Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Scratch Murphy has been mugged, with all the profits from his Six Legs Amusement Park stolen. Insect detective Ace Lacewing and his buggy cohorts are on the case, and they catch the criminal red-handed. The wordy film noir-style narrative full of bug puns and references will likely go over readers' heads. Bright, digitally colored pencil illustrations veer toward garish but have some appeal.

Kirkus Reviews

It's all about family in the chitinous crime solver's latest caper. When Scratch Murphy, a flea with a big lump on his head and a bigger chip on his shoulder, stomps in announcing that he's been robbed of the proceeds from newly opened Six Legs Amusement Park, Ace and his blue bombshell sidekick Xerces waste no time flitting into action. But the ground is thick with suspects, from aggrieved cotton-candy vendor Bo Weevil and his boll-full of larvae to Scratch's twin brother Scritch. Muted colors add just a hint of noir to buggy illustrations festooned with sight gags, side business and insect visitors abuzz over attractions like the Park's anteater slide and the Termite Tower of Terror. Though Biedrzycki depicts the coolly elegant private eyes and everyone else in the cast with but four limbs, it's a bit of real natural history that at last furnishes Ace with the clue that breaks the case and sends the malefactor packing. Here's just more proof that there's no room in Motham for bad guys—er, bugs—with Ace on the case. (Picture book. 7-9)

School Library Journal (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 2-4 Ace Lacewing is back to solve another mystery. Scratch Murphy, the owner of Six Legs Park, is knocked unconscious by a falling toolboxpresumably the property of a disgruntled carpenter antand wakes to find his flea bag empty and his money gone. Ace discovers that his client has a lot of enemies, including a fly-by-night roach in the banking business; Scratchs twin brother, Scritch; and a weevil with over-the-top parenting skills. Aces blue-eyed gal Xerces and Police Sergeant Zito The Mosquito are with him every step of the way. When the solution hits Ace like a flyswatter, a run for the money ensues through the Termite Tower of Terror, Anteater Falls, and House of Mirrors. Aces first-person narration and snappy dialogue are true to the hard-boiled detective genre, as is the cast of characters. The illustrations, done in pencil and digitally colored, fairly glow. The many insect references (Flypaper Awareness Week and Keep Your Antennae and Legs Inside Ride) in the colorful spreads are a true delight. Mystery fans and insect enthusiasts will enjoy a one-on-one reading with plenty of time to savor the clever wordplay and insect-related details. They will also want to find Aces first adventure, Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective (Charlesbridge, 2005). Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN