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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great new series with real girl power!, April 17, 2008
If you're looking for a new book series to love, try this one! Mystery of the Third Lucretia stars Kari and Lucas, two funny, smart 14-year-old girls. They see a creepy guy up to no good in an art museum; and when they try to figure out what he's doing, lots of trouble starts. It's a really funny book -- I laughed on almost every page -- and really good action, with cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, so it's hard to put down. And there's interesting stories about art and travel, especially about Lucretia, the woman in the painting that started it all. My favorite part, though, is Kari and Lucas, and Kari's Mom Gillian. They're really funny and interesting and seem like people you know in real life - like a best friend. By the end of the book, you can't wait to read about what they do next. Definitely read this book!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
art, feminism, travel and mystery? Yes!, October 10, 2009
This review is from: The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (Kari + Lucas Mystery) (Paperback)
After reading a glowing review of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, I knew I wanted to read it. When it came in for me at the library, I first read the author's biography, which begins "Susan Runholt shares a love of art, travel and feminism with her teenage heroines." I would add reading to the list, but I'm proud to share the other three with Ms. Runholt, Lucas and Kari.
The Mystery of the Third Lucretia is the first (of many, I hope) Kari and Lucas mysteries. Kari and Lucas are best friends who live in St. Paul, Minnesota (a town I also happen to love). Kari's mom has one of the coolest jobs ever: she covers fashion and international culture for a teen magazine (if such a job exists, I would gladly apply for it.) Kari, who sees her father a few times a year, and Lucas, whose parents are eager to spend money for her to experience culture, often get to go along for the ride. The book takes place in St. Paul, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The girls happen to find themselves trying to solve an international art mystery.
I cannot say enough positive things about this novel. I wish it existed when I was younger, but I still loved it as an adult. I laughed out loud often, learned things (in a delightfully unpreachy way) and eagerly awaited the mystery being solved. Kari and Lucas are both real girls and inspiring to women (and men) of all ages. I am eagerly awaiting my turn to read the second Kari and Lucas mystery, Rescuing Seneca Crane, which came out in August 2009. I wish I knew more young women so I could give this book to them; I know it would have meant the world to me as a younger woman. Happy reading, feminists, art lovers and mystery fans of all ages!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, September 10, 2009
This review is from: The Mystery of the Third Lucretia (Kari + Lucas Mystery) (Paperback)
Kari's mother works for a magazine that sends her to Europe at least once a year to write stories. Usually, they manage to bring along Kari's best friend, Lucas. Together the girls sometimes play tourist while Kari's mother works. Occasionally, they help her with her articles.
One trip to London proves to become a very different sort of trip than any of them imagined. While at the National Gallery, Kari and Lucas see an artist working near a Rembrandt painting of Lucretia. Before long, they become certain that they've seen this man before, only looking completely different.
They saw him in the art museum near their home, also next to the other Rembrandt Lucretia. The man's covering up his easel so no one can see his work. He also has a distinctive growl when anyone gets too close.
Kari and Lucas devise a plan to spy on the man, while changing their own appearances. In doing so, in order to understand what he's painting, they paint the objects they uncover by carefully sneaking glances at his work.
During their next trip to Europe, they hear about a discovery of a never-before-seen third Rembrandt painting from the Lucretia series. Kari and Lucas begin to add up the clues and discover that this painting is not an original work, but who would believe them and what evidence do they have for proof?
The first book in a series written in the first-person conveys the narrator's uncertainty about how to tell the story - there are many different possible beginnings, but Kari's voice rings true. While the reader can grasp the exact mystery from the beginning, they have fun solving the how and the why along with Kari and Lucas.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel
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