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Summary
Summary
Winning hearts and rave reviews, master-of-disguise P.K. Pinkerton returns to the Wild West in the best adventure yet!
P.K. Pinkerton's detective agency is thriving in Virginia City--until the evening P.K. is abruptly stuffed into a turnip sack and tossed into the back of a wagon! Surfacing in Chinatown, P.K. is forced into taking a job trailing the abductor's fianc#65533; in Carson City.
Danger lurks at every turn. P.K. must battle quicksand, escape the despicable former Deputy Marshall, Jack Williams, and save Poker Face Jace from certain death at the hands of the fatal "Black Widow," who is courting P.K.'s friend and mentor.
Master-of-disguise P.K. Pinkerton has almost perfected the art of staying hidden in plain sight, but when the stakes become life or death, the only thing that can save the young detective is to give away the biggest secret of all.
Author Notes
Caroline Lawrence grew up in Bakersfield, California, and claims that some of her ancestors were pioneers, teamsters and newspapermen. Caroline moved to England to study classics at Cambridge. After a decade of immersing herself in Roman history to write the Roman Mysteries series, Caroline is now mining the rich vein of American history during the tumultuous 1860s. She currently lives in London by the river with her history-loving husband, who did the illustrations for this book.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-Life is beginning to look up for P.K. Pinkerton, the 12-year-old orphan and half-Sioux misfit: Pinkerton's detective agency is thriving. Unfortunately, the next case involves trailing his mentor, Poker Face Jace. While P.K. is following the trail to Carson City with thriving silver mines and booming toll road franchises, trouble is trailing P.K. When he finds himself strapped to a moving log in a saw mill, the master of disguise exchanges his most guarded secret for freedom. As the truth unfolds, P.K. decides to save his mentor from the Black Widow who has spun a web to snag Jace-and his money. T. Sands's narration is spot-on for P.K. and the eclectic cast of characters. The spirit and slang of the Wild West permeates P.K.'s that's-the-way-the-pickle-squirts account in this often hilarious tale. Fans of P.K. will find this installment well worth the wait.-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In this third rousing series entry, P.K. is going to Carson City to investigate Poker Face Jace, who Opal Blossom believes is her two-timing fianci. P.K. must navigate twists and turns in a case involving Nevada Territory's bid for statehood. A big reveal should have readers thinking about P.K.'s art of disguise and looking at our hero in a new light. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Twelve-year-old half-Lakota "double-orphan" detective P.K. Pinkerton heads to Carson City in the third of the disarming Western Mysteries series. The year is 1862, and news of P.K.'s private-eye prowess has spread through the Nevada Territory. A high-class Virginia City courtesan hires the detective to spy on her possibly unfaithful fiance, the very same Poker Face Jace who is P.K.'s beloved mentor. P.K. has what he calls a "Thorn," difficulty showing or reading emotion; Jace has taught his protg to read people's "tells," and not just around the poker table. As P.K. shadows Jace in Carson City, he thinks "Blind Widow Woman" will be his best disguise everuntil his "sock bosom" migrates north. (P.K.'s true gender is deliberately left iffy until the end.) Carson City is alive with gamblers and guns, drinkers and desperadoseven a young Sam Clemens. The silver mines are humming, the railroad's coming, and the colorful legislature wrangles the law. P.K.the best kind of heronavigates it all with unblinking acceptance of the salty characters he meets, straight-shooting honesty and impressive investigative work. The young detective's dryly hilarious first-person accounts keep the story at a gallop. No disguise can mask P.K. Pinkerton's stout heart and steely resolve in Lawrence's third (and mighty fine) Wild West adventure. (maps) (Historical fiction. 10-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In the third P. K. Pinkerton title, business is booming for 12-year-old detective P. K. in 1862 Virginia City. Things take an unexpected turn when P. K. is kidnapped and then hired by mysterious Opal Blossom to go to Carson City and investigate whether her fiance, Poker Face Jace, who is also P. K.'s mentor, is two-timing her. There, amidst the political wheeling and dealing around Nevada's impending statehood, P. K. discovers the woman Jace is courting. Violetta De Baskerville isn't as she appears, and Jace's life may be in danger, but P. K., a master of disguises, has secrets, too; and protecting them and Jace means deciding whom to trust and what to reveal before it's too late. The Wild West setting again comes alive through colorful characters both new and returning allies and foes, abundant period detail, and the ever-engaging, P. K., a half Sioux loner whose colloquial, lively account also incorporates issues from facing prejudice and past tragedy to finding the meaning of friendship, self-acceptance, and acceptance by others. A don't-miss for series followers, who'll enjoy learning more about P. K.'s history and possible future in this humorous, suspenseful, ultimately heartfelt tale.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2014 Booklist
