Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I love the cover but I haven’t been able to get into the story. I previously read the first book in the series but unfortunately it wasn’t really for me either. My review of the first book can be found here: http://schizanthusnerd.com/2019/03/23/enchantment-lake/

Preus, Margi Clue in the Trees (Enchantment Lake #2), 200 pages. University of Minnesota Press, 2017. $17. Language: G (1 swear); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (murder, other mild violence).
Francie, 17, has already made a name for herself by solving a murder mystery for her aunts. Now she is back at school and during a trip to a local archaeological dig, she finds herself face to face with another murder. Everyone seems to think the Francia is the one to solve it - but what if it leads straight to her brother Theo? Francie knows she shouldn’t ignore it, even if Theo is the murderer, but her heart is torn.

While several people make a point of calling Francie their own Nancy Drew, it comes off as the author trying to convince the reader that Francie really is a good as Nancy - but she’s not. The cover would lead you to believe that Francie is some fringe element loner, but she doesn’t really feel like that, either. If Francie were younger, I might recommend this for elementary, but at 17, she doesn’t work as a high school heroine.

NO. Cindy, Library Teacher

While I did not finish (which was my fault), I was really intrigued by this book. It started with the cover art. I said "now THAT is something I'd be in to" and I wasn't wrong. I really enjoyed what I read, and I know I'll be buying the ebook so I can finish it.

Cute, but the characters didn’t quite ring true. Seemed to take place several decades ago. Dialogue was a bit flat and not current day.

I did this as a read aloud book for story time with my children. Francie is an irritating character that my kids absolutely enjoyed. While I thought the simple detecting style was not up to par of similar books in the genre my children were intrigued and didn't hold my same opinions. Knowing that I am not the intended audience for this and that my children are and loved it, I give it a solid 4 stars.

I really enjoyed the first novel in this kids/YA series, ENCHANTMENT LAKE, so I was thrilled to get this new on via Net Galley. Francie continues her adventures and solves the mystery. I have to admit to enjoying the first book more than this one (not sure why – I think I found it easier to follow the plot line of the mystery) but both can stand alone and both are “clean reads” for the young people in your life who enjoy a mystery.

We are thinking of adding one of these titles to our reading list for middle school this year as the kids were asking for a mystery.

Thank you for my review e-copy! I have to say that every book I have ever received from University of Minnesota Press has been well-written, appropriate, and engaging.

Thank you!

This was a fun book with a proper cozy mystery feel.

I didn't realise when I picked it up that it is in fact the second book in a series, but I didn't feel lost at all and found it enjoyable without having read the first.

Although the main character is in her senior year at high school I thought it had a middle grade feel, and I felt like it did a fantastic job of keeping me on the edge of my seat without being too scary.

This got 3 stars from me, and I'm keen to find the first book to read too!

I haven't read the Book 1 in the series but I can still understand what's happening here. I've had a hard time getting into this though, it was quite slow for me.

It was enjoyable and a cozy read.

A Proper review will be up on my Goodreads, soon.

Second in what is shaping up to be a nice little YA mystery series, Clue in the Trees finds Francie from the author's earlier Enchantment Lake, settling in to life in Minnesota. She's a senior in high school, and is living in a sweet apartment paid for by her grandfather who seems to think she's safer in Minnesota than in New York. How little does he know! Francie starts school, thinking she's in for a quiet, uneventful year but is right away blindsided by the return of brother Theo AND the discovery of a dead body at a local archaeological site. Of course, Francie gets involved in solving the mysterious death, but she's also drawn into a bigger mystery surrounding her mother, who may or may not be alive.

The writing here is straightforward and uncomplicated, perfect for upper middle grade and reluctant teen readers. The story is compelling and suspenseful, and full of all the things you expect in high school. There is some subtle humor here as well, which adds a nice kick to the story, and the reveal of the villain was wonderfully creepy. I was reminded a bit of my own early teen years reading Nancy Drew and thought more than once that Francie and her friends are Nancy and the Gang for the 21st century. Recommended.

Full disclosure: I somehow failed to realize this story was a continuation of a series in progress. I have not read the previous installment..

This book had an interesting premise. Lots of mystery and secrets--and murder, who doesn't love a bit of murder between play rehearsals? I do.

Here's the thing, this book is in the odd position of straddling a few different categorizations. It's billed as MG, but the main characters are 17 or so, making them, generally speaking, upper-YA protagonists. If this book were written as upper-YA, I think I may have enjoyed it very much. However, the writing is Middle Grade to a tee, which I have to admit I didn't appreciate.

Despite the murder, despite the hints of international intrigue and the "very adult" issues occasionally touched on in the story, the story is told with the simplicity of some MG stories. The person who seemed bad was bad. The twists and turns weren't spectacular. The characters read very flat. The relationships were shallow at best, inexplicable at worst. The mystery was, for me, unsatisfying. This is all in addition to the unfortunate formatting issues in the Kindle edition and the typos I found throughout the book.

One last thought: the decision to include a Native character, Raven, as Francie's first new friend was exciting and commendable. Referring to Raven's skin using food descriptions, however, is a no-no for POC characters. Also referring to any part of Raven as "exotic" is a non-starter. I would recommend the use of a Native/Indigenous sensitivity reader to avoid such issues in the future.

Thank you to Margi Preus and University of Minnesota Press for allowing me access to this book.

The Clue in the Trees

An Enchantment Lake Mystery



by Margi Preus

University of Minnesota Press

Univ Of Minnesota Press



Middle Grade

Pub Date 19 Sep 2017

I am reviewing The Clue in the Trees throwing University of Minnesota Press and Netgalley:

Francine's brother Theo is hiding secrets, secrets she thinks she wants to know, but what if they are secrets she really doesn't want to know? Instead of considering the possibility of her brother being a murderer so she jumps into her Senior Year at a small town high school near Enchantment Lake in Northern Minnesota a far different experience than the private school she attended in New York.

But it's hard to deny the fact that wherever her brother shows up so do dead bodies. When they find Doctor Digby dead only hours after last seeing him alive that morning. But soon Francine finds herself a suspect.

She had hoped things would have settled down by now, but that was far from the case.

I give The Clue In The Trees five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I’ve found a new favourite tween/young adult series.

The Clue in the Trees, the second book in the Enchantment Lake Mystery Series, is a fun, light murder mystery reminding me of a modern Nancy Drew.

Set near Enchantment Lake, Northern Minnesota it follows Francie as she starts a new school, dances around the mysterious death of her mother and struggles to keep out of a murder case in which her brother is the main suspect.

The characters in the book are charming. Once upon a time, Theo, Francie’s secretive and perplexing older brother would have been my book crush.

The book works well as a standalone novel. Perfect for Middle-Grade readers to early Young Adult. With just enough gothic, darkness to make the murder mystery page turning. It also has a good dose of the humour a pre/early-teen likes.
There are some wonderful descriptions of Minnesota leaving you enchanted by the archaeological digs, eerie lakes, and a hope if you visited, you too would find giant dinosaur teeth lying around (or hidden in a gift shop).

What do I like most about this book? Other than the cover? I’m a massive fan of fiction laced with real life issues helping young people form an opinion on a subject. This book touches on the environment, crime and capitalism. Giving it depth you don’t usually find a young adult book. The author takes time to explain these in a summary illustrating what makes these relevant to modern society.

If you, or your child, grew up reading the Goth Girl Series by Chris Riddell then this is a perfect follow on. It contains the same gothic mystery feel those books did, but, aimed at an early young adult, rather than middle grade, it is further developed.

This was a fun read, an excellent cozy mystery for teens. While the writing does seem a bit simplistic at times for it to be considered YA, the themes and age of the characters make it a bit too old to be considered middle grade (although I'm sure some middle schoolers would enjoy this too, I know I would have!).

The plot combines so many interesting topics--dinosaur and mastodon bones, maple syrup heists, pipeline protests--shrouded in the typical small-rural-town-mystery air, and garnished with the continuing narrative of Francie trying to figure out who she is and who her family is. While these plot points are sort of predictable, the mystery itself was intriguing and the characters were fun--it made for a fun fluffy-mystery read, where you could get invested in the story without intense amount of brain-power or stamina to sit through constant suspense. I also liked the parallels between Francie's "quest" and the play they were putting on at school (Antigone). Again, another trite trope, but it worked well and never seemed to overly-harp on The Message.

I had not read the first book in the series, and this installment does ping off of many plot points (presumably) introduced in book one. However, I didn't feel particularly lost with these points, as they followed a basic progression, and they were woven into the plot quite well.

While I don't think I'll be checking out any other books in the series, I did enjoy this as a cozy read, and would definitely recommend it for the middle-grade-transitioning-to-YA crowd.

This is perfect for fans of Nancy Drew mysteries that want a more modern spin on the mystery genre. I had not read the first book in the series, but it was a written in a way that I was able to catch on to the backstory and the characters quickly. Page turning plot, great characters, and just the right amount of intrigue. Can't wait to go back and read the first one in the series.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. The targeted audience is mainly children and young teens, but I really enjoyed it. I think there were a lot of opportunities to make this a more thorough story, but in general, I think it suits its intended audience well.

I have not read the first book in this series, but little references are made. It's a pretty good 'standalone' book, but it sets up nicely at the end for a sequel.

Francie seemed a little young compared to the age she's supposed to be, but understandably so, as this is written for a younger audience.

I would have loved this book when I was younger. I loved the entire Nancy Drew series and The Boxcar Children series. This is a more modern mystery, obviously, but I like that it's a series of mysteries. I would definitely buy this series for my kids to read. It's funny, a little scary at times and it's relatable to the age group it's targeted at.

The Clue in the Trees is nostalgic for older Nancy Drew fans and is recommended for mystery-loving pre-teens and young teens.

Set in a small Northern Minnesota town, The Clue in the Trees is the story of high school seniors: Francie, Raven and Jay. Francie recently moved into the small town, where she had only summered with her aunts before. She has a reputation as an amateur detective because of the previous book in this series, Enchantment Lake. It is not necessary to read the series in order but there are some spoilers in this book about the first.

When the leader of the town’s archeological site, is strangled, Francie tries to follow the sheriff’s advice to stay out of it. However, soon she is involved when her brother becomes the prime suspect. Francie is also given the lead in the school’s play of Antigone. Francie sees some parallels between the play and her life. There are the usual high school rivalries, friendships and dances. The Minnesota lake setting was unusual and seemed almost like a character in the book by the end.

Solving the murder is the main plot in The Clue in the Trees. There are plenty of suspects. The clues are fair and not too obvious. However, there are also several subplots in the book. Not all are resolved by the end of the book leaving some loose ends to be untangled in future books in the series. It was disappointing because one of the subplots was more intriguing than the main plot but remained unresolved. One of the twists toward the end also seemed rather unfair. I took off two stars for these issues. Overall, it was a good, but not great, teen mystery. Three stars.

Thanks to the publisher, University of Minnesota Press, and netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on September 19, 2017.

Definitely more of a middle grade than YA book. I also felt that I missed on any real character development not having read the first book. An okay read, but I think it needs to be read in order

This is book two in the Northwoods series. I was not aware of that when I started reading and to be honest, I was just fine without reading the first. I am sure I missed details from not reading the first, but the author gave plenty of character information that I was just fine starting with book two. Francie meets what I have to assume are her new friends and partners in investigation for future books in this book so they were new to even those who read book one. The mystery was solved in this book as was the mystery in books one, however there is an ongoing mystery related to Francie, Theo (her brother, and their mom. That mystery was as intriguing as the main mystery in the book if not more so. I reaally enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this series for new mysteries and to learn more about what Theo and Francie can learn about their mother. This book was listed as "children's fiction" and rightly so, but I am not going to lie, as an adult, I really enjoyed reading this book.

A Middle Grade Cozy Action/Mystery

This book would work perfectly well as an adult cozy - fun setting, quirky characters, engaging heroine, tidy murder, some sleuthing, and a fine ending with a few coincidences to smooth over the bumps. For adults you'd add some more heroine backstory and maybe a love interest, a broken heart or career, and maybe a few more "adult" twists, but with that you'd have a fine cocoa and quilt fun read.

The appeal, here, is that the plot has been tweaked to add middle grade appeal. Our heroine is in high school, her pals are fellow students, she's a new kid out of water. She's a little snarky and a little angsty, but not excessively so. She is, for want of a better term, relatable for a younger reader. There are some light humor bits, and a few touches of school-daze drama, but that just helps to establish the character and set the right mood. No standard bullies or mean girls or other complications. As I say, cozy.

But here's one of the nicest parts. This book is very well written. Preus is an accomplished pro, (I admired her "Bamboo Sword"), and she has written a smart and sharp book for the younger crowd. The pacing is fast and offers a solid combination of action and reflection. Our heroine, Francie, is smart and observant and the sidekicks she picks up as the new girl have distinct personalities and their own varied appeal. Francie's two Aunts, who are sort of old-lady comic relief, perform their comic relief duties well, adding a bit of vinegar and tartness when the plot and pacing requires. Francie's mysterious brother Theo keeps things stirred up. The scenes are set well, and both the small town of Walpurgis, and Enchantment Lake, are all well drawn and convincing. Descriptions are crisp and effective. Dialogue is sharp and on point. There are nice little observations and throwaway lines that add a bit of flavor and heft to the tale.

Preus doesn't go in for irony and she doesn't mock the genre. This is classic earnest amateur sleuthing with just a touch of wry, and that's not all that easy to find in middle grade and early YA books. There's more I'd-tell-you-everything-but-I-don't-have time-right-now suspense and mystery building than I like, but that's just something I think you have to go with in these sorts of books. There's also an over-arching mystery about Francie's missing Mom that's a bit coy and moves through the series at a snail's pace, but one suspects that will get picked up in later books. And since the individual mysteries in each book get resolved completely, having a background mystery that's just hinted at is an honorable way to keep the series going.

So, I thought this was a well rounded and appealing teen mystery with a good feel, some nice touches, a satisfying amount of action, and a reasonably fair mystery. That's a pretty good find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)