Following in the spine-tingling tracks of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, Susan Runholt?s second book featuring super sleuths Kari and Lucas is just as smart and fast-paced as the first!
August 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-Runholt's second mystery starring 14-year-old best friends Kari and Lucas offers readers light intrigue in a lush Scottish setting. When Kari's mother, a magazine reporter, is sent to Edinburgh to interview Seneca Crane, a 15-year-old piano prodigy, the girls get to tag along. Upon meeting Seneca, they realize that the young pianist is not only talented, but also very lonely. She is under the constant tutelage of her mother, stepfather, and overbearing tutor. The three girls quickly become friends despite Seneca's hectic rehearsal schedule. When she is kidnapped after a performance, Kari and Lucas sidestep some shady characters and supersleuth their way to a daring rescue. Readers will admire the girls' independence and tenacity, even if Kari's narrative voice is a bit silly at times. (She uses the word "meep" as a substitution for foul language.) Reluctant readers will enjoy the pacing, which neither rushes the mystery nor drags out the clues. The author skillfully weaves facts about Scottish culture and geography into the narrative while the rainy Highlands setting offers a bit of drama to a somewhat tame mystery."Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ"
Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2010
The teen-girl detectives from The Mystery of the Third Lucretia are back. This time, best friends Kari and Lucas are hot on the trail of a piano prodigy kidnapped during her Edinburgh Festival premiere. Too many details lead to some draggy patches, but the story's mix of friendship, adventure, and mystery will keep readers turning pages.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)