The Case of the Haunted House
A Quinn Higgins Mystery by Douglas Quinn
Review: 5th grader Quinn Higgins's new friend wants to learn more about the supposedly abandoned house at the end of a nearby lane but when they go investigate they find themselves more than a little spooked in The Case of the Haunted House, the third mystery in this series by Douglas Quinn.
Vaughn Taylor has just moved to Quinn's North Carolina coastal community and is curious about their neighborhood. A bike ride along the surrounding streets brings them to a decrepit house that fronts Albemarle Sound. Looking in a window they see a strange shadow inside, indistinct enough — and scary enough — that they put off further exploring until they have reinforcements. But Quinn, known locally as the boy detective, later decides to investigate further on his own … and discovers an old crab pot and two men acting very suspiciously …
The Case of the Haunted House is a well-structured story populated by an engaging cast of characters. Possibly more importantly, the principal characters have character, if you will. It is more of a boy's adventure than mystery, as the resolution to the "case" is handled quite rapidly at the end with input from Quinn but without any deductive reasoning on his part … but this all seems quite appropriate, since an illegal activity was taking place with Quinn and his friends letting the authorities handle the capture and arrest.
There are a couple of narrative sidetrips, including one about dealing with bullies, but on balance the main storyline and reading level seem suitable to and appropriate for 8- to 10-year-old boys.
Acknowledgment: the author provided a copy of The Case of the Haunted House for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in The Case of the Haunted House: North Carolina
— ◊ —
The Case of the Haunted House by Douglas Quinn
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-4663-4884-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-4663-4884-4
Publication Date: October 2011
List Price: $6.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): When Quinn’s new neighbor, Vaughn Taylor, told him that the kids in his class at school said the house at the end their road was haunted, Quinn just laughed. Quinn had ridden his bike down to the house many times and, while it was old, falling apart and spooky looking, he assured Vaughn that the place was certainly not haunted. To prove it, one Friday evening after school, Quinn, Vaughn, Reggie and Demian took the one-mile bike ride to the end of their road and found out that maybe Vaughn’s classmates were correct. By the time they’d raced home, they were both frightened out of their wits. “I told you it was haunted,” Vaughn said. Quinn Higgins didn’t know what to make of their weird experience, but he was determined to get to the bottom of The Case of the Haunted House.