Doppelganger

Bloodwater Mysteries #3

by Pete Hautman, Mary Logue

Brian and Roni are looking for another case to crack when Roni finds an age-progressed picture of a boy who looks alarmingly like Brian on a missing children website. Brian is sure it is only a coincidence?after all, he?s lived happily with his adoptive parents for as long as he can remember. But then again, his parents have never really told him about his adoption . . . Could there be more to his family history than he knows?As Roni and Brian piece together the clues, other people emerge from the shadows of the past and suddenly Brian isn?t just a detective on the case?he?s the key to a mystery that everyone is after. Can he and Roni uncover the truth before it?s too late? Featuring the strong plotting and offbeat humor that won the Bloodwater Mysteries a prestigious Edgar nomination, Doppelganger is full of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Juvenile, Adoption

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2008

About the author

Peter Murray Hautman is an American author best known for his novels for young adults. One of them, Godless, won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. The National Book Foundation summary is, "A teenage boy decides to invent a new religion with a new god."

Reviews

[Kadi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read, but it doesn’t quite reach the levels of the previous two books. The teenage detective shenanigans and the protagonists’ great dynamic were still there to be enjoyed alongside some amusing confusion caused by the wider roster of characters.

The mystery was intriguing but not as layered as the earlier mysteries. Most of the investigation was fruitless and the reveal in the final act whilst intriguing, seemed a little rushed and coincidental like the answers fell into the protagonist’s lap. There was little time to truly grasp and explore the gravity of the reveal which had the potential to change one of the protagonist’s life indeterminably. If there was another book in the series, the topics broached in this book could be further explored in that, but as the series ends here, what was explored within this book did not feel sufficient for protagonists which have been portrayed for three entire books.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third BLOODWATER MYSTERIES book mixes up the format of the previous two by making the mystery more personal. Whereas the first two mysteries found the protagonists accidentally stumbling into mysterious circumstances, this one finds them looking into Brian's past, and finding it's not as simple as he originally thought.

Once again, there's nothing too scary or too suspenseful, but the authors (this was co-written with Mary Logue, Hautman's wife) do a nice job of juggling plot and characterization, while simultaneously dealing with complicated issues like adoption, parental love, abusive relationships, and trust.

Overall, I found all the BLOODWATER MYSTERIES to be very readable, and would recommend them for "middle level" readers who enjoy mysteries, or upper-level readers who are looking for a quick escape. They are notable for having supportive parents for their characters, and dealing with complicated issues in a straightforward and not preachy manner.

Recommended.

[Terry Lakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I finish the final Bloodwater mystery novel I can't help but reflect on the trilogy as a whole. Snatched is exciting with a killer opening that lingers throughout the novel. Skullduggery is clever with how it takes what you know and flips in on its head halfway through. Doppelganger, however, is personal because it centers around the male co-lead.

The male-co lead, Brian Bain, is at the center of this new mystery and it involves the circumstances around his adoption. What was just a fact in the previous books is now front and center as a plot point. The mystery is on par with the previous books, but this one had a heavy dose of character study with some realistic results. While not my favorite of the trilogy this one did hit me pretty hard, mainly because I too am adopted and could relate to the character study portion of this book.

As an ending to a trilogy, it can come across as a little hollow, but this is not a criticism. It actually works well because it does the subject material justice. It doesn't betray the heart of the mystery or the reality of it, but it makes you hurt in some ways. These books never had perfect clean endings, as the Bloodwater mysteries always opted for the bittersweet. This book is also bittersweet on a meta level. I feel in love with these characters, and the town of Bloodwater, but there is no more story after this. That hurts in its own way, but it was a hell of ride going through this trilogy.

[Karen Bessin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Bain, a thirteen-year-old living in Minnesota, has not heard many stories of his adoption from Korea, but he has never felt he was missing anything, either. Until now—when his best friend, Roni Delicata, suddenly discovers a picture on a website for missing children that looks exactly like Brian. And the missing kid’s name is Bryce. Could it just be a coincidence, or has Roni happened on to something important? And who exactly are those mysterious people who suddenly showed up in town? (Genre: Mystery. Ages 12 and up)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you believe in doppelgangers, that everyone has a double somewhere in the world? Well, Brian Bain seems to have one; at least that is the only explanation for the kid on the missing children web site who looks just like him; either that or else his parents are kidnappers. Roni Delicata, Brian’s crime-solving partner, found an age-progression picture of a Korean child who had been abducted when he was three years old and she is convinced he is Brian. Even Brian thinks it looks like him and his name, Bryce Doblemun, is suspiciously similar to Brian’s name. Brian’s parents adopted him when he was three and when he begins asking questions they are strangely evasive about the circumstances of his adoption. He also remembers living with another family and having a dog named Sniffer. This launches Brian and Roni on another sleuthing expedition which features scary strangers following Brian and Roni, wild chases, close calls, and interesting plot twists. Both funny and scary, this book is a real page turner though the ending is a bit too perfect. Fans of the two earlier mysteries will enjoy this installment just as much.

[slyde burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a kid named Brian. When he was a kid he was adopted from Korea. His adopted parents were killed in a car accident. He was then adopted by his parents who are super geniuses that don't really understand. His friend Roni is a reporter and she comes up with a old kidnapping that happened ten years ago.Now it is up to Roni and Brian to solve the mystery kidnapping of Bryce Doblmen.
I would recomend this book to anyone who likes mysterys. This book while you are reading it. It will keep you on your toes the entire book. When it seems like it is over the author keeps adding twist to make the book better. The author made me not want to put the book down.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun mystery -- although there is not enough on-the-edge-of-your-seat dangerous actions -- with a decent ending. The lulling in between actions due to teen-parent everyday conflicts gives the story some authenticity but sacrifices the pacing. I guess Horowitz has the better idea following the time-honored tradition of making the main character an orphan in his Alex Rider series so that the child can be in danger the entire time and not worried about where the parents are and why they would allow stuff to happen to their beloved kids!

[Drake Vanmeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really good book. It kept me wanting to read on and not stop until I got to the end when the mystery came to an end. And when the book ended I was kinda dissapointed because the book was over and I wanted it to kinda come out and punch me in the face with a really good ending that I couldn't have guessed it if depended on my life. But I can't complain because Pete Hautman did a "perfect" job writing this book and I want to read the other books in the series. Hope they are as good as this one.

[Tanner.m · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doppelganger
Mystery
Pages: 186
thus book is about a boy and a girl name Brian and Roni. They are surly trouble makers and now Brian got in the news for making the best paper airplane in a contest but this shows some unwanted problems. First Roni finds a boy the looks exactly like him however his picture is on the missing kids website. Soon Ron I starts digging deeper and gets here and Brian caught up in a huge mystery with Brian's real mother and his doppelganger.

I liked this book because it had lots of suspence, was funny at times, and had a great twist at the end.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Brian's friend Roni sees a composite sketch of an abducted child that looks just like Brian, things get really interesting. Brian is adopted; are his parents hiding something? Somehow missed the others in this series so I need to start from the beginning. I'd really give this 3.5 stars because it does require a little too much of a stretch to believe the ending events - still worth the time though.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the series, this one starts with Roni scrolling through a missing children website and finding a picture that looks very much like her friend Brian, who had been adopted as a child. Although Brian's family would rather she drop the issue, Roni pursues this with the sometimes reluctant Brian, getting them involved with a nasty man that may have been part of his past. Very unusual but satisfying conclusion. A fast read for 5th grade and up

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the Bloodwater Mystery series. Roni Delicata is always looking for a mystery to solve so when she scrolls through the missing children website she is shocked to find the face of her best friend Brian Bain there. Brian was adopted as a baby and suddenly his parents become very uncommunicative about his early life. Could he be the missing kid? As the teen duo pieces together clues, other people come out of the past and some are threatening. The ending of this book surprised me.

[David]

The book doppelganger by Pete Hautman is about a girl named Roni and she goes online to see a missing children site. One the kids catch her attention because she thinks its her friend. So she calls her friend Brian and she tells him to look at the picture on the site. He thinks that's him but he's not sure because the site said he got kidnapped when he was three years old's with 11 months. Brian try's to remember but he can't.

[WCPL Teens · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Roni sees a picture of a missing person on a website, she thinks it looks just like her friend Brian, who was adopted. Stringing together a list of clues, Roni and Brian try to uncover some mysteries in his past and solve the riddle of the missing look-alike.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine. A nice little mystery. No penetrating insights forthcoming on the matter.

[Jim Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

well writen YA mystery. Good book for reluctant readers.

[Christopher Seifert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word: Fun. This is not the sort of book I was expecting to like, but the authors' charming humor and brisk pacing won me over.

[Brooke Boukather · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so-so. You can decide if you want to read it or not.

[Brick V · Rating 3 out of 5]

im reading this book right now and so far its food and i recemand it to other people that want to read it im going to read the other ones.

[MizziQ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than the first one. Not my fav. in the world but better. It was pretty intresting at parts. Good for readers transitioning into YA.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery for 5th-8th graders.

[βҽϲκαӏίη · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember these, Ginia? Did you ever finish these books? Thier really very good.

[JohnP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third (and last so far) Bloodwater mystery. This time, the story gets very personal. We learn that Roni finds an image of a missing child on a website and that picture looks like Brian, her partner from the first two mysteries. What follows is a chase for clues, some unsavory characters and the realization that what you think is real isn't necessarily so. Overall, a decent mystery – though the author resorted to the old "get all the missing facts via a monologue from a mysterious character" ending. Oh well.

[Hayden Schmidt]

My book is called Doppelganger the author is Pete Hautman and Mary Logue the lexile is 660. My book is mostly about this kid who thinks his parents kidnapped him and i think they did i still don't know but Bry and Roni went on a trip to wisconsin and they asked people for directions but they were being rude. So they went to the directions that they found in the phonebook so they went to this place with one trailer home and they sat in the woods and someone came out. After a bit he went back in Roni zoomed up to the house and knocked the door flung open. Then he grabbed Roni and then Bry came up on the motorcycle and said hey pops and roni got on and they drove later they found out that that was Bry’s dad and he was arrested that week cause Bry’s mom’s body was discovered in his backyard his dad killed her.
So this story is mostly about a kid who wants to find out if his parents kidnapped him and he goes on a journey with his friend and finds clues to get to his real parents.That is the big idea of the book the theme is maybe don't be something you're not. In this book the setting shapes the characters with being a detective to find out the mystery of him possibly being a missing kid
I highly recommend this book some parts were confusing but i liked it. The ending wasn't really that good it left us at a cliffhanger it didn't tell us if he got kidnapped or just adopted. My favorite part was when they came to the sign and it was supposed to say goat back road but it said go back road. But i highly recommend this book for people that like mystery.

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