Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash Book

The accidental junior high detective Sammy Keyes is back in her twelfth hysterical mystery adventure!
 
Sammy has three wads of cold hard cash in her hot little hands. An old guy gave them to her. Well, actually, he told her to throw them away. Begged her. With his last dying breath. Which he was taking because Sammy had just scared the life right out of him.
 
So . . . she's got to get this man some help. She's got to do it without being seen. And she's got to figure out how to stash that cash.
 
Aw, c'mon! You'd keep the money too, right? No one ever needs to know. . . .
 

Children's Literature

This latest installment in the "Sammy Keyes" mystery series finds Sammy thinking that she caused a man to have a heart attack when she suddenly appeared on the landing at the Senior Highrise home for the elderly. Responding to the man's dying wish to "make the money go away," Sammy surprises herself by spending some of it on herself and others. But the odd, uncomfortable feeling she has about the money pushes her to find out more about the dead man and the mysterious funds. In typical Sammy fashion, she finds herself using disguises and her creativity to crack the case. Along the way, she is aided by her grandmother, as well as her many friends. Sammy also has to deal with the economic and emotional breakdown within her best friend Marissa's family and its impact on Marissa and her brother, Mikey. In addition, Sammy's crush on Casey goes public, and then meets potential disaster after she finds out that her mother is actually dating Casey's dad. The combination of humor and tension that elementary and middle school readers have come to expect from Sammy are all on hand. This is another solid addition to the series. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.