Goldie Vance Volume Two

There was a lot going on in this teen detective graphic novel and at times it seemed to be a bit too much. But, the characters are great, the story-line wacky, and the premise too cool. Even if I didn't love the plot of this one I plan on sticking with this series because it holds a lot of promise. Volume two was just all over the place with astronauts, mermaids, beauty pageants, and FBI agents. A few too many pieces in the puzzle for my taste, but not horrible. I'm already looking forward to volume three.

Goldie Vance vol. 1

This graphic novel series is going to be a delight. Goldie Vance is a mixed teenage girl who works at a hotel with her father. She parks cars and her father manages it (her parents are divorced). In her spare time she works for a detective agency in the building tracking down missing toddlers, lost bathing suits, and more. Things start to get interesting when a man reports a missing necklace and Goldie and her colleagues (fellow co-workers and the cute girl from the record store she has a crush on) realize that there is a lot more to the necklace then meets the eye. The missing necklace escalates to kidnapping, grand theft auto, and men in helicopters. It's a lot of fun and teens will eat up this Nancy Drew-esque spin off.

The Bungalow Mystery

Classic Nancy Drew. Near death escapes, unheard of independence, sharp sleuthing skills, easily solvable mysteries, and overly confident criminals are just a few of the signature elements that contribute to Nancy's continual success. While vacationing with her best friend, the two girls get stuck in a storm, sink their boat and nearly drown. Thankfully a girl their age hears their screams for help and the girls have made a new friend for life. As they gossip and get to know each other their rescuer, Lauren, tells them her sob story about how she is an orphan and she must soon meet the couple her mother entrusted her to. As the summer vacation progresses, Nancy notices a lot of things that don't add up about Lauren's new guardians and does some sleuthing. She quickly manages to get into more life threatening trouble but discovers that something is really wrong.

Predictable, but amusing. For fans of strong female leads and Scooby Doo.