Mystery | Litercurious.com

Litercurious Book Review

Title	The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle
Author	Taryn Souders
Publisher	Sourcebooks Young Readers (July 11, 2023)
Format	Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages	288
Genre	Children’s Mystery, Detective, & Spy Children’s Humor
Language	English
ISBN10/13	172827141X / 978-1728271415

AUTHOR

Taryn Souders was born in Texas. She didn’t plan on being a writer. She worked as a middle school math teacher prior to trying to be a poet. However, serendipitously she turned her poetry into books. She now lives in Florida with her husband and three kids.

Learn more about Taryn Souders at her site https://tarynsouders.com/about-me/

SYNOPSIS

When Eudora “Kooky” Klinch passes away, she leaves Grady a 300-year-old tapestry and a note that reads: “To Whom It May Concern: This is no ordinary piece of needlework. It’s a treasure map. Riddles and clues. To the victor go the riches. Don’t forget to feed the cats.”

Grady and his father are down on their luck. Living very poorly after his mother passes away and the huge debt left from her medical bills, they are forced to sell their last possession; the trailer and 5 acres of land they live on. Grady doesn’t want to leave his friends and everything he knows behind. This is why when they receive the tapestry, Grady feels as if it could fix all of their problems. Only he isn’t the only one interested in obtaining the treasure. Someone else wants the treasure and is willing to steal and even kill for it.

Grady, with the help from his friends Thadddeus Carlton (Thad) and Clementine Powell (Clemmie) race against time and a killer, to discover the treasure and save his home. They have to investigate the images on the tapestry, research the ancient inhabitants of the town, study the local history and remain one step ahead of the villain.

Can they save Grady’s home? Will they unearth the treasure? Can they avoid the killer?

CONCLUSION

The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle is a suspenseful, action-adventure tale. It has drama, mystery, crime, suspense, thrills and murder mixed with a little history. It also has a bit of a “Goonies” feel to it.

The characters are diverse, well composed and the interplay is superb. “Kooky” Klinch, and Ophelia add little bits of unique characteristics to the tale. The plot is easy to follow with plenty of twists and turns.

The War of Jenkins’s Ear features heavily in this book. I must admit, I had never heard of this particular war and so I did some research and learned some interesting history.

Although the book is advertised for reading ages 8-12, I found this book entertaining and enlightening for all ages. Anyone with a little bit of kid left in them will enjoy this book. I highly recommend this book.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Taryn Souders, Sourcebooks Young Readers, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to review The Mystery of the Radcliffe Riddle.