"I really need your help!" said the woman on the phone. "A note has been
slipped into my purse. It says, Beware ... a dirty trick!" Max Monroe
can't believe Rhonda Remington, his favorite author, is calling the
Monroe Detective Agency looking for his help! It's hours before Rhonda
competes for a spot in the Mystery Hall of Fame, and she's desperate to
find out who wrote the note and what kind of dirty trick they're
planning for her big night. Max is thrilled to take her case. He may be
only ten years old, but he's a clever detective. And of course he has
his partner, Uncle Larry, to help him. Well, as much as an uncle who's a
ghost can help! With funny dialogue and a cast of oddball characters,
author L. M. Falcone (a former private investigator herself) continues
to delight with this third title in her early chapter book series about
a super-talented boy detective who solves cases with the ghost of his
uncle Larry. Though having a ghost sidekick that no one else can see
creates opportunities for hilarious misunderstandings and mayhem when
Max and Uncle Larry are out in public, at its heart, this is a true
whodunit. The slowly building storyline allows children to exercise
their critical-thinking skills as Max gathers clues and draws up a list
of suspects. And the segmented chapters, short sentences and line
drawings throughout add to the appeal of this mystery series for newly
independent readers.