The Hotel Whodunit

January 6, 2020
In this middle grade debut by Rivera (Dealing in Dreams) based on the beloved comics series, Goldie Vance, 16, may officially be a valet at the Cross Palm Resort in St. Pascal, Fla., where she lives part-time with her hotel manager father, but she considers her real title house detective in training. Lucky for Goldie, the actual hotel detective, Walt, gives in to her request to help out with a big movie filming at both the Cross Palm and the Mermaid Club, where Goldie’s mother works as one of the pool mermaids. The movie features megastar Delphine, an actress whom vivacious Goldie quickly befriends, and the Bejeweled Aqua Chapeau, a diamond-encrusted swim cap worth over a million dollars. When the cap goes missing and Goldie’s mom becomes the top suspect, Goldie resolves to solve the case. Though Goldie’s narration frequently sounds young for a 16-year-old, the hotels make great settings for intrigue, and the teen’s world is filled with entertaining characters, including her crush, Diane. Goldie’s endless optimism and belief in herself inspire while creating amusing moments in this satisfying gumshoe mystery. Comic book inserts by animator Power further enliven action-packed segments. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.

February 1, 2020

Gr 3-7-Sixteen-year-old Marigold "Goldie" Vance is a valet at the Cross Palms Resort in St. Pascal, FL, where her dad has worked for years as manager. Really, she would prefer to be assistant to the hotel's house detective, Walt Tooey, as she dreams of being a detective. Goldie pays close attention to details, always has a notepad with her, practices active listening, and is a self-proclaimed sneak. The Resort has a big job on their hands when movie conglomerate, Baldwin Studios, books their biggest star Delphine Lucerne as a special guest while filming their latest blockbuster. Goldie is on high alert when the menacing and power-crazed Mr. Cecil Davenport of Baldwin Studios asks Walt to keep an eye on a special delivery requiring the utmost privacy and security. While Walt tries to shoo Goldie away, she knows he really needs her. Originally a researcher, his clumsy tendencies would be much more suited to working in a quiet bookstore. Will Goldie be able to keep the special delivery safe? Based on the comic book series, Rivera's task of bringing Goldie to a prose novel is nicely done. Readers will love Goldie, an ambitious female lead who challenges gender roles, is gay, and is not to be underestimated. The book features two eight-page comic spreads. VERDICT A great purchase for middle grade collections, especially those whose readers are looking for their next boisterous supersleuth.-Gretchen Schulz, Schaumburg Township District Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Girl detective Goldie Vance moves from graphic novels to middle-grade prose. Crossed Palms Resort valet and permanent resident Goldie Vance is a hopeful apprentice detective waiting for a big break. When movie star Delphine "the Temptress of the Ocean" Lucerne comes to Goldie's decidedly unglamorous Florida town to shoot a film, her arrival is soon followed by a theft--the 10-pound, diamond-laden swim cap made for Delphine's character in the film. What makes this complicated for Goldie is that clues seem to be pointing toward her mother as the culprit. But that can't be true. Now Goldie has two tasks, not just one: find the swim cap and clear her mother's name. Rivera's novel for teens Dealing in Dreams (2019) was filled with creative, believable, and consistent slang and jargon; here she shows herself to be skilled at combining noir language conventions with contemporary sensibilities in a way that doesn't feel anachronistic but is just a gas! Like Nancy Drew, brown-skinned Goldie is a teen girl, but her adventure really is entertaining and accessible for all ages--without the wooden characters or racism of the Carolyn Keene classics and with a little insertion of comics courtesy of Power to remind us where she came from. This biracial, LGBTQ protagonist seamlessly shifts from comics to prose in a winner of a series opener. (Mystery. 10-16)

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