This was a fun read full of mystery, laughter, heart and great characters. I will definitely be checking out more from this author

i really enjoyed reading this mystery, the characters were great and I really enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. I really liked the way the author writes and look forward to more from them.

I would consider this book to be similar to The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew but for this generation of kids. I liked the story line and the real life scenarios that it deals with (alcoholism, school budget cutting, corruption) but for me, the beginning was too slow and the ending was too fast. The book starts out talking about the sports and activities the kids are heavily involved in and by the end of the book (even though months have passed) there's very little talk about these very important activities. I also feel as if they really kept telling the audience that Marcus and Alissa haven't kissed but keep getting into situations where they could but don't. It got old after a while. The villain's (won't say who because spoilers) last line is also literally "I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids!". The other references to similar media were more graciously placed. This one just shouted off the page it wanted to be like Scooby Doo and really took me out of the story. All in all, I liked the plot for the most part and could see how this would be a good series for middle schoolers. I can see the potential the author wants for it. I just think he could lay off the Scooby Doo references.

The second book in the series picks up with Marcus, Alissa and friends starting a new school year, engaged in their sports activities. But all is not well with the school’s budget and Marcus’s dad, who is staring at losing his position as the coach.

The book is a good read for teenagers who want to read a slowburn, non-scifi and fantasy mystery. It touches on all the teen drama and different emotional aspects of family life. A touch of romance between the leading characters adds the usual teen dilemmas.

Overall , the book is a good read if you are not someone who likes nonstop action and want to get goosebumps on every second page of the book.