Gilda Joyce Weekend - author Jennifer Allison

This weekend I read three Gilda Joyce books.  I loved the very first book "Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator".  I had read it a couple of years ago.  I've had books 2 - 4 sitting on my shelf for a while now and finally decided to read them this weekend.  What follows is a short review of each

The Ladies of the Lake
Publisher:  Sleuth Puffin, 2006
Pages:  339
Genre:  Middle Grade Mystery
Source:  My shelves

Gilda Joyce, a self-proclaimed psychic investigator has been given the opportunity of a life time.  She has been offered a scholarship to a private school, "Our Ladys of Sorrow School for Girls.  How did she get this lucky opportunity?  It was her mother's boyfriend's doing.  Gilda really did not want to go until she saw the place.  Anything that looked like a haunted castle had to be haunted, right?  The mystery surrounded the death of Dolores who fell through the ice into the lake and drowned.  Now Gilda is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.  I loved her attitude toward the snobby girls at the school.  She tends to be over-dramatic and to put her nose where it doesn't belong.  Her reason is that it is justifiable if it will get to the bottom of the mystery.  She can't believe that Dolores was stupid enough to just step out onto the ice.  Someone must be responsible for her actions that night, and Gilda is going to find out who.

The Ghost Sonata
Publisher:  Dutton Children's books, 2007
Pages:  344
Genre:  Middle Grade Mystery
Source:  My shelves

When Gilda's best friend Wendy is chosen to go to England for a piano competition, Gilda decides she has to go.   She gets an all expenses paid trip as Wendy's page turner.  Once there strange things begin to happen.  Taro cards are beginning to show up around the competitors.  If that isn't enough Wendy is having difficulty sleeping and she keeps hearing creepy music.  In this book Gilda find her first love, Julian.  She must let the practices suffer so that she can help solve this mystery.  I enjoyed this book immensely  We get to see Gilda's best friend Wendy in a differently light.  She played a larger role in this book.  She isn't as colorful as Gilda and maybe that is why they are best friends.  It all balances out. 

The Dead Drop
Publisher:  Dutton Children's books, 2009
Pages:  300
Genre:  Middle Grade Mystery
Source:  Middle School

Anytime you add history to something it makes the book all the better for me.  In this fourth book Gilda sees something she wants and goes for it.  She wants an internship with the International Spy Museum at Washington, D.C. and she gets it.  Here she has the opportunity to work with a real spy to unwind yet another mystery.  The International Spy Museum is a real place dedicated to all things having to do with spies and spying.  This book unlike the others shows us a more mature Gilda.  I guess from the very first book we have watched Gilda grow up before our eyes.  I don't think you will be disappointed with this book.  If you like a good mystery then you'll definitely love the quirky Gilda Joyce.