Enchantment Lake: A Northwoods Mystery by Margi Preus (review)

Seventeen-year-old Francie may have once played a detective as a child actor but—despite what her kooky relatives might think—that in no way prepares her to catch the culprit behind a string of bizarre murders in her small Minnesota town. Nonetheless, when her great aunts Astrid and Jeannette call Francie, who’s auditioning in Manhattan, to return to Enchantment Lake because their neighbors are “dropping like flies,” Francie hops a bus to the northwoods and discovers that the bodies are indeed piling up. A fallen branch, a toxic well, and a mysterious snakebite are just a few of the creative ways in which several residents have recently bitten the dust, and Francie is determined to find who’s behind it, especially when the local sheriff falls prey to a poisoned hot dish. This is very much an updated Nancy Drew, with all the appeal and the conventions of that series, including a plucky young heroine, conveniently placed plot devices, and a final explanatory showdown with the villain; the formula works just as it should here with added punch from the quirky cast of secondary characters. Francie plays a very young seventeen, and her wide-eyed innocence, along with the book’s gentle humor and cozy charm, combine to make a satisfactory mystery that will please fans of Turnage’s Three Times Lucky (BCCB 7/12).