The Secret Mummy

February 1, 2013
The jauntily scarved Mortensen returns in his fourth time-bending adventure. Mortensen, an agent dedicated to relentlessly fighting the ever-cresting wave of nefarious time-traveling criminals, now faces vampires in 19th-century Transylvania. Jumping uneasily through time from Prague to Transylvania to Bosnia and Paris, this wayward hero follows a creepy count thought to be a villainous vampire and the shadowy sarcophagus that seems tied to him. The threads in this offering--as in the previous volumes--are many, and readers familiar with them should be ready to apply the patience needed to slowly untangle the tenuous web. Jakobsen's art, utilizing a dark, earthy palette of muted tones, does help create moody atmospherics, a pleasant complement to the foreboding European backdrop. Historical notes provide some interesting background on the subjects covered, from the function of human kidneys (which do indeed play a vital role) to the Bosnian War to the history of Vlad the Impaler. A premise with promise falls short again, for this slim volume feels too crowded, packing in seemingly arbitrary historical events like sardines; a fatal flaw for this series as a whole. A stronger story than its predecessor (The Red Ruby, 2013), but with so many other, excellent series to choose from, why bother starting with a fourth volume? (maps, historical notes) (Graphic science fiction/adventure. 13 & up)

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April 15, 2013
Grades 3-5 Time agent Mortensen has another odd mystery on his handswhat do Romanian vampires in 1891, a tourist in Prague in 1993 who vanishes and reappears minus a kidney, and an antiques auction in Paris in 1954 have in common? Those seemingly disparate things eventually come together in this fourth volume of the Mortensen's Escapades series, which compensates for a sometimes-thin plot with exciting and age-appropriate art. Research notes at the end help tie together the time-travel-meets-urban-legends story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)