Peacock, Shane. Last Message. (Seven the Series.)

Peacock, Shane.   Last Message. (Seven the Series.)   Orca  237p  $9.95  978-1-55469-935-3      2012  ms/hs   VG        Mystery/Detective

In this hi-lo action adventure, Adam must complete three tasks in increasing order of difficulty or danger.  Adam felt he never measured up to his grandfather’s expectations during the latter’s lifetime.  In the grandfather’s will, seven cousins are each ordered to complete a task. Adam considers the terms of the will a chance to redeem himself and maybe even compensate for some of his grandfather’s character flaws, which only come to light when he reads the letter addressed to Adam containing the three tasks.  As Adam crisscrosses parts of France, covering territory his grandfather saw in World War II, Adam must return a Van Gogh painting to its rightful owners, find a rock belonging to writer Saint-Exupery, and enter a cave that is off limits to tourists but filled with ancient drawings.  Adam comes to understand his grandfather better through the adventures, and he meets fascinating people who help or hinder him in his desire to fulfill the conditions of the will.  Excellent geographical descriptions of locale, character development, and introductions to classic art and literature are all found in this easy-to-read book.  Those who love adventure with a hint of mystery will appreciate this novel and others in Seven the Series.  There is one typo on  page 221: “There was major a surprise”.  The words “major” and “a” need to be in reverse order.

Seven the Series contains the easy-to-read adventures of seven cousins, all carried out to satisfy a grandfather’s will.  Each is written by a different author, with very different plots and unique personalities.

For those who like adventure and action novels, they are perfect. Grades 6-10.     

Adventure-Fiction                                    --Lois McNicol