When three unsuspecting friends meet each other at the Barclay Hotel, hidden high in the mountains of Colorado, they decide to team up and solve a mystery. It’s fun to see how each of them uses their strengths to add to the teamwork. JJ doesn’t love to read but he sure enjoys hunting ghosts. Penny is a realist who loves books and dreams of being brave. Emma has the excitement and energy to encourage the team and brings a bit of her own suspense to the table. No detail is too frivolous as they enjoy the search for the mysterious. This team is a bit like a modern version of Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. There are adult characters, too, who are each facing their own real-life secrets; however, it is our team of three that teaches the adults what cooperation, communication, and quick thinking really looks like. This well-told tale is sure to keep your young, or maybe even reluctant, reader turning pages as they take a trip to the snowy regions of Colorado.
The author, Fleur Bradley, whose writing would likely make Agatha Christie proud, does a splendid job of describing the hotel and making the reader feel as if they are roaming the halls or even sitting in the library with one of our characters. With just the right amount of spookiness and suspense, the author has done a first-rate job keeping this story kid friendly. When the truth is finally uncorked, everybody is in for a rewarding and gratifying ending. I look forward to reading more of Fleur Bradley’s books.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Viking Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: A man was previously murdered by poison, no gory details; 2 kids stuck on an elevator, some smoke; mention of a young mother and her young teen daughter who both died of the same rare disease; a man is struck on the head and left out in the snow, not detailed or gory; a friend purposefully breaks an expensive item and doesn’t tell about it.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Adults with secrets (not sexual), tarot cards, ghosts.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
