As the Sparks Fly Upward

March 2, 1992
Bernard Woodruff, author of the Mrs. Woolly books for tots, may look like a huge, amiable teddy bear, but he's actually an archetypal misanthrope. Except for his lovable, intelligent wife, Maya, he hates everyone, and that certainly includes Maya's handsome brother Snooky, who is also bright, wealthy, carefree and stubbornly unemployed. In this third Bernard-Snooky mystery, the unlikely sleuthing partners are visiting wintry Vermont, where the relatives of Snooky's current sweetheart begin dropping like flies. The mystery isn't hard to solve, but the puzzle isn't really the point. Dank, who began her writing career with the superior children's novel The Forest of App , has a genius for creating engaging, quirky characters and giving them marvelous lines. The payoff here is a funny, charming story, a literate, diverting escape.

March 1, 1992
Amateur sleuths Bernard Woodruff and gadabout brother-in-law Snooky team up again ( Going Out in Style, Bantam, 1990) to solve a murder when Bernard and his wife visit Snooky's rented cabin in small-town Vermont. The charming, gregarious Snooky introduces them to his girlfriend and her wealthy, seventyish aunt; shortly thereafter, however, Bernard finds the body of the aunt's much-younger lover in the woods. Distrusting the moronic local policeman and several greedy relatives, Bernard collects information through Snooky. Witty conversations and situations and delightful characters make this a joy to read.

Copyright 1992 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.