P.C. Hawke Mysteries #5: Square Root of Murder, The (PC Hawke Mysteries) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It was a Saturday afternoon, the last fab and brill day of Indian summer..." (more)
Key Phrases: faculty tea, Professor Dunaway, Harry Zoole, Lieutenant Krakowski (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grades 5-8--Once again, P. C. and his friend Mackenzie stumble into a murder and onto the murderer. When their nasty calculus teacher at Columbia University is pinned to the blackboard with an arrow shot from a crossbow, the two friends begin to investigate their eclectic collection of classmates. Some attend the college, but others, like Mac and P. C., are high school students taking advanced classes. A visit to a medieval weaponry collector's makeshift torture chamber, a careening taxi ride across New York City, and the final, hair-raising chase through the darkened halls of the university add excitement to this basic whodunit. The audience for this book is a little unclear. The main characters are juniors and are appropriately pictured (if a bit unrealistically perfect) on the cover, but the book design and story are clearly for younger students. The plot is simplistic and is of the cookie-cutter variety. Upper-elementary-school fans of series mysteries should enjoy it and perhaps reluctant readers in the upper grades would also find it appealing, but they may take issue with the large paperback format.
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. When aptly named calculus teacher Professor Dunaway is found pinned to her chalkboard by a crossbow bolt, amateur sleuth P. C. Hawke and sidekick Mackenzie Riggs, already in a "freakazoid frame of mind," find themselves up against both a clever killer and an obtuse police lieutenant with zero sense of fashion. Zindel's plot won't hold water for a moment, but he piles on suspects and red herrings, sends Hawke and Mac from the Bronx to JFK Airport hunting clues, throws in an embezzlement scheme to further muddy the waters, and brings the investigation to a suspenseful climax with a wild, spooky chase through an unlit classroom building basement. P. C. narrates, but Mac has an equal and active role in this helter-skelter whodunit, aimed at Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew grads. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 131 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (December 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786815884
• ISBN-13: 978-0786815883
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,260,407 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars My personal review of "The square Root of Murder.", December 1, 2005

A Kid's Review

I thought the book the book was great! I like the way PC and Mackenzie solved the murder. I also liked the way they got the clues and figured out who murdered Professor Dunaway. I like mysteries because they keep you wondering what will happen next and I like to try and solve the mystery myself.