Gumshoe and the Mysterious Mushrooms

PARANORMAL/MYSTERY:  “Gumshoe and the Mysterious Mushrooms” tells the story of Mia Thomas, a girl who just turned fifteen and who really has a heart of gold. The story starts out with Mia experiencing what might be the worst birthday in the history of birthdays: her father gets arrested, a stray cat—Gumshoe—starts talking to her, and if she wants to save her family from ruin, Mia will have to step up to the plate and save the day. 

Rarely is there a character readers will like wholeheartedly, but Mia Thomas is just such a character. Resilient, strong, a great sense of humor, she’s an excellent protagonist for this teen cozy mystery series. Although Mia is very likeable, it’s actually Gumshoe who steals the show. With his witty banter, snarky attitude and style, Gumshoe is the best familiar ever. 

Reviewing this book is hard without giving away too much of the mystery side of the story. That mystery is clever, fun and keeps the reader guessing, for the most part. The story itself is intriguing, albeit a bit predictable here and there. But that doesn’t stop the fun: the pacing is super-fast but not too fast; the characters shine, and there’s a lot of originality to the plot and characters. Overall, by the time the reader turns the last page of this book, he or she will, without a doubt, be longing for Mia and Gumshoe’s next exciting adventure.  

Majanka Verstraete