The Clue In The Trees (Northwoods #2) by Margi Preus
Blurb:
Francie’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It’s a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.
But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.
In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.
The Clue in the Trees takes place in a small town in northern Minnesota, though which side of the state it doesn't specify (probably not the Wisconsin side in my opinion). If you're looking for a book that's a short, easy read that perfectly describes the atmosphere of the northern Midwest, this is definitely your series. But as for mystery? I'm not so sure.
We meet our heroine (or re-meet if you've read the first book.) when she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds her long-lost brother sitting in the living room of her apartment at 3 am. Two things immediately sprung to mind as I read this:
1. Someone let themselves into your apartment at 3 am and you don't question that? Especially when they tell you to follow them to a gift shop? At 3 am?!?
2. What 17-year-old has their own apartment?!?!
Anyway, it isn't long before a murder occurs. But even though Francie has been compared to Nancy Drew, she's not really what I'd think of when I think girl detective. Probably because she keeps telling everyone she has no interest in solving the murder and because she doesn't seem to have the curiosity needed for the type of character she's supposed to be. Don't you want to find out what happened?
Most of this book seems to steer away from the murder investigation, instead focusing on Francie's missing or possibly dead mother and a missing silver box. The author also off-shoots into things like crude oil pipelining, protesting the pipelining, a Greek play the school is putting on, and a bunch of stuff one could do in a small country town in northern Minnesota. Then the ending and the motive for the murder was just so ridiculous it was comical.
There wasn't just enough mystery for me. I thought this book would be more in the line of a teenage sleuth reminiscent of Mrs. Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, or even something along the lines of Texas Gothic or Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore. I also didn't feel like the characters felt like modern teenagers. The phrases they used, like "skedaddle", sounding more like someone in the 1950s or 1960s would use, if even then and their use of things - whether social media or computers or cell phones seemed lacking.
What this book did remind me of was something one of the local authors in my north-central Wisconsin area would write, something that might get sold in a local store for a 'flavor of the area' type thing. And if I didn't know this book was set in Minnesota I would have been more apt to believe it was more likely set in Yooper-land (Northern Michigan).
Despite all that, I can't exactly say how I feel about this book. I neither loved it nor disliked it. It did move fast, which is always good, but I just feel sort of indifferent about the book as a whole. It was made to sound like a YA novel, but I believe it is much better suited for a Middle-Grade audience.
My Rating:
3.5 of 5 stars
Grab a copy of The Clue In the Trees for yourself!
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo
About the Author:
Margi Preus is a New York Times bestselling author of several books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor book, Heart of a Samurai, the Minnesota Book Award-winning West of the Moon, and Shadow on the Mountain, a Notable Book for a Global Society. New in 2015 is Enchantment Lake, a Northwoods mystery, and The Bamboo Sword, which Bookpage says is “historical fiction at its best.”
“Margi Preus has a remarkable ability to create fascinating, page-turning stories that transport readers to faraway times and places. Whether she’s evoking Norway during World War II or 19th century Japan, Preus combines impeccable research with strong characterization and plot—the very elements that draw readers into history and spark the curiosity to learn more.” Bookpage, Sept. 2015
Connect with Margi Online:
Website- http://www.margipreus.com
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/262456.Margi_Preus
Twitter- https://twitter.com/MargiPreus
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/MargiPreusBooks
ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:
• 1 copy of THE CLUE IN THE TREES by Margi Preus
• It can be read as a standalone
• US Only
 |
| The Clue In The Trees Northwoods #2 by Margi Preus Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Release Date: September 19, 2017 Genre: Young Adult, Mystery |
Francie’s brother Theo has secrets—secrets Francie thinks she wants to know. But what if one of those secrets is that Theo is a murderer? To avoid considering that possibility, Francie plunges into her senior year at a small-town high school near Enchantment Lake in northern Minnesota. It’s a radical change from her private school in New York, but she hopes to keep an eye on her great aunts and maybe finally learn more about the mother she never knew. A small silver box seems to hold the answers, and she is determined to get her hands on it.
But when her long-lost brother turns up, so does a dead body, and once again Francie is drawn into a mystery. A long list of suspects, with Theo at the top, keeps her head spinning. When Francie herself becomes a suspect she starts to feel like she is walking on thin ice, but it isn’t until she is literally walking on thin ice that the pieces start to come together—and by then it may be too late.
In her previous adventure Enchantment Lake, Francie was thrown into northern Minnesota lake living: fishing, berry picking, lost kayaks and scary boat rides, poisoned hotdishes, exploding bulldozers, a forest fire . . . and murder. But if she thinks things have settled down, she’s in for a surprise. A new school with new friends (and a few enemies), a lead role in a play, an encounter with a giant muskie, archaeological twists, secret tunnels, thin ice, and a strangely sticky murder are all coming her way in The Clue in the Trees.
The Clue in the Trees takes place in a small town in northern Minnesota, though which side of the state it doesn't specify (probably not the Wisconsin side in my opinion). If you're looking for a book that's a short, easy read that perfectly describes the atmosphere of the northern Midwest, this is definitely your series. But as for mystery? I'm not so sure.
We meet our heroine (or re-meet if you've read the first book.) when she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds her long-lost brother sitting in the living room of her apartment at 3 am. Two things immediately sprung to mind as I read this:
1. Someone let themselves into your apartment at 3 am and you don't question that? Especially when they tell you to follow them to a gift shop? At 3 am?!?
2. What 17-year-old has their own apartment?!?!
Anyway, it isn't long before a murder occurs. But even though Francie has been compared to Nancy Drew, she's not really what I'd think of when I think girl detective. Probably because she keeps telling everyone she has no interest in solving the murder and because she doesn't seem to have the curiosity needed for the type of character she's supposed to be. Don't you want to find out what happened?
Most of this book seems to steer away from the murder investigation, instead focusing on Francie's missing or possibly dead mother and a missing silver box. The author also off-shoots into things like crude oil pipelining, protesting the pipelining, a Greek play the school is putting on, and a bunch of stuff one could do in a small country town in northern Minnesota. Then the ending and the motive for the murder was just so ridiculous it was comical.
There wasn't just enough mystery for me. I thought this book would be more in the line of a teenage sleuth reminiscent of Mrs. Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, or even something along the lines of Texas Gothic or Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore. I also didn't feel like the characters felt like modern teenagers. The phrases they used, like "skedaddle", sounding more like someone in the 1950s or 1960s would use, if even then and their use of things - whether social media or computers or cell phones seemed lacking.
What this book did remind me of was something one of the local authors in my north-central Wisconsin area would write, something that might get sold in a local store for a 'flavor of the area' type thing. And if I didn't know this book was set in Minnesota I would have been more apt to believe it was more likely set in Yooper-land (Northern Michigan).
Despite all that, I can't exactly say how I feel about this book. I neither loved it nor disliked it. It did move fast, which is always good, but I just feel sort of indifferent about the book as a whole. It was made to sound like a YA novel, but I believe it is much better suited for a Middle-Grade audience.
My Rating:
3.5 of 5 stars
Grab a copy of The Clue In the Trees for yourself!
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo
About the Author:
“Margi Preus has a remarkable ability to create fascinating, page-turning stories that transport readers to faraway times and places. Whether she’s evoking Norway during World War II or 19th century Japan, Preus combines impeccable research with strong characterization and plot—the very elements that draw readers into history and spark the curiosity to learn more.” Bookpage, Sept. 2015
Connect with Margi Online:
Website- http://www.margipreus.com
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/262456.Margi_Preus
Twitter- https://twitter.com/MargiPreus
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/MargiPreusBooks
• 1 copy of THE CLUE IN THE TREES by Margi Preus
• It can be read as a standalone
• US Only
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