Blood in the Water and Search for the Sunken Statue

Jackson, Tiffany D. Blood in the Water
July 1, 2025 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Kaylani doesn't want to leave her mother or her Brooklyn home to go spend a month with family friends, the Watsons, on Martha's Vinyard, but she isn't given much of a choice. She'd rather stay home and work on her father's appeal, since he is spending time in prison after being framed for embezzling funds while working at the Mercer Hedge Fund. The Watsons are big supporters of her father, having helped him go to college, so they want to allow Kaylani to have a vacation to take her mind off her troubles. Sadly, since their granddaughter London, and her older sister Cassie, aren't too thrilled to have Kaylani around, it's not that appealing a break. The girls go to an elite private school in Connecticut, and won't even hang out with the local residents. They are a bit enamored of Chadwick, whom Cassie dated last year, but it's an uneasy relationship. For his part, Chadwick is very kind to Kaylani, and even gives her a tour of the Watson's house and its history, and suggests that she looks into the life of the previous owner, Alice McBride. When London demands to tag along to a late night beach party with Cassie, the girls meet Chadwick's young brother, Miles, and also talk to Jaden, who works for the Watsons. There is bad blood between Jaden and Chadwick, and when the two get into an altercation, Cassie has Jaden drive the younger girls home while she sees if Chadwick is okay. The next day, Chadwick is missing, and his body is later found near the bridge that was featured in the movie Jaws that the teens all jump from. There seems to be a shark bite to his body, and there is a lot of blood in the water. Chadwick's death hits the community hard, but even when it is determined to be a homicide, the kids all still hang out at the beach. Miles wants to investigate, and asks Kaylani for help in finding his brother's phone. Kaylani would like to help, and has found the local history to be very interesting, but because of issues with London and the Watsons, would really just like to go home. 

Strengths: While Kaylani has her reasons for wanting to stay at home in Brooklyn, I think that most tweens would embrace the opportunity to travel to Martha's Vineyard and stay at a mansion, complete with an enigmatic housekeeper who is an excellent cook. There's drama aplenty, with London and herr snotty ways, the mysterious falling out that Chadwick had with the girls, and even some charity embezzlement that Kaylani is accused of. This is also a realistic look at dealing with a parent in prison; oddly enough, one of my childhood friends' fathers was imprisoned for embezzlement! The setting is well defined, and there is a lot of interesting Black history of the area. I don't want to ruin the mystery, but I did like that it cleared up several different issues. It's hard to strike a good balance in a middle grade murder mystery, but this did a good job of having a sympathetic but somewhat remote character killed in a slightly gruesome way. Miles' reaction was also well portrayed. The cover of this is fantastic; it screams "murder mystery" perfectly, and the mansion in the background is a great touch. Readers who have never been to Martha's Vineyard will want to go after reading this, although they will definitely be cautious! 
Weaknesses: While this was a decent mystery, it could have been a great one with a little more build up, a few more clues, and a more suspenseful ending. It felt a bit forced and rushed near the end, which is too bad, since the beginning, with the Watsons' lavish lifestyle, will lure readers innn and make them expect something terrible. You can tell I hang out with middle school students too much; part of me wanted Kaylani to be tortured just a bit at the end before being rescued and the mystery solved! 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like a side of Black history with their mysteries, and have enjoyed Johnson's The Parker Inheritance, Strong's Just South of Home, or Banks' Billions to Burn.  While this could have used some further editing, the appeal of the cover is undeniable, and since it is a murder mystery, this book will ALWAYS be in big demand. It reminded me a bit of some of Joan Lowery Nixon's books like her 1987 The Dark and Deadly Pool. 

Beil, Michael. Search for the Sunken Statue (Swallowtail Legacy #3)
June 17, 2025 by Pixel+Ink
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

After the events of Wreck at Ada's Reef and Betrayal by the Book, Lark is back for another adventure along the shores of Lake Erie.

With the arrival of Labor Day, Lark must get ready to attend school, having moved from Connecticut to Swallowtail Island with her sister Pip, stepfather Thomas, and three stepbrothers. The Roost, the home that her mother willed to Lark and Pip upon her passing, is a comfortable place, and over the summer Lark has become well known for her ability to solve crimes. Now that summer people have gone, the locals like Simon and Dinah (both in their 90s!) are gearing up for winter. When Chase Kennan, a famed expedition leader, and his team have arrived on the island to search for a statue, there's an excitement surrounding their attempts to retrieve Kennan's father's statue from Lake Erie. It fell off a boat in 1967, and was never recovered. It's not long before the statue is found and brought to the docks, but it goes mysteriously missing. How could something that big and heavy just disappear? An insurance investigator, Billie, is brought in, and Officer Pawlowski is also involved. Lark has other things to deal with; her Aunt Abigail, an art dealer from Manhattan, has arrived demanding her share of the Roost and its land, and she has to contend with playing on a new soccer team. In order for the team to play, they need one more girl, so Lark makes an arrangement with Gina that Lark will sing in the choir if Gina will play soccer... for her father, Coach Djoussou! When Owen visits on a break from his boarding school, he tells Lark that the coach there is interested in having her play. Since she's been running the house with her step brother, Blake, while Thomas is in New York for work, and the younger kids are not cooperative, it's a tempting offer! When Lark has time to investigate the mystery, she uncovers information from the past. Will it also help her to thwart the advances of Aunt Abigail to take her property?
Strengths: Lark is dealing with a lot of issues tweens face (siblings and stepsiblings, navigating a new school, balancing sports and life) and also solving crimes, which is great fun. Swallowtail Island has a lot of cool sites and residents, and the interactions Lark has with them remind me of the best adult cozy mysteries. Thomas is a good stepfather who benefits from the extended community, including Nadine, Lark's mother's best friend. The mystery is solid, and I don't want to give away any of what happens. The aunt is a good evil foil. It was just so much fun to spend time with Lark. When I was young, I would have saved up my babysitting money to buy this series at the mall, and would have reread it frequently.
Weaknesses: The aunt was so unpleasant, and she just made me sad. For her not to have any pity for Lark and Pip and to want to take their home... ugh. She deserved worse than she got!
What I really think: Readers who love cozy mysteries like Frederick's Absolutely Truly, Haddix's The Secrets of Trash and Treasure, or Beil's own The Red Blazer Girls will want to pick this one up. Ohio libraries especially will want to purchase the whole series! If you missed the first two, definitely take a look!