Customer Reviews

The Rainbow Riddle

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The Judy Bolton series is dazzlingly superior to the better-known "girl detective" series still available in bookstores, because the Judy Bolton books were written by a real individual rather than a succession of authors under a house pseudonym. The characters in Margaret Sutton's novels are individualized, and they grow and change. These were among my very favorite books in childhood and preteen years, and I have most of our old copies -- THE RAINBOW RIDDLE is one of the few that have disappeared. I remember how engagingly the narrative blends Judy's wedding day and honeymoon, including all the rite-of-passage activities and emotions, with the "rainbow" mystery. Another wonderful book along the same line is THE NAME ON THE BRACELET, in which Peter proposes to Judy and their friend Irene has a baby (with a nearly disastrous accidental switching of babies in the hospital).

The Judy Bolton series is dazzlingly superior to the better-known "girl detective" series still available in bookstores, because the Judy Bolton books were written by a real individual rather than a succession of authors under a house pseudonym. The characters in Margaret Sutton's novels are individualized, and they grow and change. These were among my very favorite books in childhood and preteen years, and I have most of our old copies -- THE RAINBOW RIDDLE is one of the few that have disappeared. I remember how engagingly the narrative blends Judy's wedding day and honeymoon, including all the rite-of-passage activities and emotions, with the "rainbow" mystery. Another wonderful book along the same line is THE NAME ON THE BRACELET, in which Peter proposes to Judy and their friend Irene has a baby (with a nearly disastrous accidental switching of babies in the hospital).

The story begins on Judy's wedding day. As she prepares to marry Peter Dobbs (a lawyer and aspiring "G-man"), an unexpected wedding guest warns Judy that she and Peter are in danger. A series of explosions and several clues revolving around the 7 colors of the rainbow find Judy and Peter spending their honeymoon unraveling "The Rainbow Riddle." I've read a lot of Judy Bolton books--they're wholesome, yet engaging. I particularly enjoyed this one because you see Judy's transition from girl to woman. She's still solving mysteries, but she's also planning a home for herself and Peter. A charming book.