SOMETHING WICKED

Horatio Wilkes returns for a second mystery set in Tennessee, and Gratz (Something Rotten, 2007) has again loosely based his plot on a Shakespearian play, this time Macbeth. During the Scottish Highland Games held on Birnam Mountain, the father of Mac, Horatio’s longtime friend, is found with his throat cut. Determined to learn the truth, Horatio investigates the suspects, speaking with bravado and zeroing in on Mac’s nasty girlfriend Beth. He uncovers a layered mystery involving betrayal and a hostile land takeover, while sparking a romance with Megan, a pixie-like girl working the festival. Part of the fun here is seeing how the story parallels the play. Border collie Spot is ordered to get out, and Bank is a piper whose bagpipes have been sabotaged on Mac’s order. Characters’ voices shift between teen and adult tones, with Horatio narrating the story in the manner of a 1940s world-weary private detective. Although it makes for a plot stretch, the author pulls the many threads together for a satisfying remake of one of the Bard’s most familiar works. (Mystery. YA)