In the first of this new series, The Disappearing Card Trick, author Vicki Berger Erwin introduces readers to Elizabeth, a teenage girl living with her mother and younger brother, Mike. The kids' dad died five years ago. Now Elizabeth struggles with feelings of loyalty to her father as her mother begins dating Mr. Hamilton, a teacher who is also Mike's baseball coach.
When Justin Thayer, "the cutest boy in class," moves into Elizabeth's neighborhood, the two become fast friends. It's through Justin that Elizabeth learns one of her father's baseball cards might be worth more than $1,000!
While showing the card to a dealer, the card is "misplaced." When it's returned to Elizabeth, she discovers there's been a switch and the returned card is a fake. The mystery is on--what happened to the original card?
In their search for the solution, Elizabeth and Justin find themselves hiding in trash dumpsters, locked in a darkroom, and begging God for help out of the mess!
Solving the mystery of the disappearing baseball card doesn't mean Elizabeth's sleuthing days are over. In The Case of the Questionable Cousin, a young woman shows up claiming to be the long-lost niece of Elizabeth's neighbor and "adopted" grandmother, Aunt Nan. Through overheard phone conversations, odd bumps in the night, and sightings of the niece with a strange man, Elizabeth comes to question the stories the young woman tells Aunt Nan. Afraid no one will accept her doubts as valid, Elizabeth does some detective work on her own to un-cover the truth in this shady situation.
Preteen and high school girls will enjoy the Elizabeth Bryan Mysteries. Like many other girls her age, Elizabeth has bad hair days, has to deal with an active younger brother, and works hard in school. She's committed to God and looks to Him for help in times of crisis, as well as when she's struggling with her feelings about her mother's beginning to date.
Vicki Berger Erwin has a good grasp of the way teenagers talk and situations in which they might actually find themselves. She often shares her knowledge of youth mystery writing at children's literature conferences.
If you, or a teenage girl you know, likes a light mystery, don't bother with the looking glass and finger-printing dust. Just pick up one of the Elizabeth Bryan Mysteries and see if you can figure out "whodunit!"
Mike and Amy Nappa both write and review many books for Christian readers.
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