[LISTENED TO: November 2012] The Ghostwriter Secret
We enjoyed Brixton Brothers Book 1 so much that we couldn’t wait to listen to Book 2. And it did not disappoint.
Steve Brixton (who is 12) has set up his own detective agency (after the massive success of his first case) and his chum Dana is actually kind of on board with it this time. Of course, his mom’s boyfriend Rick (jerk) thinks it’s all for laughs and he chuckles at Steve’s business cards.
With the agency all set up, all Steve needs is a case. Which he quickly gets. A local billionaire has had his diamond stolen and he wants Steve to help (he heard all about Steve’s success in Book 1). Rick makes a joke about a bird stealing it (that was a plot in Book 1), but Steve knows that isn’t the case here. The diamond is an incredibly expensive and valuable diamond which the billionaire keeps on display in his house (under intense security). And yet somehow, the thief got in. And the security system must be broken because the alarm keeps going on and off.
Steve quickly solves that case and the billionaire asks Steve to hold onto the diamond until they can catch the crook (Steve figured out HOW it was done, but is leaving it up to the police to figure out WHO did it).
Steve gets a ton of cash to hold onto the diamond, but he’s bored by the case. He wants some excitement as a detective. And then he gets a letter–from none other than MacArthur Bart! Bart is the author of Steve’s beloved Bailey Brothers mystery stories (which he has read hundreds of times and has based all of his sleuthing skills upon). Steve has been writing to Bart for years, telling him how much he loves the books with no response. Once he set up the agency, he wrote to Bart telling him about the cases. And now, finally, Bart has written back. But it’s not a thank you letter, it’s a request for help. Bart thinks someone is after him!
When Steve and Dana get to the hotel where Bart is staying (under an alias of course), they discover that Bart hasn’t been out of his room in days. He requested room service to be automatically delivered three times a day but it has not been touched. He has been kidnapped! Steve and Dana do some sleuthing and learn about the B Syndicate, based out of San Francisco. They determine that the B Syndicate is an underworld gang and they decide to head out to San Francisco to get Bart back. Provided they don’t get shot while they hide in the hotel swimming pool.
The way they get permission to go to San Francisco is hilarious, as is the reaction of the police when they finally get there–they do not have “the B Syndicate” in their “database” of “Crooks.” The police urge the boys to go home. In the meantime, Dana has looked in the phone book and found an entry for B Syndicate. What kind of gang advertises in the phone book?
The kind of gang that is actually ghost writers. Ghost writers who have written all of the Bailey Brothers books! But why does one of the writers have the same tattoo as the guy who was shooting at them?
This complicated scenario covers only a fraction of the excitement in this book. There are crosses and double crosses, stolen cars, caves, fires and trouble galore. There’s also a ton of humor. Mac Barnett has a gift for comedy especially for the banter of young kids. And as in the first book, he has a gift for writing the kind of stories (and language) that might have actually appeared in a Bailey Brothers detective story so many years ago.
Once again, Arte Johnson reads the story and once again, he is awesome. He has a great gift for thug voices, and his timing for the comedy is right on. I could listen to him say “suspects Rick. Motive: Jerk” over and over. It cracks me up. It even cracks up the kids. We all love this series. And, yes, we have already started book 3.
And for reasons about which I am not entirely clear, the author thanks David Foster Wallace in the dedication.
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