Murder at the Hotel Hopeless

April 30, 2012
Slow pacing and a frontloaded back-story undercut Lekich's (King of the Lost and Found) coming-of-age novel about a teenage thief who finds redemption. Raised by his uncle Andy in a community of minor miscreants following his mother's death, Henry learned the art of picking locks at a young age. When Andy is sent to prison, Henry avoids the foster care system by living in a tree house, surviving by breaking into neighbors' houses and stealing bits of food. Somewhat improbably, Henry's conscience won't allow him to take more than he needs, and in exchange for what he does take, he often performs light chores. Upon getting caught, Henry is sentenced to a program called Second Chances, which places him in the town of Snowflake Falls, where he is to live with the puzzling and eccentric Wingate family. The quirky, small-town charactersâespecially brainy, socially awkward 11-year-old Charlotteâprovide lively dialogue, humor, and an opportunity for Henry to become more fully developed, but readers may tire of Henry's heavy reminiscing about his upbringing throughout the first half before the core plot comes into play. Ages 12âup.

July 15, 2022
A teenager hooks up with a young detective--or at least a kid who plays one on TV--to solve a murder. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Hope willingly does what he can to help his single mom keep their small Vancouver hotel afloat, but his latest task, tending to thoroughly spoiled 14-year-old star Penny Price and her pampered Chihuahua, Baby, has him at about the end of his rope. At least he can unwind by playing chess with elderly resident Mr. Ignato...until, that is, Iggy winds up dead at the bottom of a staircase shortly after fretting to Charlie that his life might be in danger. The death is ruled accidental, but Charlie isn't so sure--particularly after discovering that the old man has left him a massive stolen diamond. Going more for comedy than complexity, Lekich concocts a lightweight whodunit featuring two wrangling amateur sleuths, hidden pasts, a small pool of possible suspects, glittery MacGuffins both real and otherwise, a dognapping at gunpoint, and quick progress to a climactic scuffle in (where else?) an abandoned warehouse. The end brings just deserts to surviving members of the all-White-presenting cast, and for Charlie and Penny, a relationship that at least looks more like friends than adversaries. Tailor-made for reluctant readers who prefer their noir on the lighter side. (Mystery. 12-18)

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September 1, 2022

Gr 6 Up-A comedic hi-lo cozy mystery. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Hope is tasked with keeping his mother's struggling hotel afloat. This means he must serve at the beck and call of Penny Price, a 14-year-old chain-smoking child star who is on leave from her popular mystery show with a broken arm. When one of the tenants is found dead, Charlie and Penny must team up to solve the mystery of a cursed jewel. The length requirements of the hi-lo format do not serve this story well. Multiple important story beats occur off-screen or are rushed past. For example, Charlie reads the femme fatale character's diary, which reveals her involvement with the crime, but readers receive a mere one-sentence summary from Charlie's point of view. This story may also struggle to find an audience, since the smoking and age of the main character implies an older reader, but there is not the expected maturity of theme that older hi-lo readers gravitate toward. VERDICT An additional purchase. Save for younger readers looking for a tidy mystery with hi-lo requirements who may enjoy this story.-Jeri Murphy

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