Review: Deadly Fall by Susan Calder

Deadly Fall by Susan Calder. A Paula Savards Mystery. TouchWood Editions Hardcover, March 2011.

Though the murder mystery in this debut is relatively weak and often secondary to scenes involving Paula's personal life, this well-developed and interesting amateur sleuth is strong enough to lead a series, one who readers will want to know better in subsequent investigations.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Deadly Fall by Susan Calder.

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First Clues, Mysteries for Kids: New Titles for May 2011

First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is pleased to announce a selection of new mystery, suspense and thriller books (including series books) scheduled for publication during May 2011, listed in approximate order of reading level, from books for younger readers to books for teens.

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The Circus Mystery 
David A. Adler
Young Cam Jansen (17th in series)

Cam and her friend Eric are having a great time at the circus with Aunt Molly -- that is, until their box of popcorn goes missing. Did they lose it, or was it stolen? It's up to Cam and her photographic memory to figure it out!

The Young Cam Jansen mysteries are recommended for readers aged 4 to 6.

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Mr. Fixit's Lucky Day 
Natalie Shaw
The Busytown Mysteries

Mr. Fixit finds gold pirate coins at Busytown Beach -- and promptly loses them! Can Huckle Cat solve the mystery?

The Busytown Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 4 to 6.

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Mystery of the Missing Luck 
Jacqueline Pearce

Sara loves her grandmother's bakery. It's a special place -- not only because of its delicious Japanese buns and pastries. She enjoys spending time with her obaachan, her grandmother. But things aren't going well for the bakery. When the bakery's lucky cat statue goes missing, Sara wonders if the bakery's luck is gone for good. But then a mysterious cat appears in the backyard one night and inspires a plan. With the help of her friend, Jake, Sara just might find the statue and restore the bakery's lost luck.

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Designed for Disaster 
Carolyn Keene
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew (29th in series)

Nancy Drew and her classmates have the chance to submit their own fashion designs to a big-time competition -- and the chance to model their designs in a fashion show. On a team with her best friends George and Bess, Nancy comes up with some truly original clothing ideas and her team is chosen! But someone keeps sabotaging the contest along the way -- stealing designs, hiding sample pieces, and tripping up the models. Can the Clue Crew find the culprit before the River Heights fashion show is canceled?

Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew mysteries are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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The Pirate's Blood and Other Case Files 
Simon Cheshire
Saxby Smart, Private Detective (3rd in series)

Saxby solves three more daunting cases: The Pirate's Blood, The Mystery of Mary Rogers, and The Lunchbox of Notre Dame. With the help of his Thinking Chair (located in his headquarters/parents' tool shed), his sharp mind, and his two best friends, Saxby proves once again that age makes no difference when it comes to cracking the case.

The Saxby Smart case files are recommended for readers aged 7 to 9.

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Trapped on the D.C. Train! 
Ron Roy
The Capital Mysteries (13th in series)

Marshall and KC have tickets to ride! They're taking the express train from Union Station—it even has a special VIP car at the back just for the vice president, the kids, and the secret service agents to travel in. But while KC and Marshall are exploring the train, someone unhitches the vice president's car! And now that someone is searching, car by car, for KC and Marshall. There's nowhere to run!

The Capital Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Rosemary for Remembrance 
Felicity Pulman
The Janna Mysteries (1st in series)

When Janna is saved from a wild boar by the villain Godric, she's not sure whether to kiss him or slap him, as the last thing she needs is a beau. Janna wants the freedom to follow her dreams, and a marriage proposal isn't in her plans. But Janna's life is shattered when her mother Eadgyth dies suddenly, and Janna suspects poison. With so many suspects, Janna will need all her courage and skill to bring the murderer to justice. Who can she trust when Godric and even Hugh, the dashing nobleman, have secrets that threaten her safety?

The Janna Mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Horton Halfpott: or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset 
Tom Angleberger

When M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), it sets off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery.

This comic mystery is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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I So Don't Do Famous 
Barrie Summy
A Sherry Holmes Baldwin Mystery (4th in series)

Having a boyfriend in eighth grade makes me kind of a celebrity at school. I'm also known throughout the spirit world -- I've helped my ghost mom solve some tough cases. And now I'm on my biggest one of all ... in Hollywood!

Everyone is so famous here. But there's no time for stargazing. Somehow I managed to stumble upon a mystery right on Hollywood Boulevard. Homes of young celebs are being burglarized, and it's up to me to figure out who's behind the million dollar crimes -- and prove it to the Beverly Hills police. And to complicate things? The ghost of a teen star is dying to help me. One thing you never hear in the land of glitz and glamour? I so don't do famous.

The Sherry Holmes Baldwin mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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A Tale of Two Castles 
Gail Carson Levine

Newly arrived in the town of Two Castles, Elodie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to a brilliant dragon named Meenore, and together they solve mysteries. Their most important case concerns the town’s shape-shifting ogre, Count Jonty Um: Someone is plotting against him. Elodie must disguise herself to discover the source of the threat amid a cast of characters that includes a greedy king, a giddy princess, and a handsome cat trainer.

This historical fantasy/mystery is recommended for readers aged 10 to 12.

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Movie Menace: Deathstalker Trilogy Book 1 
Franklin W. Dixon
Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers

Frank and Joe Hardy are assigned to pose as extras on the set of the an upcoming teen movie, Deathstalker. The star, an ingenue named Anya, believes that someone is out to get her -- and she's got proof. Someone tried to burn down her trailer! The Undercover Brothers need to get to the bottom of the arson, and other mayhem surrounding the filming of the hit comic book.

The Hardy Boys mysteries are recommended for readers aged 10 and older.

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Spear of Destiny 
G. M. Dyrek
The Seer and the Scribe (Book One)

In medieval Germany, Hildegard of Bingen was born with a gift -- the ability to see beyond this earthly realm. But a gift can also be a burden, especially when Hildegard's vision helps her witness the vicious murder of a monk at the monastery of Disibodenberg.

When the peace of the monastery is shattered by a second gruesome murder, Hildegard seeks the help of Volmar, her trusted scribe. He discovers a treacherous plot to seize the Spear of Destiny -- a holy relic rumored to bear a curse that haunts anyone who tries to wield its power for their own purposes.

Volmar and Hildegard are cast into a web of violence and intrigue spawned by the greed of power-hungry noblemen, deceitful clerics, and the ambitions of a secret society sworn to protect the warriors of the Crusades.

This new mystery series is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Kiss of Death 
Lauren Henderson

Scarlett thought Dan McAndrew's murder was long behind her, but when she and her classmates arrive in Edinburgh for a weeklong field trip, she's startled to be joined by her old St. Tabby's cohorts -- and enemies -- who are visiting the area on a field trip as well. Even more startling, Callum, Dan's surviving twin, is in the area -- and his cold treatment leaves Scarlett wondering what's changed, especially when a series of attacks makes her believe that someone's out to get her for her past mistakes. Would Callum ever hurt her, though? And what's Scarlett to make of her conflicting feelings for Callum, now that Jase isn't around? Even more upsetting, why is her most trusted confidante, Taylor, acting distant and dismissive?

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Dead is Not an Option 
Marlene Perez
A Giordano Sisters Thriller (5th in series)

It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall — and if it will be anywhere near her boyfriend, Ryan. But that’s not the only uncertainty Daisy’s dealing with. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, and things are so tense that there is talk of canceling the prom. The conflict is carrying over to the Giordano home, since Rose and Daisy are both dating werewolves and Poppy’s new boyfriend is a vampire.

Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace? And will Daisy and her friends survive graduation?

A Giordano Sisters paranormal mysteries are recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Tighter 
Adele Griggin

When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple's tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl — and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie's connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead.

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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Loon Island 
Donna Gamache

Fourteen-year-old Alex O'Grady has tried to forget the past. But the past is hard to forget when everyone keeps reminding you of it. People stare at Alex, kids at school avoid him and customers at the restaurant where his mom works know exactly who she is and what happened to their family. Alex's mother decides that they need a break, so she takes Alex and his sisters to Family Camp at Loon Island, hoping to find some peace of mind. Alex would rather be on his own, but Jerry, a persistent kid from out of town, makes an attempt at friendship during the boat ride to the island. Although Alex is hesitant to trust anyone, Jerry doesn't know about his past, and having someone to hang out with might not be so bad.

When the two boys start exploring the camp, they discover signs that there is an intruder in their midst. But by the time Alex and Jerry figure out the identity of the mysterious trespasser, they realize they are in way over their heads. Is the past doomed to repeat itself?

This mystery is recommended for readers aged 13 and older.

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First Clues: Mysteries for Kids is your source for information on over 200 mystery series for children and young adults, where each series is conveniently listed under four different age categories (New Sleuths, ages 4 to 6; Future Sleuths, ages 7 to 9; Sleuths in Training, ages 10 to 12; and Apprentice Sleuths, ages 13 and older).

Review: Devil's Slew by Darryl Wimberley

Devil's Slew by Darryl Wimberley. A Barrett Raines Mystery. Minotaur Books Hardcover, March 2011.

The narrative is both folksy and edgy, an interesting mix that fits well with the characters, setting, and overall plot. Basically a police procedural, there are also, towards the end, a couple of weakly developed whodunit elements that serve a purpose but don't really test Bear Raines's (or the reader's) deductive reasoning.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: Devil's Slew by Darryl Wimberley.

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Read the first chapter(s) of Devil's Slew below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.

Review: May Magic by Ron Roy

May Magic by Ron Roy. A Calendar Mystery. Random House Mass Market Paperback, March 2011.

This entertaining early chapter book for young readers has several funny scenes and will no doubt elicit some laughs along the way, though some readers may be slightly disappointed that there is no "mystery" per se for the kids to solve.

Read the full text of our review at Mysterious Reviews: May Magic by Ron Roy.

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Read the first chapter(s) of May Magic below. Use the Aa settings button to adjust text size, line spacing, and word density.