Mystery & Suspense - Exodus Books

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Sometime in the last four or five decades the Powers That Be decided every movie mystery would follow basically the same plot so that viewers wouldn't have to worry about the outcome and would be able to enjoy the movie all the way through. Fortunately for those who prefer to let the future unfold itself, there are still mystery novels.

A mystery is simply something you don't know or can't understand. By the time you understand it, it's not a mystery anymore. Part of the fun of detective stories is not knowing what's going on (at least, not for sure) until the end, when sudden light dawns in the midst of the darkness and you fancy yourself a bit dull for not having picked up on the clues earlier.

Trying to figure the solution before the main characters get there is pretty fun, too, though there's another kind of satisfaction from waiting till Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes or Lord Peter Wimsey reveal the criminal by name, the extent of his or her crimes, and the motivations that led them to kill, steal or lie. Though in the end, most of us probably end up in both categories, trying to figure everything out but still surprised by the truth.

Modern mystery novels tend to focus on criminal evil, fascinated by the depths humans are capable of sinking to. While older ones certainly didn't hesitate to point out man's depravity and capacity for wrongdoing, they were even more concerned with justice and the good guys who overcome the bad guys through superior wit and reason.

These are the ones we like. We don't admire Sherlock Holmes only for his formidable genius, but also for his commitment to employ it for the forces of good. Miss Marple doesn't need to solve crimes, but she does—and we rejoice every time she triumphs over a shady perpetrator. In the real world things might not always wind up so neatly, but it's nice to know in some books they always will.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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	100-Year-Old Secret Sherlock Files #1 by Tracy Barrett 1^st edition from Square Fish Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators #07 The Mystery of the Fiery Eye by Robert Arthur, illustrated by Harry Kane from Random House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Series (Location: VIN-SER) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Alfred Hitchcock's Sinister Spies by Alfred Hitchcock (editor); illustrated by Paul Spina from Random House for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Alvin's Secret Code by Clifford B. Hicks, Illustrated by Bill Sokol from Weekly Reader for 3rd-6th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $4.00 (2 in stock)
	Alvin's Secret Code Alvin #2 by Clifford B. Hicks, illustrated by Bill Sokol from Bethlehem Books for 3rd-6th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Beast of Blackslope Sherlock Files #2 by Tracy Barrett 1^st edition from Square Fish Publishing for 4th-8th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Case of the Etruscan Treasure by Robert Newman Second Printing from Atheneum for 4th-8th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Chasing Vermeer Balliet Art Mystery Series by Blue Balliett, Brett Helquist (Illustrator) from Scholastic Inc. Mystery & Suspense for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett 1^st edition from Scholastic Press for 5th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $10.00 (2 in stock)
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	Deadly Waters National Parks Mystery #4 by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson from National Geographic for 3rd-6th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Dragon, Hound of Honor by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton 1^st edition from HarperCollins for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer from Puffin Books for 4th-6th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol; illustrated by Leonard Shortall from Lodestar Books for 3rd-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Five Get Into Trouble Famous Five #8 by Enid Blyton from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Five Go Adventuring Again Famous Five #2 by Enid Blyton 2001 Printing from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Five On Kirrin Island Again Famous Five #6 by Enid Blyton Revised 2010 edition from Hodder Children's for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg 37th printing from Atheneum for 4th-6th grade 1968 Newbery Medal Winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg 35th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum Mystery/Suspense for 4th-7th grade 1968 Newbery Medal winner in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler from Puffin Books for 4th-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes from Harcourt, Brace & World for 4th-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Hardy Boys #64 Mystery of Smugglers Cove by Franklin W. Dixon, illustrated by Leslie Morrill from Wanderer for 3rd-6th grade in Hardy Boys (Location: SER-HARDY) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Harriet Spies Again by Helen Ericson (based on Louise Fitzhugh) Reprint from Yearling for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Haunted Railway Game Based on Enid Blyton's Five Go Off to Camp by Enid Blyton, illustrated by Gary Rees from Hodder & Stoughton for 3rd-6th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $7.99 $4.00 (4 in stock)
	Incredible Detectives by Don & Joan Caufield, illustrated by Kiyo Komoda from Harper & Row for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
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	Little Lord Fauntleroy Junior Deluxe Editions by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Peter Spier from Nelson Doubleday, Inc. for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Macaroni Boy by Katherine Ayres Reprint from Yearling for 4th-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Mysterious Bender Bones by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Ib Ohlssohn from Doubleday & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Mysterious Christmas Shell by Eleanor Cameron, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush from Little, Brown & Company for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery at the Doll Hospital by Elizabeth Honness, illustrated by Velma Ilsley from J.B. Lippincott Co. for 4th-7th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $58.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery at the Shoals by Duane Bradley, illustrated by Velma Ilsley Second Printing from Lippincott for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery Key by Jean Bothwell, illustrated by Leonard Shortall from Hale-Cadmus for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of Banshee Towers Famous Five #15 by Enid Blyton for 3rd-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of the Jeweled Moth by Katherine Woodfine from Kane Miller for 4th-7th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of the Musical Umbrella by Friedrick Feld, illustrated by Doris Jackson, translated by W. Kersley Holmes from Random House for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of the Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine from Kane Miller for 4th-7th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Mystery of the Pilgrim Trading Post by Anne Molloy from Hastings House for 3rd-6th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Mystery of the Pirate's Ghost by Elizabeth Honness, illustrated by Beth & Joe Krush from J.B. Lippincott Co. for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
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	Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling, adapted by Walter B. Gibson, illustrated by Earl E. Mayan from Grosset & Dunlap for 6th-12th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Second Mrs. Giaconda by E. L. Konigsburg from Aladdin Paperbacks Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Seven Sunflower Seeds by John Verney from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Three Times Lucky Mo and Dale Mysteries #1 by Sheila Turnage Reprint from Scholastic Inc. for 4th-8th grade 2013 Newbery Honor Book in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
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	True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi from Scholastic Press for 3rd-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Wanted...Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars from Dell Publishing for 4th-6th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Well Done, Denehurst! by Gwendoline Courtney from Girls Gone By Publishers for 6th-9th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $24.00 (1 in stock)
	Whispering Island Game Based on Enid Blyton's Five Have a Mystery to Solve by Enid Blyton, illustrated by Gary Rees from Hodder & Stoughton for 3rd-6th grade in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $15.00 (1 in stock)
	Wish Giver Three Tales of Coven Tree by Bill Brittain, illustrated by Andrew Glass from HarperCollins for 3rd-6th grade Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Wright 3 by Blue Balliett 1^st edition from Scholastic Press for 6th-9th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Zora & Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon from Candlewick Press for 4th-8th grade 2011 Coretta Scott King in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS) $4.00 (1 in stock)

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