Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 5)

I bought the first in this series for my granddaughters, but I love them too. The characters, set in England so very long ago, are funny, smart, and very likeable. This is must reading for every young girl from 8 to 100+!I liked this one especially because Myrtle and her governess must solve a murder and mystery in Scotland, on a small remote island.

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity is the newest installment of the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series. Young Myrtle’s governess, Miss Judson has unexpectedly learned that she is the heir to an estate in Scotland. Myrtle’s father suggests that Myrtle accompany Miss Judson from their home in England to learn all they can about this new revelation. So off they go accompanied by Cook, the house keeper, and Peony the curious cat. This quartet have no clue that they are about to find themselves trying to solve not only the mystery of Miss Judson’s inheritance, but also the mystery of a murder in a haunted castle.This entertaining book in the series is slowed down by the author including the use of Scottish dialogue throughout the book. While giving a more authentic feel, it slowed down my enjoyment having to decipher the speech patterns. I have to say it even took Myrtle a while to get used to it, although she seemed to pick it up more readily than I.

I’d read these over and over. There are so many fun details and nuances. The author does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing until the very end.

This series is one of my favorites.Myrtle is fantastic. Her character voice is brilliant, and I love the footnotes sprinkled throughout the novel. I also really love how her character has developed and grown over the series so far.As always, the side characters shine as well. There are a number of new characters, as Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity takes place in Scotland, but some old friends from Swinburne appear as well. Honestly, Bunce does a wonderful job with her characters.Like I said above, there are several Scottish characters, and Bunce writes their dialogue with a Scottish accent. I liked how that added to the mood and setting, though there were a few times when I had to slow down reading and figure out what they were saying. 😂Like with the rest of Myrtle's books, you can expect some twists and turns that will keep you wondering what will happen next to Myrtle and company. The ending is such that Bunce could end the series here, but I sincerely hope that she doesn't. Besides, the ending also has hints of what might be next for Myrtle, in my opinion.Another satisfying Myrtle mystery that has me waiting for the next one.Cautions: one bleeped-out swear word; brief, non-graphic violence **It's been a little bit since I finished Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity, so I may have forgotten a caution(I received an eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.)

Trying to follow the heavy dialect throughout entire book was tiresome and gave me a headache. I sped through last quarter or so of book just to end it.

Sigh. I read this book in one day and now will have to wait for another as this one won't even be published until October 2023. (Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eARC.) The book starts with a mystery from the first sentence, as Miss Judson does not know the uncle who apparently died and left her a Scottish estate. This is only the first of twists and turns navigated by characters both familiar and new. Besides the many mysteries that are uncovered (including a murder and possibly more than one), Myrtle needs to find a way to keep Miss Judson from actually falling in love with Scotland. Readers who haven't read the earlier series entries will easily follow the plot, but I highly recommend they read others in the series first to appreciate the relationships between characters. All's well that ends well, although I'm glad to say there is plenty of room for more Myrtle adventures.

Myrtle is on the case in Scotland! What a fun setting for a brand new adventure for Myrtle, Miss Judson and Peony. The mystery of this one was interesting and made me laugh several times. Good read!

Myrtle and Ms. Judson take their escapades on the road, to the latter's newly inherited Scottish manor!Ms. Judson becomes the new Laird of a delapidated estate when her heretofore unknown uncle dies. She and Myrtle check it out, meet new friends, and of course, the bodycount rises.There's the impenetrable Scots dialect, ghosts, an arsonist, hounds and horses to consider while they are stranded on the manor's island.I can't get enough of Myrtle and Ms. Judson. Book 6 needs to come out soon!Continuing to recommend for middle schoolers