Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Mystery
Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Morgan C.
Talbot is a fan of puzzles and enjoys geocaching as a hobby as well as many
other outdoor activities. She lives with her family in Eastern Washington. This
is her third book in this series and I just discovered she has written several
books in a different genre using a different name.
Description:
“Margarita
and Bindi have big plans for the Fourth of July, involving borrowed bicycles, a
geocaching power trail, live podcasts, and plenty of fun. But their day quickly
goes awry when they stumble upon what looks like a murder in progress.
Strange
rivalries and secret alliances test Margarita’s puzzle-solving skills, and
Bindi suffers a rather painful setback when she comes face to face with someone
she never thought she’d see again.
The overly
stoic sheriff can’t be in two places at once, so the girls need to figure out
whodunit and rescue the next potential victim before the explosive finale.”
Appraisal:
This is the
third book of Talbot’s Caching Out series and my favorite thus far. Trying to
understand why it was my favorite I had an epiphany. Although varied in the
specifics, they all have many of the same things. Margarita and her roommate,
Bindi, who is a native of Australia, are the main characters. Their hobby of
geocaching is part of the story in some way, although how much of the story and
mystery involves this pastime is inconsistent. They always stumble onto an
apparent murder victim and Margarita’s obsession with solving puzzles drives
her to try and solve the crime. But none of that explains why this is my
favorite.
One
possibility is that instead of the main characters being Margarita and her
sidekick, this time around Bindi took a more central role, seeming like less of
a sidekick and more of an equal. I liked that, but don’t think that’s the
answer. Finally I came to the conclusion that there were two reasons. One, just
a touch of humor seemed to have crept into the writing that either wasn’t there
before, or I maybe I didn’t notice it. One example is this description of
Bindi’s former fiancé, who we’ve never met in person, but certainly heard
about.
Garrick had been her knight in
shining armor. She wouldn’t have cared if he’d had a harelip, a third eyeball,
and a burning desire to enter politics.
Another
example was a reference to the FSM (the Flying Spaghetti Monster, for the
uninitiated). That’s a reference many wouldn’t get and relatively few would be
as amused by it as I was.
I also
concluded that with a series like this an author has a balancing act between
formula and keeping things fresh. There is a certain formula that develops
(same characters, similar situations, settings, and so on). That might not
sound good, but to a point it is because the reader gets to “know” the
characters and develop an affinity for them. Which is what I think has happened
with me.
FYI:
Although
part of a series, each book stands alone and shouldn’t require reading prior
books to understand and enjoy later books in the series.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating: ***** Five stars
Rating: ***** Five stars
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