Book Review: Legend of the Gilded Saber by Sigmund Brouwer (Accidental Detectives #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: The wonderful characters are always entertaining.

Cons: The plot is weaker then others in the series.

The Bottom Line:

Not the series best

Characters always are great

Make book worth reading

Ricky Tackles a Museum Mystery

When the Accidental Detectives Series was reissued a few years back, three additional novels were written. Legend of the Gilded Saber is one of those books. And you can bet I was anxious to read it.

You see, the series itself is wonderful. The adventures surround Ricky Kidd, a twelve year old who always seems to find himself caught up in mysteries. His partners in these adventures are best friends Mike Andrews and Ralphy Zee. Then there's Lisa Higgins. While none of the guys will admit it, they all like her. And she's a pretty big help, too.

This particular book finds the four friends heading to Charleston South Carolina. They have been invited to spend a week visiting Mike's uncle, Ted Emmett, relaxing and learning some history first hand. But they have hardly arrived before the museum where Mike's cousin works is robbed of several Civil War relics. To make matters worse, these items have reappeared in Mr. Emmett's trunk. Ricky quickly concludes that Mr. Emmett has been framed. But can they prove it?

There are multiple reasons I love this series. First up are the characters. None of the main characters are short changed. True, some may seem a little cliched at first, but as the book progresses, we see there are many sides to them. Even the secondary characters come off well. And these characters are fun. There are plenty of funny moments that had me laughing out loud.

Another thing I usually love about the series is the plot. This one wasn't quite up to par. True, there was plenty of suspense. I was sure hooked and couldn't wait to get through the book. In the end, it was a little straight forward. Considering some of the books includes some pretty spectacular twists, that was a little disappointing. Still, this is a minor complaint. As per usual, the Christian theme is well incorporated and never comes across as preachy.

All this is held together with great writing. Author Sigmund Brouwer's books can often hook reluctant readers, and it's easy to see why. There is always something happening. The writing flows, so reading is effortless. And the chapters are short enough that there are many natural breaks. Not that I ever want to put the books down.

Even with a weaker then normal plot, this was still a great read. The target age is 10-14, but I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery will enjoy Legend of the Gilded Saber.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the great Accidental Detectives Mysteries in order.