Gr 9 Up-Southwell and Twist put forth an astounding array of conspiracy theories in these four volumes. Some are widely known, dealing with the assassination of JFK, suspicions about Watergate, the death of Princess Di, the Freemasons taking over the world, and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Others are more bizarre. Unsolved Political Mysteries puts forth the theory that George Bush Senior may have been involved in Watergate, the Bay of Pigs, the assassination of JFK, and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, and that Hillary Clinton is the front woman for a fascist feminist lesbian group known as "The Sisterhood." The authors take a glib tone throughout (for example, on discussing Chandra Levy they write, "Give it up, boys! Washington, D.C. is convoluted and murky enough without having to invent new twists and turns through the cesspool") and while they don't take sides, they frequently fail to explain exactly how bizarre some of the conspiracy theories are. Unfortunately, there is no documentation of any kind. Some resources for further reading are listed, as well as a link to a list of Web sites maintained by the publisher, but nowhere does it state where the authors acquired their information. The authors also fail to include an introduction or conclusion that could have placed these conspiracies in some sort of context. The topics will no doubt appeal to some young adults, but their needs will be just as well served by using the Internet for information on conspiracy theories.-Marcia Kochel, Olson Middle School, Bloomington, MN Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Amelia Earheart, Chandra Levy, Curt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe-what do these people have in common? The answer is that they all died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Ten people or events are profiled in each series book, which share an identical format and the same authors. Chapters begin with a summary of the situation, followed by subheadings such as "The Strange Part," "The Usual Suspects," "Most Mysterious Fact," and "Most Convincing Evidence." Familiar names and incidents including John Lennon, Bruce Lee, alien abductions, and the Ku Klux Klan join others that most youth have not heard of or may not care about, such as Lord Lucan, Phillip Taylor Kramer, and David Kelly. Many of the "mysteries" seem either far-fetched or not very mysterious, such as whether Mark David Chapman really shot John Lennon (several witnesses saw him do it, and he confessed) or whether Paul McCartney is really Paul McCartney. Most people probably did not know that George Bush Sr. could have been involved in the death of JKF, Watergate, and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. The most interesting aspect of the chapters is the last section, "Skeptically Speaking," where the authors give their opinion about what really happened. Comments such as "Jim Morrison was an overweight, chain-smoking alcoholic who lived very dangerously . . . the death of someone in those circumstances is hardly surprising," or "The King is Dead-get over it," come right to the point. The depth of information presented is fairly lightweight, but for readers who are not familiar with the background of these cases, it will probably be new material. Other series titles are Unsolved Extraterrestrial Mysteries, Unsolved Political Mysteries, and Secret Societies.-Leslie Wolfson.