We discovered this author, Deron R. Hicks, last year after reading his latest book, and put his other two, slightly older mysteries on hold at the library.
They were great reads! In the first, the main characters, Colophon and her older brother, Case, work to discover the original copy of a Shakespeare play in a last-ditch effort to save her family's publishing business from a hostile takeover.
At the end of that book, we learn the play is NOT the real object of the hunt -- the villain is still hunting a "treasure," and in the second book, it's a race for Colophon and Case to follow the clues and find it first!
The suspense is heightened with multiple points-of-view, giving the reader a glimpse into information that Colophon and Case don't have -- but it also reveals what the villain doesn't know. A great writing technique for increasing tension.
For teachers, there are excellent references to Shakespeare's plays at the back of each book, with the second book featuring entire passages to help younger readers understand the contextual references.
Excellent reads, both.
