CM February 16, 1996. Vol. II, Number 18

image Special Reprint:
The Mystery of the Missing Will.

Jeni Mayer.
Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press, 1992. 158pp, paper, $7.00.
ISBN 0-920633-90-0. CIP.

Grades 5 - 8 / Ages 10 -13.
Review by Joanne Robertson.

Review orignally published in CM, May 1992.

The deserted St. Vincent mansion on the Saskatchewan prairie attracts the explorations of Samantha and Meredith during their summer holidays. What begins as a diversion grows into an absorbing mystery that captures the girls' imaginations and places them in real physical danger.

Is the house haunted? Did Meredith really hear a ghost whisper the words, "Find my will"? And what do those words mean? Curious, the girls delve into the past of the people who lived in the old mansion. Events follow each other quickly in this fast-paced tale. Jeni Mayer blends the eerie atmosphere of ghostly happenings with real-life events very effectively.

The characters of Meredith and Samantha are the most fully developed. Their relationships with their families are woven throughout the story of their search to solve the mystery. Meredith lives with her mother, who holds down two jobs in order to make ends meet. Samantha's parents "were always going to glamorous parties or jetting off to some wonderful place." Meredith, sometimes jealous of Samantha, learns a lesson about being rich and being poor.

The Mystery of the Turtle Lake Monster, and is sure to win her even more fans.

Joanne Robertson, Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cmeditor@mts.net

Copyright © 1996 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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