Title: The Girl With Pencil, Drawing
Author: Linda Maria Frank
Genre: Teen Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Amateur detective Annie Tillery is at it again. After she wins a series of art lessons at a prestigious art gallery, Annie shows up for her first lesson to find her instructor, Francesca Gabrielli, in a volatile argument with John DiCristiani, the art gallery’s director, over his incessant requests for her to illegally copy art masterpieces.

In the second book in the Annie Tillery Mystery series, The Girl With Pencil, Drawing we follow amateur detective Annie Tillery once again. Annie wins a series of art lessons at a prestigious art gallery. When she shows up, her instructor is arguing to the art gallery’s director over his non-stop requests for her to illegally copy art masterpieces. When the gallery director is found murdered, Annie’s instructor becomes the prime suspect and asks for Annie and her aunt to help solve the crime and clear her name.

Annie and her aunt, Jilly, a NYPD detective, have a lot on their plate in this second installment. Not only do they have to face the dangers of an international art fraud, they also have to solve a murder in which the key suspects offer anything but easy clues. And with the murderer still on the loose, their very lives could be in danger. When it becomes clear the murderer has something planned for Annie and her instructor, she has to save both of them.

This is a true page turner aimed at teens. The book combines several subplots and waves them masterfully into one tight, suspenseful plot. Obviously a lot of research went into writing this book about the world of art, which makes it even more impressive. Definitely recommended to YA mystery fans.

Title: The Madonna Ghost

Author: Linda Maria Frank

Genre:Teen Mystery

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Annie Tillery and her Aunt Jill set off for Long Island’s Fire Island for a vacation of surf, sun, and sailing. Annie is happy to leave behind the stress of her relationship with her parents.  Aunt Jill, who is an NYPD detective, is mixing her vacation with a case she must keep secret from Annie.

The Madonna Ghost reminded me of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars, which is of course always a good thing. Annie Tillery and her aunt Jill set off for a holiday on Fire Island, planning to spend their holiday surfing, sunbathing, sailing, and just relaxing. But Jill hasn’t told Annie that she’s working on a case, and when she gets in trouble, it’s up to Annie to save her aunt.

Annie is a flawed, but engaging character. It’s these flaws that make her stand out. When her aunt becomes endangered, she steps up to save the day. Her relationship with her parents is anything but good, but she does have a good relationship with her aunt. On the island, she makes friends, even a possible love interest. The book also has a dash of the paranormal, as the title suggests, with a few ghosts sightings. The mystery is the key element of the book though, and the author does an admirable job with it, not presenting all clues at once but rather making the reader figure it out along with the characters.

The secondary characters are great too, but Annie was my favorite character. The writing starts right in the middle of the action. Overall, this is a very enjoyable and engaging mystery novel, recommended to young adults and adults who don’t mind reading about younger characters.