The Case of the Vanishing Ventriloquist (A McGurk Mystery)

ISBN 0816717885 - The McGurk Detective Organization is, as always, as ready as they're going to get. The friends and their foibles are a nice constant background to the case of the moment. Wanda has a guest. Her pen-pal from Japan, Mari, is visiting. This is not a good time for this, at least in McGurk's opinion. He's set this week aside to put his detectives through a rigorous promotion exam, and the distraction (not to mention infraction) of a visitor sitting in on official business annoys the boss. It helps that Mari has a case of hero worship for McGurk, but not enough to change his mind. When she takes the exam alongside Wanda, more for her own amusement than anything else, she starts outdoing McGurk's people and that makes him look at her with new respect. On the second day of exams, a real mystery presents itself to the kids, in an overheard phone conversation. A crime will be committed at the Senior Citizen's Picnic on Friday. Now, all they have to do is figure out what the crime will be, who the victim(s) will be, who the criminals are and how to stop them. And time is running out! McGurk's always a little rough around the edges. In this book, he's a little harsh and rude to Mari. That's McGurk, but for parents who have concerns about those things, I mention it. If you're just interested in getting your kid's nose into a book. McGurk's a good choice. Since it's 2007, few will catch this little tidbit, but it's fun - Brains is working on creating a pocket cordless telephone... in 1985, when the book was copyrighted, the cell phone was still a few years away!

To me, this is one of the funniest McGurk mysteries ever written (and I have read them all!) I strongly suggest this one to anyone loving mysteries! E.W. Hildick is a great writer!