Dunc and the Scam Artists

October 1, 1993
Gr 4-8-Glib Duncan Culpepper and accident-prone Amos Binder, who is infatuated with the indifferent Melissa Hansen, continue their bumbling amateur sleuthing in these two additions to the series. In Red Tattoos, the boys are at Camp Gitchie Goomie where they overhear a plot to get rid of the camp director. After a series of mishaps, they lead the police to a band of black marketeers. The funnier and more plausible of the two stories is Scam Artists. Dunc and Amos befriend a woman who they fear will be the next victim of a scam artist who has been bilking elderly citizens out of their life savings by pretending to be a long-lost relative. In a plot twist, the nice old lady turns out to be an accomplice to the crook. Both stories follow the series pattern: Amos ends up battered and bruised, a victim of his own clumsiness, and Dunc is always able to talk his friend into trying his schemes by mentioning the possibility of impressing the beloved Melissa. Paulsen moves the action along by presenting some scenes in after-the-fact dialogue. These fast-paced, humorous stories with snappy dialogue and likable characters will appeal to reluctant middle-school readers.-Eunice Weech, M.L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL