The Green Gables Detectives

Tom and Liz Austen #10

by Eric Wilson

I almost expected to see Anne signaling to Diana from her bedroom window as we climbed the slope toward Green Gables, then Makiko grabbed my arm. "Danger"

While visiting the famous farmhouse known as Green Gables, Liz Austen and her friends are swept up in baffling events that lead them from an ancient cemetery to a haunted church, and then to a heart-stopping showdown in a deserted lighthouse as fog swirls across Prince Edward Island.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Canada, Mystery Thriller, Childrens, Crime, Teen

151 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Eric Wilson is a Canadian children's author and now living in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eric Wilson's Tom and Liz Austen series features twenty middle grade mysteries and The Green Gables Detectives is the tenth instalment (and with the majority of the stories set in Canadian cities/towns and dealing with Canadian landmarks, artists, authors and the like). But no, I have not and more than likely also will not ever be reading the remaining novels of this series (as I have only considered The Green Gables Detectives in the first place because of the Prince Edward Island, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables thematics/connections and that I just am not and never have been a huge reading fan of mysteries and in particular of juvenile mysteries such as The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew etc., not to mention that I also kind of find the included photograph at the beginning of The Green Gables Detectives of the author, of Eric Wilson standing next to Lucy Maud Montgomery's tombstone wearing a Dracula like cloak really annoyingly silly and ridiculous).

And in The Green Gables Detectives, main protagonist Liz Austen is in Prince Edward Island for a baseball tournament, but is also at the same time participating in a Green Gables themed murder/mystery type event (and I must point out that even with my textual antipathy regarding mysteries as a genre, yes indeed, Eric Wilson does a nicely successful textual job weaving accurate and interesting Prince Edward Island and Lucy Maud Montgomery trivia into his featured storyline). But when in The Green Gables Detectives what was supposed to be a fictional murder/mystery staging turns into brutal reality when Miss Martin, when the woman playing Marilla Cuthbert (and also the host of the event) is found to have actually been murdered, Liz and her new Japanese friend Makiko (and later joined by a local Cavendish, PEI boy named Aaron) are on the case to find, to locate the villain.

Now regarding the plot specifics (the contents) of The Green Gables Detectives, I most definitely tend to find what Eric Wilson has written (in other words Wilson's presented murder mystery) as being rather overly complicated and convoluted, with too many (and often uninteresting) subplots as well as an annoying textual barrage of one red herring after another being catapulted into the narrative, and that indeed, especially for someone like me who is not a fan of mysteries anyhow, this all manages to become quite tedious and to such an extent that I in fact only kept reading The Green Gables Detectives because I do enjoy and appreciate the Prince Edward Island setting and the many Lucy Maud Montgomery details Eric Wilson presents (see above). But even though for me personally, The Green Gables Detectives has only been a two star reading experience, I still think that potential readers who enjoy juvenile mysteries and are also into Anne of Green Gables might well have considerably more textual fun with The Green Gables Detectives than has been the case for me (and that Eric Wilson also and certainly does a nicely realistic textual job showing the growing friendship between Liz Austen and Makiko, depicting with The Green Gables Detectives a humorous, touching and also nicely realistic portrayal of two teenagers from Canada and Japan discovering they have much in common but also some cultural differences).

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought the book for Anne, left with so much more. Heroin and Lobster, Murder and COWS ice cream, Kidnapping and Softball, Mystery and Musicals. My life is so much richer now.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Canada-traversing series instalment “The Green Gables Detectives”, 1987, I was surprised to be immersed in Japanese culture, with that of Prince Edward Island. Eric Wilson draws four-star praise from me for a superbly-structured story. Liz Austen represents a Manitoba baseball team at a competition in our far east; naturally visiting legendary “Anne Of Green Gables” landmarks in the vicinity. I’ve noticed that our author, collected but as yet unread by me personally, has garnered far-reaching notoriety. Thus Liz very closely befriends a poised, intelligent visitor from Japan; a startling match for her sleuthing ability.

I doubt such an activity remains but in this novel, a hands-on murder mystery has been organized at Lucy Maud Montgomery’s famous home and grounds; the “Anne Of Green Gables” creator. Actors from a nearby theatre take part and no tour could be more perfect for Liz and her sharp new friend; determining who among the poseurs committed the pretend crime. Adept consideration of clues put the girls far ahead in the game but their hostess is killed in earnest. Eric outdid himself with this novel because the girls’ presence in this province is introduced plausibly, their pairing is natural, there is immediate interest in the topic, atmospheric night setting, and keenly original activities. What’s more, he offset the intrigue with an impressive variety of external characters and locations, that give the mystery a chance to simmer. As an aside, I loved learning the concept of Japanese friendship names and about a Canadian treasure, whose works it is high time I read.

We are never bored, nor are tricks added to simulate action. Liz ventures from billet farmhouse, to baseball team, restaurants, beach, and theatre. The killer is unapparent and the story lurches into unexpectedly dangerous predicaments. Skill and bravery solve this case entirely.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book, especially the parts about all the cool L. M. Montgomery things you can enjoy on Prince Edward Island.

But the things the youngsters were allowed to do stretched my suspension of disbelief into the incredulity zone. I think if I'd read it when I was 8 or 9, which is more the intended audience's age range, I would have been more like, "Of course young teens can do these things."

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I was feeling nostalgic, but now I fear I should not have picked it up. The story was cute but not as good as I remember it back from when I was in grade 6. But it was interesting having read this book after having been to PEI and Green Gables.
Great for young readers, but loses it's appeal as you become a more seasoned reader.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter & I read it together, and she really enjoyed it. I liked the references to places around PEI and the little details to give the story an authentic feel for the Island, but the overall plot was lacklustre and I felt there were some plot gaps. I’m surprised it was ever used in elementary schools due to some of its heavier content.

[Kristie (fabk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autographed copy!

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read several books in this series, but this book had a lot more weird dialogue and character behavior choices than the ones I've read thus far. Maybe it's a product of its time since it was originally published in 1987 and young children were allowed to walk off by themselves more often, but reading it with today's perspective, the book has a lot of irresponsible adults. This is a series that young kids would love, but it's not realistic in today's world. Aside from that, the PEI descriptions are nice and the plot had a good amount of suspense and adventure.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was when the evil person was stopped, and the kids were all safe from him. My least favorite part was when the evil person was pretending to be a bunch of different people, that he pretended were all good. I really liked how mysterious and tricky the evil person was compared to some other evil charcters from other books.

[Anna Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

so bad it was good.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dug this up while going through old boxes a decided to read it again. It was one of my favourites as a kid, although reading it as an adult was a different experience. I didn't remember how intense it got! Or the references to heroin. Yeah, that was unexpected. What I remember most was Liz and Makiko's friendship, and all of the unusual words and descriptions that I'd never heard before. Even now, if I hear or think the word "toothsome" my mind instantly goes back to this book.
Again, as an adult, I can see that the dialogue was stilted, that Liz was a bit over the top in her characterization (the hot temper, the near obsession with superstition ritual, the mild-to-moderate boy craziness), and that the plot was tremendously unrealistic. But you know what? It doesn't matter. It's still a complete delight. I enjoy all of the research the author put in about PEI, and got a kick out of all of the place references, like the UFO from the sadly now defunct Rainbow Valley amusement park, and the reproduction King Tut's Tomb at the Museum of the Phantasmagorical (also sadly closed). It was a time capsule of the golden age of Cavendish and brought back many fond memories.
I remember why I loved it as a kid (two very different female detectives, a thrilling plot AND Anne of Green Gables), and I definitely enjoyed it this time around, and the nostalgia that came with it.

[Amy Gourley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, I read this for the Green Gables connection. I loved reading about PEI and Green Gables. Liz and her new friends work to solve a mystery on the island. The story was a little weird but I can't but my finger on what it was.

[Amy Mathers · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://amysmarathonofbooks.ca/the-gre...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child and would recommend to any young reader (in particular young Canadian readers!).

[Austin Koosees · Rating 5 out of 5]

idk haha