THE CASE OF THE SMUGGLER'S CURSE

A group of friends joins forces to investigate a crew of suspicious seafaring adults.

When new friends Max Green, Lucy Yeung, Joe Carter, and Charlotte Wells (who prefers to go by Charlie) spot a strange man standing on the sea wall in their quiet English seaside town of Southwold, they suspect something sinister is up. When Charlie’s little dog, Sherlock, charges at the man, his rage-filled response results in both Sherlock and the children nearly drowning. This is just the beginning of the friends’ fraught interactions with a cast of over-the-top villains. However, readers are saved from experiencing much real suspense due to convenient, too-tidy circumstances and plot twists. The plot is entertaining, if predictable; adventure-loving readers will find the developing friendships between the four children amusing and the mystery moderately exciting. Yet, even though the novel touches on the horrors of animal smuggling and sprinkles many scenes with humor, this light, fun read misses opportunities to dig deeper into its characters, themes, and storylines. Disappointingly, the author uses physical characteristics—such as beady eyes, crooked teeth, and wobbling jowls—in a stigmatizing way to negatively describe villains and unlikable characters. Lucy’s surname points to Chinese ancestry; Max appears on the cover with brown skin, but the text gives no indication of his race. Other characters seem to default to White. Illustrations not seen.

A jolly adventure story that skims the surface.