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Reading Level: Ages 9-12 With great pulp fiction cover art like this, how could iPulp readers not be interested in this series of slim, hardcover mysteries: Double Life, The Shadow Beast, and Ghost Soldiers. This review is based upon the first two books in the series. The Invisible Detective’s dual story line takes place in the same London neighborhood during 1936 and the present time, with young Arthur Drake at the center of each story. It all begins when today’s Arthur buys an old notebook and a strange stone at “a faded shop that was strangely out of place.” The notebook is titled: The Casebook of the Invisible Detective as kept by Arthur Drake and the Cannoniers (1936- ). Even more striking to Arthur than seeing his name on the cover is the realization that the distinctive handwriting is his own. The majority of each volume chronicles a case of the Invisible Detective, Brandon Lake, in pre-war London. Mr. Lake holds a weekly consultation in which people from his neighborhood ask for help solving minor mysteries in the district. He is “invisible” because nobody knows who he is. During his consultation sessions, he sits in a large wingback chair that faces away from the gathered people. Brandon Lake is also invisible because he does not exist. He is the creation of Arthur and the Cannoniers—his friends: Johnny, Meg, and Flinch. In Double-Life, the young sleuths find themselves drawn into their first major mystery involving paranormal puppets and international intrigue. Each Invisible Detective case is solved in a single volume. The mystery of the modern Arthur Drake and his connection to the Invisible Detective is slowly revealed through the succeeding books. This series does not quite make our “Recommended” list because character development, even for the leads, is minimal. But the mystery, the action-based story, and the slim size of the books would make this an excellent selection for the young male reader. — KB SHAW, Publisher, Spectrum - Member SCBWI
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