Gr 7-10 In this follow-up to The Adventures of Jack Lime (Kids Can, 2010), the hard-boiled high schooler has three new cases to solve. He follows the suspicious dealings of a popular football player only to uncover a gang's connections to a dodgeball gambling ring. Then he tracks down a stolen painting, nearly getting himself expelled in the process. Finally, a case involving a valuable comic book leads Jack to uncover a criminal mastermind who's been playing him all along. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger. For an amateur detective who claims to want out of the business, Jack sure gets a lot of requests for help. Unfortunately, he is no Veronica Mars. Although he has guts, he barely manages to solve a case unscathed as he runs from thugs, his grandma, and Principal Snit. Still, the premise and brevity of the novel might appeal to younger teens, especially those who love mysteries. Hokey lines like, "I'm going to be on you like a wet sweater on a gorilla" might be a little off-putting (not to mention, unfunny) for the intended audience, but Jack Lime doesn't take himself too seriously, and neither will readers. Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ

In three seemingly unrelated cases, teenage private investigator Jack Lime helps fellow classmates solve mysteries while evading his principal, bullies, and Grandma. As a throw-back to retro television P.I.s, likable Jack uses sayings and catchphrases that are charmingly old-fashioned (possibly not suited for every modern reader); short scenes and lots of dialogue make this breezy second adventure very readable.