Review by Booklist Review
Originally published in Sweden, Widmark's popular series features Maya and Jerry, a couple of friends and classmates living in the small town of Pleasant Valley. Together they run the Whodunit Detective Agency out of a makeshift office set up in Maya's basement. Business is slow until jewelry-store owner Mohammed Carat hires them to catch a thief who has been stealing diamonds. Carat suspects one of his employees, and posing as temporary workers, Maya and Jerry infiltrate the store. Putting to the test all of the skills they've gleaned from their extensive research into Maya's father's collection of crime novels, the two set out to nab the criminal. This is a well-constructed locked-room mystery, intricately plotted and with enough clues for readers to solve the case, along with the young detectives. The somewhat stilted feel of the prose and the vagueness of the setting may be attributed in part to the translation. Elaborate color illustrations punctuate the text with deadpan humor that should engage readers.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Swedish author Widmark's popular series (Bonnier Carlsen, 2002) is translated into English, with disappointing results. Classmates and friends Jerry and Maya launch a detective agency in their small town of Pleasant Valley. Their first case is catching the thief stealing diamonds from Mr. Carat's jewelry shop. The plot moves quickly, and the young detectives show pluck while solving the crime in a single day. However, Widmark's series, a critical and commercial success in Sweden, is not well served by this translation. Characterization and setting are minimal. Jerry and Maya's conclusions of suspects' guilt or innocence are illogical and not based on information provided to readers. Illustrations contradict the text at three points, two of which are key plot elements, and the preface is unnecessary exposition: the same information is repeated in the first three pages of chapter one. It's a shame that so much has been lost in translation, since the book is attractively designed, with large font, generous white space, and whimsical, full-color illustrations on almost every page. Pass on this first entry in hope that book two receives a translation worthy of a series that, according to its Swedish publisher, is popular enough to be translated into 28 languages.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Jerry and Maya, classmates and friends, spend their spare time solving mysteries in their hometown of Pleasant Valley in this Swedish import.Things are not so pleasant for Mohammed Carat, the richest man in Pleasant Valley. His world-famous jewelry store is losing money; apparently, one of his employees is stealing valuable diamonds and gems. The police are no help, so Mr. Carat turns to the youngsters for help. Each employee is a suspect: Vivian is in money trouble, former owner Danny wants his store back, and Lukes flashy spending is suspicious. Jerry and Maya are hired to help out around the shopwashing windows, taking out the trash and so forthbut really they are there to watch the employees, both from inside the shop and from the church tower next door. Young mystery aficionados will enjoy solving the puzzle along with Maya and Jerry and will admire their observational powers. Full-color cartoon illustrations add much to the story, helping readers to see what the young gumshoes do. A map of Pleasant Valley and an illustrated cast of characters are provided in the early pages, allowing new readers an excellent reference tool to keep the many characters straight.Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine indicates that this is the first of many Maya and Jerry mysteries. (Mystery. 7-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
