Death on A Southern Breeze

Mark de Castrique
Bella Rosa Books (2009)       
ISBN 9781933523347
Reviewed by Dylan James (age 13) for Reader Views (11/09)


Jeb Bennet is on a locomotive headed towards Charleston when a sudden murder occurs.  Passengers are riled, and tensions are high as he helps Detective Jonathan Ward in a race to unmask the killer.  The train will not stop until they get to Charleston, and the killer could strike again at any time.  In the meantime, Jeb’s sketches for a military weapon are stolen.  Is there more going on than meets the eye?

“Death on A Southern Breeze” is a very interesting novel.  It is informative, exciting, and very well written.  It has several elements in the story, and the mystery is surprising and challenging to solve.  Boys and girls will like this equally.  There is a very complicated storyline involving both the mystery and people’s thoughts about the Civil War and slavery.  Anyone that can understand these themes will appreciate this book. There is an accurate representation of the time the book is set in.

There is only one big thing that would have made the book better.  There are many subtle hints that make the mystery all the more exciting.  These were too subtle for me.  I think putting more emphasis on the hints would make the mystery just a little bit better.  Overall, though, “Death on A Southern Breeze” by Mark de Castrique is a brilliant mystery, and I’m glad I took the time to read it.                                                      

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