I recently finished the second installment of The Red Blazer Girls Series, by Michael D. Beil. If I was pleasantly surprised by the first one I was astounded by the second. The plot was much more interesting, with richer and more believable character development, a wider variety of settings, and a plot filled with surprises and intrigue. An added bonus was the codes the girls had to decipher; they were extremely fascinating, and it was fun to try to decode them before the characters did. The writer also has a great sense of humor—the main character, Sophie St. Pierre, is hilariously honest in her narrations, and is such a funny, relatable character that more than once did I have to make an effort to not start laughing in the middle of a crowded subway car. I also love the books portrayal of the city, with its diverse and odd variety of people and places, from the small, musty violin shop run by a kind, aged Polish-man and and ex-convict who's favorite companion is the shiny button he carries everywhere to a small coffee shop who's one floor is partially submerged below street level, hosting a mixture of dilapidated couches and banged-up tables, arranged artfully on a sticky floor, commonly frequented by schoolgirls in vermillion blazers, who are served by baristas with oversize glasses or pink-streaked hair.
The case the girls are working on involves a twice-stolen missing violin, estimated to be worth tens—maybe hundreds—of thousands dollars. They are left a string of clues, each disguised in a different code, that will eventually lead them to the valuable instrument. I cannot WAIT for the next book—I'm excited to see how the story continues. I recommend it to everyone!
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