A book about a loner who loves the X-Files, puzzles, and Twin Peaks who finds herself in the middle of a city wide treasure hunt?  I couldn’t pick this book up fast enough! With an interesting concept, realistic characters and a fun, twisty premise, this book should have been better than it was.   However, too many last minute characters and a rushed ending left me wanting more.

From Goodreads:  Tuesday Mooney is a loner. She keeps to herself, begrudgingly socializes, and spends much of her time watching old Twin Peaks and X-Files DVDs. But when Vincent Pryce, Boston’s most eccentric billionaire, dies—leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe—Tuesday’s adventure finally begins.   Puzzle-loving Tuesday searches for clue after clue, joined by a ragtag crew: a wisecracking friend, an adoring teen neighbor, and a handsome, cagey young heir. The hunt tests their mettle, and with other teams from around the city also vying for the promised prize—a share of Pryce’s immense wealth—they must move quickly. Pryce’s clues can’t be cracked with sharp wit alone; the searchers must summon the courage to face painful ghosts from their pasts (some more vivid than others) and discover their most guarded desires and dreams.

What a great start to a book! I was hooked right away with the introduction of Tuesday and her friend Dex and loved the realistic situations they found themselves in and the dialogue between them that crackled with witty phases and a short hand that only friends can converse in.  Even Archie, a rich and handsome character that could have been cookie cutter was interesting and I would read another book entirely told from the perspective of Dorry, Tuesday’s teenage neighbor battling some ghosts of her own. These characters are developed enough that I genuinely cared about what happened to them.  A man who loved Edgar Allen Poe enough to devise a treasure hunt to be completed after his death is right up my alley and the introduction of Vincent Pryce, his death, and his scavenger hunt were all fun and intriguing and made me want to keep reading.  Unfortunately, about halfway through the book, it stopped being fast paced and fun and started slowing down into a bit of a slog.  I don’t know why Racculia decided to stop focusing on the scavenger hunt entirely at this point.  I understand that in order to make sense of what Tuesday, Dex, and even Archie are feeling, the reader needs to know their backstories but there could have been a better way to do this without bringing the action to a screeching halt.  By the end, I was confused by the treasure hunt and by the introduction of so many side characters that weren’t as developed as the others and didn’t seem to serve a purpose other than to show the reader that other people were interested in the hunt.  What started as an interesting book was rushed at the end and ultimately left me feeling underwhelmed.

This book had a great idea, fun characters, and witty dialogue that started out great but lost its way about halfway through.  Despite this, I would recommend to fans of mysteries and quirky characters because I did enjoy myself, I just wish the book overall was more concise. 

Favorite Quote: “Having someone care about you makes you want to give a shit, especially if you’re having trouble caring about yourself.”

Author: Kate Racculia

Published: October 8^th, 2019

Rating: 3.5 Stars