Holy Smoke (Bones and the Duchess Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Alexandra Eden (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Bones and the Duchess Mysteries

Bones and the Duchess are at it again! When a neighborhood church burns to the ground, Bones is hired by the church reverend to discover the culprit, but on one condition: he must get the help of "the duchess". The duchess is a young girl named Verity, a bright twelve year old with Asperger’s Syndrome who helped him solve the mystery of two missing girls in To Oz and Back. Verity claims to know who set fire to the church, but can she convince Bones? With the help of the reverend’s adopted son Danny and Verity’s clever instincts, Bones and the duchess set out on another investigation full of quirky characters, coded e-mails and lots of mystery! Holy Smoke is the second exciting Bones and the Duchess Mystery by Alexandra Eden.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. An ex-cop and a 12-year-old girl solving crimes? Odd, yes, but that's exactly what Bones Fatzinger and Verity Buscador do--even though Bones hates to admit he needs help. When a local church is torched, the parson approaches him to find the culprit. Bones thinks there's a nice fee to be had and plenty to look into. Verity, on the other hand, doesn't think there's much to investigate; she insists she already knows who did the deed. As in To Oz and Back (2003), cranky Bones' narration gives this a more adult sensibility than most mysteries for kids, and although Eden does plant a selection of red herrings to sort through, there's not much drama in the story. Readers will, however, find out a bit about the autistic-like behavioral characteristics associated with Asperger's syndrome, with which Verity deals, and they aren't likely to miss the goodhearted, inspirational message about forgiveness that's the real point of the novel . REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 116 pages
• Publisher: Allen A. Knoll, Publishers (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888310464
• ISBN-13: 978-1888310467
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,612,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Story about Forgiveness, May 24, 2008

By 

Athalia Stoneback (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holy Smoke (Bones and the Duchess Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Holy Smoke is a heartwarming tale of forgiveness that anyone, particularly children who enjoy mysteries and are between the ages of 7 and 14, can enjoy. The book also brings up some awareness of Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, which may be helpful for anyone diagnosed with the condition, or anyone who knows someone who is.

-Athalia Stoneback

4.0 out of 5 stars Bones and the Duchess at it again in "Holy Smoke", July 8, 2009

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Holy Smoke (Bones and the Duchess Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This second adventure finds Bones and The Duchess (Verity Buscador), soon working together again to solve a suspicious fire at the local church. Ephesus, Pennsylvania is a small borough with around six thousand folks. Their all volunteer fire department is pushed to the max by the blaze at The Christian Fellowship Church. Because of recent events involving the missing girls' case ("To Oz and Back"), Reverend Sterling Ringer hires Bones to find out who started the fire. As a condition of being hired, Bones has to get The Duchess to help.

He, like many others in the borough, believe that The Duchess actually was the one that solved that case. That reputation, along with doing the right thing, is what caused Bones to lose his job with the local police in the aftermath of that case. Unemployed and still living at Broad Street Hotel run by The Duchess' grandparents the case means he is available and will get paid - if he can get the Duchess to help. The Duchess already is sure who did it but Bones isn't sure and before long the two are investigating suspects and working the case

Aimed at readers in the 9 to 12 year old age range, this is the second novel in the series featuring The Duchess. A bright twelve year old with Asperser's syndrome who sees things in a different way than most. While the actual syndrome is quite broad, her situation is very narrowly defined. Therefore, her situation is only occasionally apparent as the story moves forward.

She is joined by this novel by Danny, the adopted son of the Reverend and his wife. His behavior could be interpreted be readers as classic ADHD though it isn't spelled out directly as it is for the Duchess. It is noted in the story that he isn't mediated because it is a small town and folks are understanding of him.

With a theme of forgiveness and understanding, this is an interesting tale is an enjoyable second installment in the series. It works well for the targeted age group though more advanced readers may find it some what lacking. Read as a stand alone or as part of the series, the tale is a good one.



Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2009