Ernie Lindsey

I really wasn't sure how this book would be -- the cover, while well-done, is generic enough that it doesn't give much idea as to what the book will be like, and "The Marshmallow Hammer Detective Agency" sounds hokey enough that I was prepared for this book to be cheesy, corny, or over-the-top.

In the end, it wasn't any of that.

The plot reminds me a bit of [b:The Westing Game|902|The Westing Game|Ellen Raskin|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356850909s/902.jpg|869832], although less complex, and I could definitely imagine Hat and Turtle Wexler being friends. The story is actually quite touching and teaches Hat (and the reader) a good deal about life.

I'm disappointed that the situation with Frank wasn't more resolved (as an adult, it's heartbreaking to read about a child's unhappy, most likely unsafe, living conditions and not be able to do anything about it), but I was relieved at least to read in the author's note at the end that "Frank will be fine!" I was actually expecting a totally different conclusion to the mystery, one that would have provided some semblance of security for Frank. How cool would it have been if the Judge's case in which the wrong person went to jail was in fact Frank's dad's case, and Hat's whole mystery had resulted in Frank's dad's name being cleared? That was the conclusion I was rooting for.

Hopefully, in book #2 (because I am assuming there will be a book #2), we'll be provided a little more closure / happiness on the Frank front.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley.… (mer)

Fun, quick novel. Got a little overly-complicated, and like most time travel books, it works better if you don't over-analyse it. I read it now because I'm wanting to read some shorter stuff before I jump back into massive novels, and this was perfect for that purpose.

Audiobook notes - the reader (Rebecca Roberts) did a good job, although there was a character that suddenly developed a British accent halfway through the book; no doubt because that was the point where the accent was first mentioned.… (mer)