Author: Angie Frazier
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
Source: Bought
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Summary: A new, exciting Suzanna Snow adventure!Suzanna "Zanna" Snow can hardly believe her luck: She's just arrived in Boston, the city she's wanted to visit for as long as she can remember. Think of all the mysteries waiting to be solved here! Her grandmother and cousin, Will, welcome her warmly, but her famous detective uncle, Bruce Snow, seems anything but pleased. He doesn't want Zanna meddling in his current case involving a string of mysterious warehouse fires along the harbor front. But Zanna can't help herself. Is someone setting the fires? Just when she thinks she's on to something, a strange man starts following her. Is he a threat? Zanna needs to solve the case before she has the chance to find out.
Review: The Mastermind Plot is a quick, fun read. It wasn't as fantastic as the first book in the series but it was still an enjoyable read.
This book is actually more of a middle grade book. I'm not a huge fan of middle grade because I don't think that the kids are portrayed right for their ages but that's a whole other matter. I felt like Frazier really nailed that aspect in this book. I never felt like Zanna was too old or young for her age. I love a well done middle grade book and this is a prime example of that!
As for the characters, I love Zanna. She's so full of spunk and sometimes she can be absolutely hilarious! The supporting characters were a little one dimensional but I loved Zanna's friend Adele. She was quite an interesting character...! Zanna's uncle Bruce never fails to pain me. He's annoying, condescending and I don't see that man changing anytime soon!
The mystery took me awhile to figure out but I had figured it out long before Zanna. In this book she was a little slow regarding things. I had most of the book figured out halfway through. Fortunately, this didn't bring down my level of enjoyment. I've always been a fan of historical fiction, so that aspect kept me hooked.
The Mastermind Plot also takes place in one of my favorite cities, Boston. You don't get to see much of the city because Zanna was confined to one spot the whole time. But, overall, the setting was done well. I missed the New Brunswick setting from the first book and the characters from the first book, though.
The Mastermind Plot isn't as good as I expected it to be but it was an addicting read that I had no trouble getting into. If you're a fan of good middle grade and feisty heroines then you might want to pick this one up!
Rating: 3.5 stars
