Shirley Link & The Treasure Chest

Great read with lots of fun & twists.

This is the third book in the Shirley Link series, and if anything the books are getting better as we go on. In this one Shirley is fresh from some discoveries she made while exploring and mapping her town's underground sewer system, and she's totally into pirates and lost treasure. As luck would have it the girl detective turns up a clue about a treasure that might be hidden somewhere in her town, and its off to the races we go.The mystery here is somewhere between the introductory level mysteries aimed at early readers and the more demanding YA fare that often features a lot more drama, romance and angst. These are more adventure oriented with a mystery aspect; there's more action, less scene setting, less menace, and less complex plots. The stories seem to fit the interests and abilities of that sometimes overlooked middle grade group of readers, and if you want lifelong readers it seems to me that that is exactly the group you want to get fired up about books.Working in our favor is the fact that this book does give us an interesting and engaging heroine. Sometimes she goes right up to the edge of being a bit too full of herself, but she's always reeled in before becoming obnoxious. Plus, I think that's the risk you take when your character is full of snappy patter and snarky insight, and I think most middle graders would rather have a character who's a bit too much rather than one who's blah. It helps that the book is seasoned with two associate/friends who get some good lines of their own and who keep Shirley honest, even if they do have to stay second bananas. It's also particularly appealing that both of Shirley Link's parents are sharp cookies in their own right. Its refreshing to have parents here who ask the right questions and give good advice and guidance.And, some of the middle-grade-hard-boiled dialogue really is very funny, and well aimed at the middle grade sensibility. None of it is mean, and the author has committed to the character, so there's no ironic detachment or parody. This is a straight up old-school whiz bang mystery adventure, with an updated and modern sensibility.So, you have an engaging personality in your heroine, a decent mystery, solid writing craftsmanship, better than average dialogue, and a bit of attitude. Not bad at all.Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

The third book In this series sees Shirley and friends attempting to save a woman from eviction from her home. Shirley has already got a project on hand, which is to map the sewers of the town – without her parents finding out she’s found a way in. However when it seems there are clues to hidden treasure involving both the potentially homeless woman and Shirley’s own ancestry, how can she not step in and solve the case?This is a really well-constructed puzzle, full of interesting titbits about art, gold, sewers and pirates. The discovery of the treasure is ingenious, and needs team work and trust, not to mention bravery and a good flashlight.It’s got great pacing, and I really couldn’t put it down, although I had to, which made me continue puzzling over the plot until I could get back to it. Shirley’s best adventure to date, I think, although it’s hard to beat the first one! Great twists, great characters and pirate treasure! What more could one want?