Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City

Sammy Keyes #16

by Wendelin Van Draanen

"The most winning junior detective ever in teen lit. (Take that, Nancy Drew!)" —Midwest Children's Book Revie w

In this pivotal book in the Sammy Keyes series, Sammy tackles the persistent mysteries of her own life. Mysteries Who is her father? And why has her mother kept it such a secret? How long can she manage to hide out in Grams' seniors-only building before someone catches on? Is her mother really planning to marry her boyfriend's father? (Ew.) And why, why is Heather Acosta so nasty?

During one crazy weekend in Las Vegas, with the help of an entire army of Elvis impersonators, Sammy finally gets some answers. But of course knowledge comes at a price—and solving the mysteries of her own life will cost Sammy more than she ever meant to pay. . . .

The Sammy Keyes mysteries are fast-paced, funny, thoroughly modern, and true whodunits. Each mystery is exciting and dramatic, but it's the drama in Sammy's personal life that keeps readers coming back to see what happens next with her love interest Casey, her soap-star mother, and her mysterious father.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Juvenile, Childrens

288 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.

Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.

Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.

Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.

Reviews

[Rylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I am still reading books that can be found in the children's section of the library as a senior in college. But it is a testament to the wonderful characters Van Draanen has created that I can't help myself from running to the library when I find out there's a book in this series I've been reading since the 6th grade that I haven't read yet. I love Sammy's character, and I loved how much she "discovered herself" in this installment. She not only found out the long-awaited identity of her father, but she grew to understand Heather better and maybe even become her friend. I thought this book was fantastic!

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Review from July 2013)

Light spoilers ahead.

I've spent 7 (8?) years with this book series. I have long since passed the target age group for this series, but I vowed years ago that I would see it through to the end.

The end is near.

This is book 16 in an 18 book series.

I will save my weepy, nostalgic, wordy, loooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggggg review for when I finally reach the end of those final pages.

Until then, know that THIS book is the one we've all been waiting for.

The gamechanger.

It is the one where all the series' major questions are answered.

It is the one where we can finally sigh with relief because FINALLY business with the Acosta's will turn out okay.

It is the one where all the clues Van Draanen left for us in previous books becomes evident. All this time the answer was staring us in the face, and we never noticed it.

This book has a different feeling from the others-it is missing a lot of prominent elements that we are used to seeing in the other books-yet it marvelously outshines every other installment in the series.

I dread the end to this series, and I squeal with anticipation. This book is utterly perfect, the series is utterly perfect, and I have no doubt that the grand finale will be more than perfect.

*quietly sobs*

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy gets braver and more daring with every book. This time she gets on a plane for Las Vegas without a plan and without a place to stay, in pursuit of her mother, who may be about to marry Sammy's boyfriend's father. (Sammy and her boyfriend happened WAY before the whole parents-dating thing, which is icky and uncomfortable, but at least not pseudo-incestuous.) She actually joins forces with her evil nemesis Heather Acosta, daughter of the putative groom, as they track their respective parents with the help of an army of Elvises, and the story ends with a showdown backstage at a rock concert at the House of Blues. It doesn't get more intense than that.

BUT...

...the thing I really cared about was that Sammy finally, FINALLY had it out with her mother about how irresponsible, selfish, and flaky she's been all these years. This is a showdown that was a long time coming and it was extremely satisfying. And we finally find out who Sammy's dad is and why Lady Lana never told her anything about him. (The reasoning is typical of Sammy's mother, i.e. flaky and indecisive.) I'm looking forward to the next book, where Sammy and her mom and dad start learning how to relate to each other as a family.

[~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a plot twist! Little me was bamboozled

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I stuck with this one. It had a sweet ending.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites in the whole series frfr

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was surprisingly intense and emotional! Also, we finally got to find out who her dad was. And Hudson and Rita are so cute together.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that Sammy and Heather worked together, but quite unbelievable that a parent would almost run down a child. Nope.
Also, how many times can the author use the word 'ANYWAY' to start a paragraph and/or sentence??? Ugh!

[Liana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guess what!!!! I know who Sammy's dad is now!! BWA HA HA HA!!!!

This particular installment of the Sammy Keyes series isn't exactly a mystery like all the other ones. Instead, it focuses on the characters in Sammy's life and brings to light a lot of the things that people have been hiding from her. And it still has an exciting plot, of course.

It's really good, and it's not to be missed if you are a follower of the saga of Sammy.

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was by far my favorite book in the series. It was not like the typical Sammy Keyes story line, but that didn't mean it wasn't amazing. I can tell this series is coming to a close as Wendelin Van Draanen begins to tie up loose ends. Five stars!

[Lourdes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the third time I read it and I loved it even more (if that's possible) than the first two times. This may very well be my favorite book of the series.

[Lehuy H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City is the sixteenth book of a eighteen book series. I really enjoyed reading this part of Sammy’s life! This book is relatable to me because it takes place in Las Vegas! Over the summer I went to Vegas so I really could picture what was going on in the book! Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City is a mystery fiction book. This is a genre that I haven't explored to much. Usually I tend to stick with humor fiction so this book was very refreshing. Sammy lives with a complicated family. Her mother worked in hollywood as an actor. Her mother became quite wealthy because of this. In this book, Sammy was living with her grandma. Her dad was never revealed in the series so far, Sammy’s mom kept keeping this info away from her. When Sammy’s boyfriend, Casey tells her about her mom getting married in Las Vegas Sammy gets furious. This time the mystery was about herself. She was on a mission on self-discovery to find her dad, and to stop the wedding. This book is goes through some surprisingly dark themes at times. For example Sammy goes through child abandonment throughout the story. I recommend this book for those who are just starting in the mystery genre. It is a casual mystery that that still lingers around the humor genre. I think many beginning mystery readers will enjoy this.

[Jasmine Hariri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen is by far the best book out the series! I recommend this book to everyone because it's so interesting and mysterious! One of Sammy's major setbacks is when she figures out her mom may be marrying her boyfriend's dad. WHAT KIND OF MOTHER IS THAT?!?! Sammy actually sneaks a ride to the airport and hitches the plane to Las Vegas. She went with Marissa and her mom and not long after, she was working with her archenemy, Heather Acosta along with her mom. They spend so much time trying to stop the wedding of Warren Acosta and Lana Keyes that was NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN...but at least she finds out who her dad is...*SPOILER ALERT* ...Darren Cole. Yup. ;)

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a solid 3.5.

this used to be one of my favorite book series', and i picked up this + the last book because i wanted to find out what happened to sammy and how her life "wraps up". probably a mistake, because i was not so invested in her life anymore after being apart for so long, it would have made more sense to get back in with a mystery (which i'm a sucker for). also didn't help that the book took place far away from home, and heavily featured non-main protaganists! the beginning/middle definitely dragged, i was just waiting and waiting and waiting (could the chase for lady lana have gone on for any longer? at least, did it have to be described blow by blow??) and the ending came like BAM and i kept turning the pages. but yeah, really not the best one for me to get right into.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how to feel. I'm glad this book broke up the monotony of the typical style of the book where Sammy because embroiled in a mystery whilst simultaneously solving a problem in her personal life, this time they mystery WAS her personal life.
I did guess some parts but I didn't anticipate we would learn who Sammy's father was. I was kind of hoping it would be Marissa's Dad so they could be sisters. I didnt like the actual reveal at first but in the end I did like it.
Unfortunately I think the next book titles kinda giveaway the ending but we shall see. Looking forward to finally finishing this series after all these years.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First it’s his eyes.

Then it’s his teeth.

And then something clicks and I can just tell.

He really is my dad.

It’s a weird take-your-breath-away, knock-your-knees-out feeling, and I can see that he’s just been hit with it, too.

I really am his daughter.

24.05.04
🥺

GUYS THIS IS EASILY THE BEST SAMMY KEYESTA BOOK EVER. This was such a sweet, sweet read. I dropped everything to gobble up this book in less than 6 hours. I missed Sammy, and I really came back for one of the best!!

🫶 guys omg knowing who her dad is and who her mom is, Sammy must be the prettiest girl ever eeeee! I swoon for the entire family, bro.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I really liked this book. It was very engaging, and you never knew quite what was going to happen next. There were flights, armies of Elvis's, several hotel rooms, skateboards, fast driving, and loud concerts. Several different threads were all wrapped up in the same story. There was also a lot of humor in this book, making it very fun to read.

Heather and Sammy are...well, not quite Heather and Sammy. There's Candy. And Marissa and her mom. Elvis. Lady Lana. Warren. Hudson. Rita. A full cast of characters.

And where did Sammy learn the word "skanky"?

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There arguably is no "core" mystery in this book, because it's more about Sammy's life than a specific incident. There was lots of development, and while I shouldn't have expected this until the end of the series, it is really nice to see Sammy and Heather get along.

Reveal: Sammy's dad is the singer Darren Cole, whose music she associates with her boyfriend Casey. He did not know about Sammy until the events of this book, and promises to be a part of her life. Sammy's mom did not tell him she was pregnant because of his career as a performer.

[Ganesh S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is of a girl wh tries et her life straight again. She goes to a unknown city looking for her mother. She encounters many obstacles, but in the end she finds her mother and her father. Sammy never knew her father, so they meet each other. All in all the book is great and I would recommend it.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm getting closer to finishing this series and I'm actually really sad about that! I have loved re-reading my old favorites and continuing on with the ones I never got to as a teenager. This is one of the best middle-grade series out there, so if you have children of that age, I highly recommend Sammy Keyes. These books are hilarious, heart-warming, enthralling, and only get better as they go.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has been reading this books since middle school and finally finishing this one, I squealed so many times at home so many of the plots came together !!!

Casey and Sammy forever. Grams and Hudson forever. Heather is now a friend of Sammy's. Lana is still the absolute worst of all time ever but at least now a fun dad is in the picture.

Be still my heart.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Sammy Keyes yet. So many things in her life come to a head. I love it! Such good storyline and so many cringe worthy moments juxtaposed with hilarity. I love that these books show that there are no simple answers in life.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite in the series so far! A pretty big adventure even by Sammy’s standards, but no dead bodies this time, which is good. Did a fantastic job of settling issues that have been building since the very beginning. This one will be hard to beat.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the boldest stories in the series. Sammy on her own! Fighting with Grams! Team up with an arch-enemy! Sammy's father revealed! A surprise wedding!
Just another amazing entry into this amazing series.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I can't imagine how Wendelin Van Draanen is going to top this story with the two remaining books in the series. This was fantastic! So many unexpected things happening at such a break-neck speed--loved it!

[Stephanie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many revelations in this Sammy Keyes book! It was fun to read (as all are in this series, but this one was especially great) and I couldn’t put it down. I’m really curious to see how everything plays out moving forward.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elvis!
Plot twists!
Heather!
...
That ending though... =D

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

sitting here crying at 2am after finishing this book (which I started 4 hours ago) - nostalgia aside this is def one of my favorites in the series. can I be as cool as sammy keyes please

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of questions answered in this one. The end is in sight.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book of the series! This one was so fun. And finally…the big reveal!