Who's the arsonist on the loose in Civil War-era San Francisco? That's the mystery this time for the heroes of The Mark Twain Murders—journalist Mark Twain (the very same) and the 15-year-old urchin/narrator who calls himself "the Duke of Baywater." The Duke, hungry and prowling around warehouses for valuable trash, witnesses an explosion at a chemical factory; the only clue is a nearby van bearing the name of a photographer. So when the fire attracts newsman Mark Twain to the scene, the co-sleuths again team up, with assistance from mustachioed fireman Tom Sawyer. They're just in time to see another fire break out during the parade welcoming a star-actress ("the Pritchard") to the local theater. And, just by coincidence, the theater's tart/sweet old costume-lady, Letty Cleary, has a connection to the mystery-photographer—who seems to be planning bigger, more dangerous fires, aimed at San Francisco's pro-Union establishment. Could it possibly be, then, that the arch-villain is once again Major St. John, the Confederate spy who plotted to rob the San Francisco Mint in The Mark Twain Murders? Yes, indeed, the presumed-dead Major—"so cold and calculating that he was beyond maean"—is still alive, posing as a photographer, and up to no good. He captures the heroes briefly, coolly kills dear Letty. (Her death is a little disturbing in such a light, comic-booky caper.) Escapes, gun-waving, and another capture ensue—as the heroes chase the Major through a society costume-ball. But, though locked up in a burning room, the good guys escape again. . . in time to defuse all the arsonist's infernal contraptions. As before, Yep gives the real Mark Twain little color or substance; the Tom Sawyer character is lackluster too, with no kinship to the fictional lad. (According to the foreword, there was a real S.F. fireman who claimed to have inspired Twain's creation.) But this less elaborate sequel is another bright, quick, folksy adventure—at its best in the period touches, especially the firefighting details.
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1984
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 24, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1984
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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