** “Every good mystery needs a red herring, a person to throw others off the trail for a time. It’s a good way to ease the minds of the real culprits, who would then believe themselves clear of suspicion.” **

G.Z. Schmidt delivers a delightfully fun whodunnit with “The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby,” a mystery for all ages.

Thirteen years ago the young Beatrice Willoughby disappeared at the All Hollow’s Eve party at the Amadeus residence, located in the Inkwoods. When she is never found, Mort Amadeus is accused of the dastardly deed and sent to prison.

Now, several townspeople have been summoned to the Amadeus home for another party — and an attempt to solve who truly made Beatrice disappear and why. Accidental guest Dewey O’Connor, 11, finds himself at the party with his father Chaucer. Will Dewey be able to sort through the clues better than the adults present? Will he solve Beatrice’s disappearance?

Schmidt creates a quirky, fun Clue-like story with twists and turns, and intriguing characters with surprising pasts. “The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby” reminds us to never give up; even if we are young, we can be skillful; “A good detective confirms everything firsthand”; and always follow the clues, no matter how small.

Fans of books like “Frances and the Monster” by Refe Tuma and the Sinister Summer series by Kiersten White will enjoy “The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby,” which is due out Sept. 5.

Five stars out of five.

Holiday House provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!

This was such a cute whimsical read, I loved the Easter eggs to each of the fairytales.

Every year the Amadeuses threw a spectacular Halloween party until a tragic event saw them hide from the world. When the mayors daughter disappeared at one of their parties, Mort Amadeous was found guilty, even though the case was never solved. Now, thirteen years later, six households are surprised to find invitations to a celebration at the Amadeus mansion on Halloween, Little do they know, they've all been invited for a specific reason and the true culprit is amongst them. Will the guests be able to solve the mystery before midnight strikes and time runs out?

With a beautiful cover, an intriguing title, and a premise that felt like the classic boardgame Clue, I was eager to dig into this mystery. Somehow I had missed that this was set in a magical setting which was a pleasant surprise.. It's hard not to be drawn in by this novel, the world feels rich, extraordinary but realistic. The characters are all distinct and it's quite fun how the author wove classic fables into backstories. The culprits were easy to identify as an adult, but it did not diminish the mystery of what happened. Dewey is an excellent sleuth and it's difficult not to chuckle as he leads the investigation with his keen eye.

If you're looking for a creepy fun paranormal mystery to enjoy this autumn, look no further! The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby is a perfect Halloween title readers of all ages will enjoy.

What a cute book! It gave clue vibes with a childlike fairy tale feel. So much fun. And I never really knew who did it until it was revealed. Really good!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. This book features many quirky characters and keeps the reader guessing as to what really happened. It had just the right amount of spookiness for middle grade readers.

My thoughts on…

THE PLOT: This was an intriguing plot. It was Wednesday meets Clue meets Dustin Henderson if he had his own show. And I really enjoyed that. There were moments where I felt I knew where the story was going, and then there was a surprise just waiting to reveal itself to me. This reads as a puzzle – the outside pieces are given to readers first, and then during the story, the pieces start to click into place to reveal the full picture.

THE CHARACTERS: What a ragtag group of characters Schmidt has given readers. This is where the feel of Clue comes in because the characters have all been assembled for a purpose – finding the truth of what happened on that Halloween night when Beatrice disappeared. And I really enjoyed how the characters played off one another. Readers are on a “need to know” basis with the characters, and it works for the overall story. It’s hard to say anything beyond what the summary tells us about the characters because it feels like a spoiler, but I will say Dewey is my favorite character – he has Dustin Henderson vibes – and I would enjoy reading a book about his adventures with his dad.

THE ATMOSPHERE: Oh my goodness – this is where Wednesday steps into the review. I don’t know if Schmidt is a Tim Burton fan, but this book reads as if they are. The atmosphere was spooky from the start – with the uncertainty of characters to the Amadeus’ house itself. The reader is immersed in an atmosphere that reads as if Wednesday and Clue had a love child.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This is a middle grade read to add to your fall TBR list, especially if you want a spooky atmosphere made for Enid Sinclair.

I liked this book. The cover drew me in and I was intrigued by the mystery. Who is Beatrice Willoughby? The cover is fantastic and the mystery just starts with lots of references to Victorian Literature from the Nevermore hotel and a caretaker named Ms Raven.
While the premise was interesting I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Though I still really liked it I was expecting it to be among my favorites this year like a Midnight Children type fantastic but it just didn't live up to that expectation. The culprit of the mystery was a bit two transparent for me but I think kids might not pick up on all the clues that I saw.
Though it did not earn a 5 star from me I will recommend it to my readers who like mysteries and I do think it earns 4 stars.

Man, what a ride! This book certainly came as a little surprise, filled with magic and strange little tales connected to some of our own stories (Grimm’s, Shelly’s), and paved with a thrilling mystery.

Briefly, Beatrice, the mayor’s daughter goes missing during one of the parties held by the enchanting Amadeuses during the All Hollows Eve. Ever since then, the family grieves the loss of the child and the imprisonment of their family head and thus stops throwing any other parties for years. Of course, after around 13 years, magical invitations make their way into the post boxes of some of the villagers. Some who have participated in the last party, the judge, the cobbler, the pharmacist, the innkeeper, the school teacher, a rich baroness, and a random traveler and his child.

While cautiously entering the venue, each invitee for a particular reason, they realize they are trapped inside, just until the statute of limitations expire. Naturally, the secluded Amadeuses had a plan in mind and thus entrusted the last investigation to the members. They know one of them is responsible for the disappearance—but who?

So they set out to find the culprit. Through old tales and small clues, they put their life on the line to find out what really happened 13 years ago, while, at the same time, keeping their own little secret safe from the others.

The entire story was magical, filled with tales of old, with a twist. The author handpicked a few of the Grimm’s fairytales, mixed a little of Frankenstein’s family history in, and built each of her characters based on those. She also masterfully laced her story with the mystery and thrill of finding the criminal, in a modern fashion, which might just make Agatha Christie proud.

The language was easy to follow and it really did manage to keep the reader engaged, save for the little stories the traveler was telling. There were a few instances where they tired me out a little bit. I guess it’s due to execution. It didn’t really fit my taste, though I do understand why they were inserted the way they were. Children need everything to be a little more straightforward.

Either way, all things considered, the story was pretty good, an enjoyable read for sure. The cover also fits it very well, bringing in most of the characters from the start.

Now, to end the review, I have to say, the ending sold me. An open pure perfection.

And on a final note, thank you for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity and I’d like to wish the author all the best in her future endeavors, both with this one book and the next!

PS: I don’t know if it was the file I got or the app, however, my copy had double the amount of pages and the story was inserted twice.

Mort and Maribelle Amadeus used to give an All Hallow’s Eve party that was the talk of the town of Nevermore. But that was before the spoiled daughter of the town’s mayor, 6-year-old Beatrice Willoughby, disappeared. Mort was arrested, convicted and sent to prison.

Now 13 years later, some invitations are going out for an All Hallow’s Eve party at the Amadeus’ mansion once again. Will we find out who really took Beatrice so many years ago, and why? And will that occur before midnight on Oct. 31, when the statute of limitations expires?

This off-beat mystery may be aimed at kids, but their grownups are sure to love this novel as well. I loved the main sleuth, 11-year-old Dewey O’Connell, and you will, too. Keep reading because a new twist occurs on the last few pages.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Holiday House, Peachtree and Pixel+Ink in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun Halloween mystery! This book gives big Clue vibes with a dash of magic. The spooky mansion set in the creepy woods gives great atmosphere and the countdown to midnight to solve the mystery kept me hooked to keep reading. I loved all of the characters and the mix of the brief fairy tale retellings. I found myself smiling while reading this as it was such a fun time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

This was such a fun read by GZ Schmidt. I’m always looking for new books for my library and this is one I will definitely be putting on my lists and recommending to patrons.

This book is basically if Clue had made up of paranormal characters. All of the characters are brought to a somewhat creepy mansion and have to solve a mystery. I was drawn in from page one and could not put this book down! It was so much fun and although I pretty much guessed who was responsible for disappearance of Beatrice I was still kept on my toes as to what the other characters were up to. This is a perfect book for younger readers (late elementary-middle school) - it does deal with a missing child, but it's not the kind of scary that will cause nightmares. The fact that it is Dewey that ultimately puts everything together and is often the voice of reason makes him a good character for younger readers. I would happily read many more books featuring these characters and with the kind-of cliffhanger at the end I certainly hope there will indeed be more books. I highly recommend this for classroom and school libraries!

Such a fun, peculiar, and magical book! The Curious Disappearance of Beatrice Willoughby filled me with so much nostalgia and ultimate Halloween feels. Sat in the dark, with its spectacularly whimsical story; I don't care that it's only July, this book has me ready for the spooky season!

More aimed for children, this book has similar vibes to the wonderfully strange work of Tim Burton. I will love these kind of books no matter how old I get. There's something creepy yet fun about it, and, as an adult, it's always nice to have something more lighthearted to turn to. Sometimes it's nice to escape the complexities of adulthood.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House, and G. Z. Schmidt for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby is a fantastic middle grade novel.

If you like Addams family vibes, a good mystery, and a smart kid detective you’re going to like this one.

A deliciously creepy mystery that’s part Addams family, part Agatha Christie, and totally fun.

Roughly present day: It’s All Hallow’s Eve in Nevermore, a town located in the remote mountains of Europe, thirteen years since the Incident. The Incident, of course, is the vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby. Beatrice was the daughter of the mayor of Nevermore, and since she vanished at the Amadeus’s party, they blamed Mort, the “head" of the Amadeus household, thus ending their Halloween party tradition.. Maribelle, his wife, had been quietly investigating what really happened, and now, the year before the statute of limitations ends, is having another party to flush out the guilty party and to find Beatrice. Previously, the whole town was invited. This year, it’s a more selective group: “an heiress…a spy…an alchemist…a thief…and an imposter.” Others had the ability to hypnotize people, see the future, or resurrect dead birds - a motley bunch indeed. Add to this group were two uninvited people: eleven year-old Dewey, the hero of the story, and his father, Chaucer who incidentally was at the party when the Incident occurred.

The guests arrive; the doors to mansion are locked and won’t be opened until the assembled guests solve the disappearance. Fortunately, Dewey's there; in addition to being too young to be guilty, he's highly intelligent, spending most of his time reading books - the perfect person to solve the crime.

Even though I’m way outside the target age group for this book (ages 8 - 12), I throughly enjoyed it. I initially picked it up because of the cover and examining it closely, found lots of Easter eggs, trying to match the people on the cover to the guests. The book itself had lots of fun references that I enjoyed. For example, Mrs. Raven and the Nevermore Inn brings to mind Poe's poem, The Raven. Chaucer, Dewey’s father, reminds me of Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales since both collected tales; in Chaucer’s case, many of them are Grimm’s fairy tales. Dewey, I suspect, is a reference to Melvil Dewey and the Dewey Decimal System, the library classification system. Even the town of Nevermore sounds like a stand in for Transylvania, home of Dracula.

The mystery itself was also enjoyable with lots of twists and turns. Each character's unique abilities and points of view are valuable as they uncover clues to unwind what happened that night thirteen years ago. At the center of it all is Dewey, using logic to figure everything out. And while there were a few parts that were scary, the book was more creepy as fitting Halloween and the target audiences' age.

Highly, highly recommended! This was a fun book, not too long - perfect for reading as a family on Halloween after Trick or Treating is done.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

Let me get this out of the way. I LOVED this book. The Curious Vanishing Of Beatrice Willoughby is what I Like to call dark, whimsy with a touch of magic.

We start with all of the characters (Dr. Foozle, Mrs. Raven, Ms. H, Mr. H, Count Baines, Judge Ophelius, and Duchess Von Pelt) who all receive an invite to an All Hallows Eve party at the Amadesuse’s mansion. However, no one has been invited back to the mansion since the disappearance of Beatrice 13 years ago. So why now? Chaucer and Dewey happened to be traveling this part of the country and decided to invite themselves to the invite-only party. What a mess it becomes.

This book was right up my alley. It takes place in one night, but there are many twists and turns. There are stories within stories. Who is telling the truth? Who is telling a lie? I enjoyed reading Dewey as a character. Dare, I say he was my favorite. It was refreshing to see an intelligent kid in the mix. Also, the bits of magic in this book were such a delight. The magic ranged from vials of sunshine to vials of thunder. I just loved it.

5 stars. If you want a cute little read for the Halloween/ fall season, you should pick this up. I will be buying a copy as soon as it comes out.
Thanks, NetGalley and publishers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

What a charming story! I think there was a glitch with my e-book because it had over 500 pages which was very confusing since the story seemed to be wrapping up and I couldn’t see how it could be so long. Thankfully it was the perfect length.

It was a classic murder mystery but in a fairy tale setting. It felt like Agatha Christie for kids and so that was delightful. The fairy tale aspect was very light and so it was fun to recognize the winks to old stories.

I received this from net galley in exchange for a review.

This YA Mystery is absolutely perfect for reading on a fall night! This is like a perfect Agatha Christy book but for young adults. I loved this!! I was absolutely 100% hooked from the beginning until the very end!! I cannot stop thinking about it! 6 stars if I could!
I just reviewed The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby by G. Z. Schmidt. #TheCuriousVanishingofBeatriceWilloughby #NetGalley
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The Curious Vanishing of Beatrice Willoughby, by G. Z. Schmidt

The kind of book I expected! The title, the cover, the blurb – all are a nice match to this children’s novel (at 272 pages, I’m calling it a novel). That said, it took me a while to realize that is Dewey on the cover: for some reason I assumed the depicted child was a precocious Beatrice (Velma-like – think Scooby Doo), coincidentally redheaded, like Dewey.
What’s to like: quirky characters, a mystery in a mansion in the woods (think Clue or Murder by Death), a precocious protagonist, a hint of dark magic. What’s to love: the many references to Literature names (I do not want to spoil any) and the retelling of fairy tales and other known narratives inside the main tale – that is what makes it fun for grown-ups and not just for children. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but the countdown to midnight structure seems similar to Michael Ende’s The Night of Wishes, a classic less known than The Neverending Story or Momo, but also stupendous. Actually, the atmosphere reminds me of that one.
The only minor caveat: I expected either a shorter story for children or, at 267 pages, maybe an even more complicated story, but that was my just expectation. I would read the main characters’ further adventures. 4.8 stars out of five.
Thanks to NetGalley, Holiday House, and G. Z. Schmidt for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
This book was such a fun ride and I loved the cozy mystery with all the twists and turns that kept me guessing at each turn. I thought the story was well-paced and the mysterious vibe of the novel was perfect. It was a overall good middle grade novel that was suspenseful and enjoyable to read.