Book Review of The Bayshore Mysteries: Intruders on Battleship Island by Jerrye Sumrall

Synopsis:

Something strange is happening on Battleship Island!

At first, strange lights flickered on the island. Then they were gone. Two men carrying flashlights appeared. Then they quickly sped away in their boat. A few days later, the men came back. What were they doing on the island? Could they be hiding a secret?

Jeff Douglas and his pals are plunged into a series of scary adventures as they discover the real truth about the island. An old shack with a secret underground room, hidden treasures, a spooky house, dangerous thieves, and several narrow escapes, reveals the island's past, and teach the boys a valuable lesson in friendship, courage and determination.

Intruders on Battleship Island is the first book in the Bayshore Mysteries. Be sure to check out book number two and three, The Secret Graveyard and The Mystery of Wragg Swamp.

Review:


The Bayshore Mysteries: (Intruders On Battleship Island # 1). by Jerrye Sumrall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is a fantastic beginning to a mystery series for children aged 9 to 12. I absolutely loved it!

Jeff Douglas is a fantastic character. He is a curious eleven year old. I loved his inquisitiveness and bravery. When he sees some unusual activity on the nearby Battleship Island, he does what every curious boy does - he investigates.

This is an exciting mystery/adventure that captured my attention from the first page! I love mysteries - trying to solve the puzzles to find out who, what, when and how is a passion of mine. When I started to read this book, I was reminded of the mystery stories I loved to read as a child, mostly the Famous Five, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys series. I realised that I miss reading these types of books. Note to self: Read more mysteries in future! I love the action/adventure/danger aspect of this story. The author has created a cast of characters, who are normal every day boys thrown into a dangerous adventure where they have to pit their wits against a couple of thugs. The boys, Jeff, Dan, his brother Mike and Jeff's cousin Stanley are extremely likable. The story is peppered with history from the Civil War, but I found it extremely interesting, as I'm not American and had not learnt a lot about that time period whilst at school. However, it does not slow the story down. In fact, the opposite is true. I found this book to be a fast paced roller coaster ride of action and adventure. I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Secret Graveyard.

Jerrye Sumrall has written a fantastic mystery that kept me glued to the pages! I'm adding him to my ever expanding "favourite authors" list!

I think this book is aimed at boys, but I highly recommend this book to children (boys and girls alike) between the ages of 9 and 12. However, I think that children as young as 7 may enjoy this as a bedtime story. - Lynn Worton

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