Genre:
Mystery
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.”
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.
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.
Added
for Reprise Review: Nine
Feet Under was a nominee in
the Mystery category for B&P 2014 Readers' Choice Awards.
Original review ran October 7, 2013.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 60-65,000 words
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