Monday, May 20, 2024

THE CASE OF THE JILTED JULIET

 

THE CASE OF THE JILTED JULIET

A North Hollywood Detective Myster Club

By Mike Mains

Mystery Adventure Detective Books

204 pgs

 

This is one of a series of young adult books featuring Jeffrey Jones and his pal, Pablo Gomez as high school students who solve mysteries. In this book, they learn of a thirty year tragedy that occurred during the performance of Shakespear’s Romeo and Juliet by the school drama club. Supposedly the young lady playing Juliet had committed suicide after having been jilted by her boyfriend. It is claimed that her ghost is said to haunt the school every so often and her scream can be heard at midnight. 

When Jeffrey and Paul discover a plastic bloody finger prop left in a copy of the play, it so unnerves the library staff and other teachers, their curiosity is aroused. Bit by bit, the more they learn about the girl’s death, the they begin to suspect the young lady was  murdered. By luck and serendipity, they uncover several vital clues that were somehow missed during the initial investigation. Clues that begin to point not only to foul play but the fact that the murderer was someone involved with the school and the circle students who knew the deceased.

Mike Mains has a nice easy style and his characters are fully developed with their own unique quirks and typical teenage foibles. He’s also ardent in regard to themes of faith, religion and the afterlife. We found that off putting at times, but never so much as to detract from the interactions of his young cast. In the end, “The Case of the Jilted Juliet” was a fun read and we give it major thumbs up.

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