(2) 4-6 For this freewheeling detective story, Turnage chooses a particular and intriguing setting: Hatteras Island off the coast of North Carolina in 1942. In the early stages of the American involvement in WWII, German U-boats were stationed off this coast, a fact largely hidden from the public. These conditions of secrecy, threat, and espionage make a perfect backdrop for an elaborate tale in which twelve-year-old Stick and her sidekicks, Rain and Neb, tackle a cluster of mysteries involving--among other tropes--spies, double agents, strategic eavesdropping, code-breaking, clue-solving, secret messages in lemon juice, explosives, an attempted arsenic poisoning, and a fatal snake bite. The pace slows very briefly for more naturalistic plot points such as Stick's father being missing in action and the endemic racism directed toward Rain and her mother, but the narrative is mainly tried and true: plucky kids outwitting the adults. An added bonus is that our narrator, Stick, is a keen reader of the encyclopedia and of potboiler fiction and has mastered both a wide-ranging compendium of scientific facts and a quippy tough-guy argot, with its delicious metaphors, all appropriate to the period. Her sister's boyfriend has "dimples deep enough to back a Ford into." Funny, crisp, and clever.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 The Desperado Detective Agency (Three Times Lucky etc.) now has two mysteries to solve--one concerning Mo's continuing search for her biological mother, the other Blackbeard's lost treasure. Turnage focuses on plot and her signature down-home Southern language. Characters grow and reveal their complexities, but the heart of the novel is the mysteries, and their solutions involve more sophisticated detective work than the Desperados have employed before.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) 4-6 A string of felonies in Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, prompts sixth-grade sleuths Dale, Mo, and Harm (Three Times Lucky; The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing) to revive the Desperado Detective Agency. When Dale's father is accused of breaking out of jail, the Desperados must choose between being successful detectives or staunch friends. Friendship prevails in this fine novel full of complex, carefully developed characters.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) 4-6 In this sweet, laid-back sequel to Three Times Lucky, Mo LoBeau and Dale find themselves in another mystery. When the abandoned Tupelo Inn goes up for auction, Miss Lana and Grandmother Miss Lacy outbid a snippy banker and take ownership of the ramshackle inn, including a strange apparition. Mo's distinctive voice, full of humor and Southern colloquialisms, narrates a tale with many twists and turns.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(2) 4-6 The center of rural Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, is a café owned by the Colonel, who rescued and adopted Mo when she washed up during a hurricane as a baby. Completing their unconventional family is Miss Lana, the café's hostess. All is well--until a stranger comes to town. Humor sweetens the mix in this dandy, leisurely plotted mystery.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012