Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Twelve - The Mystery at Ocean Side

This twelfth book in the Samantha Wolfe Mysteries series, written by Tara Ellis, appears to be the last.  It was first published in 2022, which was four years ago, and I'm not finding any indication that another book was solicited or even hinted at by the author.  In today's market, a 12-book run is not bad; however, I can't deny my fondness of ongoing series (such as Nancy Drew, which has been ongoing for more than 90 years at this point!).  That being said, if this book is to be the final Samantha Wolf mystery, then Ellis did a bang up job of going out on a high note.  The mystery is creative, the new characters engaging, and the danger just enough to give the book some suspense.  Plus, Ellis does something surprising with the narrative form of this book - after 11 books written in the present tense, Ellis offers readers a break with this final mystery, as it is written completely in past tense!  As soon as I starting reading the first page, my mind immediately picked up on the difference - it was a smooth read without that initial jarring I usually felt when reading present tense tales.  I thought perhaps this first part would be a flashback, and she would switch to her standard present tense narrative, but nope.  Ellis maintained the past tense narrative throughout the entire book, making it the easiest read of the series!

 

That being said, The Mystery at Ocean Side introduces readers to Sam's new neighbor, Tanner Hobbs. He and his father have just moved to Ocean Side for two reasons: one, Mr. Hobbs has taken a new position with the same company who employs Mr. Parker (the father of Sam's best friend, Ally); and two, Mr. Hobbs has inherited the land in Ocean Side known as "Hobbit Hollow" - where an old resort owned by Tanner's grandfather burned down years ago, and the residents of Ocean Side believe is haunted by the ghost of the one person who died at the time.  Sam and Ally, and their brothers (Hunter and John, respectively), find young Tanner to be a bit off-putting, but gradually he warms up to the teens, and soon all five of them are camping with Mr. Hobbs on the land he has inherited.  Sam is excited at the prospect of exploring and, maybe, catching a glimpse of the so-called ghost.  Of course, the haunting of Hobbit Hollow is not the only mystery afoot.

 

Ellis throws in a bigger mystery involving the death of Mr. Hobbs' father and his Will.  It seems he left most of the land to Mr. Hobbs, but a small island just off the coast he has bequeathed to a woman named Stephanie Davis, who arrives in Ocean Side with her daughter, Alayna, to claim her inheritance!  Hobbs is taken by surprise, especially when Mrs. Davis claims to have no knowledge of Hobbs' father and no understanding of why he would leave her the island.  Sam senses there is much more here than meets the eye, and even though she has promised her parents not to get involved in any more mysteries, she cannot help herself.  She offers Tanner her help, and before you can blink an eye, Sam and the gang are assisting Tanner in his search for the truth - a search that leads them to a small cabin located in the woods of the Hobbs' property, where Tanner finds a journal left there by his grandfather.  A journal that has a number of drawings, all of which are clues to help Tanner "right a wrong" done generations ago!

 

It's a well-crafted mystery with fun clues, and while the culprit sort of comes out of left field (no one even knows this person exists until half-way through the book!), it is still an enjoyable read.  The missing treasure, the heart-breaking backstory, and the climactic confrontation with a gun-toting villain whose greed sees him threatening young teens without a second thought are all part of this dramatic story, and, of course, Sam's quick thinking is what manages to put the clues together to reveal the location of the long-lost treasure.

 

I'm kind of disappointed to see this series reach its end.  While it was not necessarily my favorite must-read series, it consistently offered decent mysteries with main characters that evolved and matured as the series progressed, gradually adding to the supporting cast (adding Hunter and John, as well as Cassie, along the way), and I though the addition of both Tanner and Alayna in this book would have offered some fresh blood into the series for future stories.  Who knows?  Two years passed between books 11 and 12, so perhaps sometime in the near future, Ellis will get inspired to revisit the world of Ocean Side and share another Samantha Wolf mystery with her fans.  If not, at least she can rest easy knowing she gave readers a solid 12-book series that is worth the read.

 

RATING:  8 plush armchairs with stuffing hanging out of 10 for offering up one final mystery for Samantha Wolf to solve, filled with ghosts, treasures, and wills - all the makings for a great story! 

Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Eleven - The Secret of Sanctuary

Thirteen-year old Samantha Wolf and her best friends, Allyson Parker and Cassy Covington, are back for another mystery in the eleventh installment of the Samantha Wolf mysteries by Tara Ellis.  Since there is always a somewhat lengthy break between my reading of each book in this series, it takes me a bit to get used to the present tense style of writing.  I still have not figured out why Ellis chose to take this route when writing this series, but I give her credit for sticking with it - eleven books, and still going strong (the twelfth book is out on Amazon, and I need to get it). 

The Secret of Sanctuary is a unique story, as Ellis brings into the mystery characters from an adult mystery series she writes called "The Secret of Sanctuary Cozy Mysteries," written under the pen name of Tara Myers and featuring a veterinarian named Ember Burns (who has red hair, go figure).  Cassy's older sister, Lisa, takes the girls (and Sam's brother Hunter, as well as Ally's brother John) for a week's vacation to the mountain town of Sanctuary for a week's vacation of camping, free from any and all danger and mystery.  Of course, this is Sam Wolf we are talking about, so we know from the get-go there is going to be some kind of mystery in Sanctuary (particularly since the local vet also happens to be a mystery-magnet as well!).  As with all of Ellis' prior books, this one has a slow build up before the reader learns what the mystery actually is.  In this case, it involves an archeological dig near the very campsite where the girls are camping and an old legend involving the cry of a Banshee.  A local old-timer says the Banshee has not been heard in years, but the professor and his five students messing around with the effigy mound could very well call the Banshee back to protect the sacred site.

Ellis does a great job of mixing in old legends with possible treasures, along with misunderstandings and mysterious strangers to create a mystery worth reading.  The strange sounds in the night ... the deadly trap with a wild bronco ... the crying girl in the bathroom stall ... the two men who don't seem to fit in with the rest of the town ... the disconnecting of the RV's battery ... Sam can't help but smell trouble brewing, and when she and Ally take off on their own to follow a potential suspect, it leads them right into the middle of it all - and they find themselves in greater danger than any they've faced before!  Ellis may start off a bit slow, but she definitely builds the danger and suspense towards the end, so that you can't put the book down until you've found out just how it's all going to end!

Now, admittedly, I knew nothing about Ellis' other series prior to reading this book.  My first discover of this was the introduction for this book, which tells readers about her adult mystery series.  I found the name "Ember Burns" rather amusing, and the town and its citizens rather quaint.  Maybe one day, I might go back and purchase the first book in that series just to see how it reads.

One thing I can definitely commend Ellis on is her dialogue and banter among the kids.  Sam and her brother, Hunter, definitely act like siblings.  And the camaraderie among Sam, Ally, and Cassy reads naturally, each with their own personality, playing well off the others.  It's also nice to see how she has not only aged the characters physically as the series progresses, but she has matured them, so that some of the childish rivalry we saw in the first several books has become more of a playful banter and, at times, a level of respect for one another.  Even Sam, who is the main character, has learned some self-control, as well as an ability not to fly off the handle with her brother and his teasing.  It's things like this that keeps the series real and enjoyable to read.

While one of the culprits turns out to be someone that is not so surprising, Ellis does provide a major twist with this person's co-conspirator.  I did not see that coming at all, but once revealed, it does rather make sense.  In fact, if you pay close attention as you read, the clues are there.

Overall, this is definitely one of the better books in the series.

RATING:  9 copies of True Stories of Terror to Keep You Up at Night out of 10 for another great story with a bit of an archaeological lesson thrown in for good fun!

Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Ten - Return to Hollow Inn

With this tenth book in the series, author Tara Ellis returns her characters to the place where they solved their first mystery: Hollow Inn.  That first book came out back in 2013, and this tenth book was published six years later in 2019.  In those six years, Samantha Wolf and her best friend, Allyson Parker, have shared some adventures and solved some mysteries and helped a number of people along the way - all the in the span of barely a year in their time.  Faithful readers have watched Sam and Ally grow in so many ways, as they have learned much along the way in terms of not only dealing with their emotions and with other people, but also in deciphering clues and figuring out the toughest mysteries.  So, it's rather fun to read long as they return to "the scene of the crime," so to speak, with hopes of having a relaxing week with no mysteries or adventures ... yeah, right!

There have been a number of changes to Hollow Inn since that first mystery, and as Sam and Ally Return of Hollow Inn, they are in for some surprises.  Sam's aunt and uncle have added cabins, they are conducting tours of the woods surrounding the property, and they have fixed up the inn to make it cozy and welcoming for guests.  Tori Castle is now the caretaker, and the girls are excited about the prospect of staying alone in one of the cabins, with Tori staying in the nearby caretaker's cabin.  One of the guests is also a rather rude author who just wants to be left alone, but who Sam catches in places he shouldn't be.  She is told to ignore him, as he is researching for his next book.  Everything is nearly perfect, except for one thing - Sam's cousin, Kevin, is also staying at the Inn, sent there by his parents to ensure he stays out of trouble (which he apparently has a habit of getting into).  Sam has a troubled history with the boy, and she she does not look forward to spending a week with him around.

Until the young son of one of the guests disappears into the woods across the lake.  The woods that adjoin the property next to Hollow Inn, where a commune has been established.  And the owner of that commune has been causing problems for Hollow Inn, trying to keep them from getting necessary permits to run the Inn and doing everything he can to get them to sell the property.  Yup, looks like Sam and Ally's week is going to be anything but relaxing!

Ellis crafts a pretty good mystery, although there are certain elements that are pretty obvious from the get-go.  Tori (the caretaker) used to be in military, so Sam wonders why she would take a job as a caretaker at an inn nestled deep in the mid-western woods.  While the question is asked repeatedly throughout the story, astute readers will easily pick up on the answer pretty early on during the search for the missing boy.  The mystery surrounding the commune is a bit more in-depth, however.  When I think of "commune," I usually think of a cult where a self-serving leader deceives people into joining his "family," but once they are there, he uses force to keep them isolated from the outside world.  And while this is partially the case in the story, there is another element to the commune that does not get revealed until the end.

And the final showdown with the bad guys at the end is actually pretty intense.  Of course, the conveniently timed appearance of that author I mentioned earlier ends up saving the day.  Which isn't as cliche as it sounds, as the author's name in the book happens to be Mr. Appleton.  Now, any fan of children's series books should automatically recognize that name - after all, Victor Appleton is the pseudonym Edward Stratemeyer used for his various Tom Swift series over the years.  Ellis, though, turns the tables a bit here, as in this story, Mr. Appleton uses a pseudonym (C.K. Everson) for the books he writes!  After the "Penelope" character in the previous book, and the "Appleton" character in this one, I can't help but feel Ellis is giving some wonderful nods to the children's series books of yester-year!

Once again, this series continues to be enjoyable to read, and I'm glad Ellis continued it beyond the 10-book run.

RATING:  8 ripped out pages of an old diary out of 10 for returning Sam and Ally to the beginning with a completely new mystery!

Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Eight - The Legend of Shadow Mountain

The Samantha Wolf Mystery series has turned out to be a surprisingly fun series to read.  It's kind of a shame that the series is not picked up by a major publisher and marketed for sale in bookstores and such.  There are way too few mystery series for children on the shelves today - everything seems geared for fantasy or school-oriented series, and not even Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys have very many books on the shelves (which is so sad, when I can remember the bookstores, and even department stories, carried shelves and shelves of those series!).  But, until such time as the Samantha Wolf Mystery series becomes the next big thing in bookstores, I'll continue to watch for them to show up on Amazon and keep buying them!

The Legend of Shadow Mountain is the eighth book in the series, and this time around Samantha and her friends face something much more frightening than a mystery to solve - they face the danger of the Alaskan wilderness!  Sam, Ally and Cassy are excited to be flying up to Alaska to spend time with Sam's father, who has been up in Alaska for months working, earning money to support the family.  Sam's brother (Hunter) and Ally's brother (John) are joining them, and they share the small plane ride up the coast with a young woman and her toddler son.  Everything is going just fine, and Sam is just beginning to think this trip may not hold any adventure to it, when the pilot decides to take a quick detour to show them some of the beautiful mountain ranges where panning for gold was a big thing back in the day - but that detour turns to terror when the plane ends up going down into the woods, crashing and severely injuring the pilot!

Ellis sets aside the mystery element in exchange for a survival story, as John and Hunter must lead the three girls on a trek up the mountain to find a spot high enough to send a signal that they hope emergency planes may see in order to rescue them.  The pilot may not have long to live, and with the mountainside woods filled with bears and other possible dangers, the five youngsters are forced to stick together, put aside their differences, and face their fears to make the trek through the dense woods.  Of course, there is also the legend of the Taquka-aq, the Kodiak bear, which is said to protect the infamous Shadow Mountain.  No one dares climb that mountain, and those that do have faced dire consequences!  So, of course, it is that very same Shadow Mountain that Sam and her friends must climb in order to burn the signal fires for help!

And, Ellis can't help but sneak in a little bit of a mystery into the story involving a gold miner who fell in love with one of the locals, only to disappear one day into the mountain, never to be seen again.  As the group makes their way up the mountainside, they come across a small cabin that may have been used by that miner back in the day, and Sam notices a strange symbol on the lantern in the cabin ... finding a similar symbol carved into a tree not that far away ... and yet another similar symbol on another tree.  Just what do these symbols mean?  Sam, Ally, Cassy, Hunter, and John not only figure out the meaning, but they ultimately uncover a shocking find that could lay to rest a mystery that has been unsolved for more than 50 years!  (Leave it to Sam to turn a dangerous situation into yet another mystery!)

This is not your typical Samantha Wolf mystery, but it is a refreshing change of pace that allows for all of the characters to show some of the growth their characters have been experiencing as the series progresses.  And that is another thing I enjoy about the series - the characters are not stagnant.  They age, they learn, they grow, they mature - they are "real" people.  Yes, the books continue to be written in present tense, which can be a bit jarring when 99% of the books you read are all in past tense, but the stories are engaging enough that by the third or fourth chapter, you no longer take notice (and I'm not sure if it's because my mind is automatically reverting everything to past tense, or if it's just because the stories are THAT good!).

I still have several more books in this series to read, and I hope that Ellis plans to keep the series going indefinitely, so that we can watch Sam age well into her teens and solve hundreds of mysteries!

RATING:  9 antique lockets out of 10 for changing things up a bit and placing Sam and her friends in a situation where it will take more than a few clues to get them out of it!