Double or Die

July 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-This installation in the series begins while James is attending Eton. The professor in charge of his roommate's crossword-puzzle club departs the school unexpectedly and leaves a cryptic letter to the boy explaining his absence. That strange note, combined with the clues from his last crossword contribution to the London "Times", has the boys off on an adventure to solve the mystery and rescue Mr. Fairburn. They must decipher all manner of word clues, and the author does a good job of reviewing the last clue while moving on to the next so that readers don't get lost. James and his friends use their wits, but his agile athletic abilities also come in handy as they run after and away from the menacing bad guys. The plot is clever and well developed, and the boys and their actions are believable. An added bonus is the discussion of the medical oddities found at London's Royal College of Surgeons, which will be highly prized among teen boys for the gross-out factor. Students who cut their teeth on Donald J. Sobol's "Encyclopedia Brown" series (Delacorte) will love this more mature mystery, and will have fun trying to figure out the clues before Bond, James Bond."Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School Library, Loveland, CO"

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