(2) 4-6 Oddmire series. The third book of Ritter's Oddmire trilogy (Changeling, rev. 9/19, and sequel) sees the four friends--Tinn, Cole, Fable, and Evie--making their way into the depths of a mine, searching for Tinn and Cole's father, who disappeared there many years ago. The plot they unearth is "pretty standard apocalypse, really": an effort by the "delvers" and their Lowest of Low Priests to unleash fire and chaos. In thwarting and surviving this threat, the skills and qualities of each friend are vital, underscoring and deepening their team bonds. This is very much an action story, with abundant visual description and an accessible writing style that ranges from epic prophecy to contemporary vernacular (the collapse of the world is ushered in with a sound "like when someone tried to eat crackers in the back of the classroom during reading time without anybody noticing"). Populated by a variety of folkloric beings such as spriggans, elves, nymphs, goblins, kobbolds, and ­fairies, along with a few humans, Ritter's fantasy offers plenty of playful interest as a world of its own. Black-and-white spot illustrations enhance the immersive qualities of setting and action.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) 4-6 Oddmire series. This series-starter is a riveting adventure set in a fully realized magical world that feels both timeless and of today. Townspeople whisper that one of Annie Burton's twins is a changeling meant to have replaced the real baby. But the siblings' lives are uneventful--until a goblin lures them into the Wild Wood, where only a changeling can stop magic from ebbing away. Vivid writing makes for moments of humor, pathos, and suspense.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) YA In Ghostly Echoes, a new threat emerged for seer/sleuth R. F. Jackaby: the Dire King. Now, in this final book, the torn veil between the real world and the fairy world of Annwyn releases the Dire King's undead army to wreak havoc on Jackaby's nineteenth-century New England town. With wry humor, Jackaby's assistant, Abigail Rook, once again narrates this satisfying and surprise-filled supernatural mystery.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(2) YA In summer 1892, paranormal detective R. F. Jackaby and employee Abigail Rook (Jackaby; Beastly Bones) search "the gritty underbelly" of fictional New Fiddleham for clues linking recent murders to a decade-old death. Inventors and engineers, as well as a vampire, a nixie, giants, and other supernatural creatures, all figure in Ritter's latest glorious fusion of detective novel, ghost story, and fantasy.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) YA Spring 1892 in New England finds British transplant Abigail Rook (Jackaby) still acting as assistant to paranormal detective R. F. Jackaby. They investigate a murder, the body bearing a single puncture wound. Could the killer be a vampire? Too obvious a hypothesis, thinks Jackaby. Jackaby's droll humor shines once again, and the storytelling is just as solid and absorbing, with a bit of romance.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) YA In 1892 New Fiddleham, America, newly arrived young Englishwoman Abigail Rook crosses paths with the remarkable Mr. R. F. Jackaby. Jackaby is a detective, but his perceptive observations are of the paranormal variety, and Abigail jumps at the chance to work for him. Ritter's debut is a riveting mash-up of mystery and folklore, with vivid details and striking turns of phrase.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014