And that all may be true, but with certain exceptions. You see, once again we are faced with a story that is labeled as Book One of a series. Most times, each book in a series concludes in some way that satisfies the reader with a mystery solved; I'll just come right out and tell you that this time, the surface of the mystery - those things involving all the elements of the book's cover - is hardly even scratched by the end of the book. In fact, the entire book feels as if it is merely the first chapter of a much larger book.
Here is how the author's website describes this one: The three Barker boys – Simon, Henry, and Jack – have just moved to Arizona when their cat Josie goes missing on Superstition Mountain, a place their parents have forbidden them to explore, due to its eerie history of unexplained disappearances and deaths. When the boys secretly pursue Josie up the mountain, they discover a hidden canyon and three human skulls. Soon, with the help of their neighbor Delilah, they are determined to solve the mountain’s mysteries – no matter what resistance they encounter from the strange inhabitants of the town of Superstition… or even from the mountain itself. Doesn't it seem strange, with such an adventurous synopsis, that a book does not follow through on its promises? The mysterious disappearances and deaths are not solved, the lost compass is not found, and the so-called treasure and gold mine is only hinted at. Can we trust the author to solve these in Book Two, or will another volume simply add to the reader's frustration and ongoing yearning for catharsis? |