought she'd never get to be a part of - and ultimately finds herself trapped in the middle of the night in a closed subway station.  Naturally, she doesn't take that sitting down and begins looking for a way out, only to find herself face-to-face with one of the Sparrow Gang who doesn't take to kindly to snoops!

Webb weaves another great mystery, and while those familiar with mystery storytelling will catch on pretty quick to what's going on, this is definitely another twisting tale that will enthrall the young readers.  No sign of the sixth book and beyond listed here in America yet, but the author's website shows there are eight books in the series, so that means there are three left yet to come out here!

RATING:  9 old stone drinking fountains out of 10 for making the mystery intricate, yet not overly difficult, and keeping the characters alive and fun to read.

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 4 - The Case of the Feathered Mask

Maisie Hitchins is back, and this time, she's helping one of her grandmother's borders find a one-of-a-kind feathered mask that was stolen!

Author, Holly Webb, provides a fun little mystery here; but, more than that, Webb continues with her fantastic characterizations.  Maisie may only be twelve, trying so desperately to live in a grown-up world, but she's strong-willed and determined, and with the help of the butcher's boy, George, she works out the clues to find the professor's missing mask.  The interaction among the characters, the distinct and different "voices" of each of the characters, and the anything-but-stereotypical supporting cast make for easy, enjoyable reading - even if it is a children's book!

One other thing that Webb manages to convey in her story is the subtext of not being so judgmental.  Maisie is quick to judge a man who she has caught outside the house, condemning him as a thief when he turns out to be anything but!  And the museum director, as well as the police, are quick to judge a foreign boy they see go into the house with Maisie, all based on the fact that he is dark-skinned.  Without beating readers over the head, Webb adeptly shows her readers that you simply can't judge a book by its cover (which could apply to this series as well!).

The cover and internal illustrations by Marion Lindsay is still a bit too "stick-figurish" for me, and perhaps that's simply because I'm older.  Perhaps the younger readers of today won't find the art as garish as I do; yet, it's not so bad as to distract me from the story.  I do, though, have to give Lindsay credit, for she stays so accurate and detailed with the story, that no matter which illustration you look at, you'll find that it details specifically what is happening in the story - from background items on the wall to the clothes and hairstyles of the characters.

And this little mystery provides a surprise for Maisie (and readers!), for she receives a letter from her father (remember, up until now, Maisie has been living with her grandmother, and there has been little to no mention of her parents at all).  He has been away at sea for so long, but he is coming home!  I'm guessing he will likely show up in the next book - although, judging from the author's website, it may be after that!  While Amazon only has one more book listed (book 5), the author's website shows a total of eight books: meaning that there may still be three more books to come after the next one!  That is good news indeed, as children should have well-written, engaging mysteries such as this to read - book that are not dumbed-down or simplified, as if children ages 7 to 10 are incapable of reading complex sentences and plots.

RATING: 8 bacon-eating giants out of 10 for showing us that even children's books can have believable characters that jump right off the page!

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 3 - The Case of the Phantom Cat

It is books like this that make me ask - what in the world is Simon & Schuster thinking with the publication of the current Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series?!?  How could it be possible that a mystery book aimed at children ages 7 to 10 could be written at a level higher than that of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, which should be aimed at pre-teens?  Or am I simply re-living my days of yester-year, when the publishers of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Dana Girls, and the like actually cared about the product they put on the shelves.

Regardless, Holly Webb (another British author, whose series of books are making their way into American readers' hands) has an enjoyable little series going on here, with a quick-thinking, albeit very youthful, detective.  Maisie Hitchins may be a servant girl in her grandmother's boarding house ... and she may live in a small room in the basement ... and she may not have a tutored education that her friend, Alice Lacey has ... but Maisie is always one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to solving mysteries!

First, she helped the butcher's boy, George, when he was accused of stealing from the cash register, and then she helped recover an actress' stolen emerald necklace.  Now, when she accompanies her friend Alice to a country estate, where Alice is being sent to recuperate from an illness, Maisie must find out who - or WHAT - is haunting the halls of Wisteria Lodge.  The horrific smell coming from under the library floor. The terrifying screeching that echoes through the halls.  And the spectral white cat that appears and disappears from room to room.  The few staff hired to help are scared out of their wits and leave Alice and Maisie to fend for themselves (as Alice's tutor, Miss Sidebotham, is pretty much useless and has nothing but disdain for the staff, including Maisie).  So, it's up to Maisie to get to the bottom of things before Alice calls her father to bring them back home (and just when Maisie was enjoying some time away from the cleaning chores and the basement bedroom!).

All three books in this series, so far, have been entertaining reads, and while definitely aimed at the younger audience, it doesn't make them any less enjoyable.  Trust me, I've read some books aimed at adults that didn't flow as smoothly, nor have as good characterization as these books do!  There are two more books in the series listed on Amazon, but I certainly hope that's not the end of the series - today's children need books like this, not only to spark their interest in reading, but to teach writing and grammar skills that seem to be lacking in today's society!

RATING:  9 screaming magpies out of 10 for keeping my faith alive that there might still be children's mysteries out there that aren't "dumbed down" for their readers.