Customer Reviews

Hannah West in Deep Water: A Mystery

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Hannah West in Deep Water (Hannah West)

My nine-year old daughter is enthralled with all the Hannah West books. She can't wait to read and re-read every one of the books. I'd highly recommend this book and its 'sisters' to any 9-12 year old girl who likes a good mystery.

When twelve-year-old Hannah West, and her adoptive mother are recruited to housesit in the exclusive Portage Bay, living aboard a houseboat, Hannah is thrilled that she will finally have the chance to walk on water. What makes the new gig even more thrilling is the fact that not only does Hannah have the opportunity to dog-sit a friendly Labradoodle (part Labrador, part Poodle) named Mango, but she's also thrown into the midst of a TV shoot for the show Dockside Blues, where Marcus Dartmouth (pronounced Dartmuth), director, is traipsing around the docks demanding that everything remain still. Suddenly, Hannah is displaced from her temporary humble abode, and forced to spend her days traipsing around Seattle, Mango in tow, instead of lollygagging about in a comfortable houseboat. However, when Hannah does finally manage to make her way home, she begins to notice some suspicious things going around. For instance, there are various strangers trotting around the docks wearing black-hooded raincoats. And it's not even raining! As if that weren't suspicious enough, these people appear to be dumping something into the water. Something toxic that is polluting Portage Bay, and killing the fish. Now, in the midst of bright lights, demanding divas, obnoxious stage hands, and a best friend searching for her fifteen minutes of fame, Hannah must find the strength and the time to do a little detective work and uncover who exactly is polluting the clear blue waters of Portage Bay, and what exactly their motive is for committing such a heinous act. But if Hannah's not careful, the fish may not be the only things landing themselves in deep water.

I quickly became a fan of Hannah West after reading Linda Johns' first Hannah adventure, and was ecstatic to learn that the sequel was being released so soon after the first installment. My excitement has not waned since devouring HANNAH WEST IN DEEP WATER, for Hannah's quick-thinking sleuthing skills, artistic abilities, and photography smarts have only made a deeper impression upon me. The idea to have Hannah and her mother move around in each installment is thrilling, and the fact that there is always a dog on hand is absolutely perfect for animal lovers. Hannah is a wonderfully enchanting character whose oft-times sarcastic, yet sugary sweet personality is catching, while her interactions with her zany friend, Lily, make her even more appealing. Featuring an array of eccentric characters who will make you laugh out loud, and cheer for a fabulous outcome, Hannah West is the girl-sleuth of the new millennium whose name will soon be on everyone's lips.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I just recently re-discovered the Hannah West stories. I had read the first one (Hannah West in the Belltown Towers: A Mystery) when it first came out; and then loss track of when the subsequent stories were published. So I ordered and have read Hannah West in Deep Water: A Mystery and Hannah West in the Center of the Universe, and I'm just starting Hannah West on Millionaire's Row. I love Hannah West --I wish she lived in my neighborhood, I'd love to ask her to run some errands and visit with my cat and do some sleuthing around here to figure out who's putting their trash in my trash can!

There's nothing like a great book to get me to bed at a decent hour (I have a tendency to stay up too late), and with the Hannah West stories, I get to bed early now so I have lots of time to read! I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish on Millionaire's Row. Ms. Johns, do you have more coming out? (Please?!!!)

And in the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not the target audience for this series (I'm over 40-years-old). I started to buy them for my nieces, but they haven't received them yet because I'm still reading them. But I'll forward them along --or perhaps buy them their own copies.

They are great reads!

This was a buddy-read with my 10-year-old grand niece who received an autographed copy of this paperback from a friend. My niece was never captivated at all by the storyline. Maybe the book is more fully appreciated on a regional (Seattle, WA) basis. As an adult reader I enjoyed the information on Archipelago of Tui Tui and also the brief history of Interlaken Park. I was somewhat puzzled with the sprinkle of branding throughout the novel (i.e., TalkingRain bottle, Nalgene water bottles from REI, Cap'n Crunch cereal) and what purpose this served. I beg to differ with Erika Sorocco's review of this book on 11/3/06. This "girl-sleuth of the new millennium" will not be on the young adult wish list of mysteries to read.