No matter how much you love a series, not everything about it is perfect. I will admit that at times my love can cover a multitude of sins. But that's not always the case.

Take this book, for example. It's the fifth in the Trixie Belden series, a series of kid's mysteries that I still read and love even as an adult. Yet this book isn't the reason why. In fact, if I had started here, I might have quit before I read any further.

Thirteen year old Trixie and her friends live in Sleepyside on the Hudson, New York. They have just formed a semi-secret club called the Bob Whites of the Glen (since they live on Glen Road), and have fixed up the old gatehouse on the Wheeler property as their clubhouse.

When a hurricane blows through Sleepyside, it blows a tree into the just completed clubhouse. Now the Bob Whites must figure out some way to get the money to fix it before winter comes and ruins everything inside. When Trixie's older brother Brian donates the money he had been saving to buy a neighbor's car, Trixie and her best friend Honey Wheeler work overtime to come up with some way to repay him. They hit upon the idea of patrolling the Wheeler's game preserve. But when Trixie begins to suspect that a poacher is on the loose, the girls may have more then they can handle.

Now, before I trash it, I'll give the other side. Many fans absolutely love this book because of the character interactions. I'll admit, the well developed characters are one of the things that still draws me to this series. And there are some great character moments here. But laughing along with the characters and sharing their friendships isn't enough to save this book.

You see, I like the characters I love to be in a good story. And that's just not the case here. Now, I often miss plot holes or errors on a first go around. But the first time I read this book, I was furious with the ending. It made absolutely no sense to me then and still makes no sense to me almost 20 years later. And the plot that gets us to that weak ending is incredibly thin. I've often joked that the title really should be The Non-Existent Mystery off Glen Road. Heck, even I didn't believe one of Trixie's theories, and I have bought some of her crazier ones. Since the plot is so thin, the book is enhanced by pages of Trixie and Honey talking without advancing anything. The slow pace really gets to this action oriented guy long before the final page.

If you like Trixie, you'll want to read this book and form your own opinion. However, if you are new to this wonderful girl detective, start with the first four. They are much better books to get you as addicted as I am to Trixie and her friends.

Early Trixie Belden Mysteries:
1. The Secret of the Mansion
2. The Red Trailer Mystery
3. The Gatehouse Mystery
4. The Mysterious Visitor
5. The Mystery off Glen Road (You are here)
6. The Mystery in Arizona
7. The Mysterious Code
8. The Black Jacket Mystery
9. The Happy Valley Mystery
10. The Marshland Mystery
11. The Mystery at Bob-White Cave
12. The Mystery of the Blinking Eye
13. The Mystery on Cobbett's Island
14. The Mystery of the Emeralds
15. The Mystery on the Mississippi

And don't miss my guide to the series.

Recommended: No