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The Swallowtail Legacy #3
Search for the Sunken Statue
The third installment of this Edgar Award-mominated series (for Wreck at Ada's Reef ) is another engrossing two-pronged adventure—an island mystery and the long-simmering control over Swallowtail Island.
Following the Swallowtales writers’ conference, there are two visitors to the island. Chase Kannen, a dashing, 30ish explorer/adventurer arrives on a huge expedition yacht in search of a bronze statue of Cassandra (of Greek mythology) lost off the deck of a cargo ship in a storm on the lake in the 60's. He has a film crew with him, making a documentary about the search. They find the statue, but shortly thereafter, while it is displayed on the deck of the yacht, it disappears. If it's not found, Kannen will be able to collect the insurance money, which is in the millions.
Meanwhile, Lark and Pip's Aunt Abigail (their mom's estranged sister), arrives by ferry. The sisters haven't seen their aunt since they were 5 and 3, and are not sure why she has decided to come now. Of course, it turns out Aunt Abigail has heard about the deed of land on Swallowtail that might Lark and Pip very rich. Aunt Abigail has a scheme to get the girls to sell their rights to the land . . . with her help, and "for a small percentage."
Following the Swallowtales writers’ conference, there are two visitors to the island. Chase Kannen, a dashing, 30ish explorer/adventurer arrives on a huge expedition yacht in search of a bronze statue of Cassandra (of Greek mythology) lost off the deck of a cargo ship in a storm on the lake in the 60's. He has a film crew with him, making a documentary about the search. They find the statue, but shortly thereafter, while it is displayed on the deck of the yacht, it disappears. If it's not found, Kannen will be able to collect the insurance money, which is in the millions.
Meanwhile, Lark and Pip's Aunt Abigail (their mom's estranged sister), arrives by ferry. The sisters haven't seen their aunt since they were 5 and 3, and are not sure why she has decided to come now. Of course, it turns out Aunt Abigail has heard about the deed of land on Swallowtail that might Lark and Pip very rich. Aunt Abigail has a scheme to get the girls to sell their rights to the land . . . with her help, and "for a small percentage."
- GenresMysteryMiddle GradeArt
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2025
68 people want to read
About the author
Michael D. Beil
10 books90 followersIn a time not long after the fifth extinction event, Edgar Award-nominated author Michael D. Beil came of age on the shores of Pymatuning Lake, where the ducks walk on the fish. (Look it up. Seriously.) For reasons that can’t be disclosed until September 28, 2041, he now lives somewhere in Portugal with his wife and their two white cats, Bruno and Maisie. He still gets carsick if he has to ride in the back seat for long and feels a little guilty that he doesn’t keep a journal.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 20, 2025
A mostly-solid conclusion (?) to what is presumably a trilogy, and one I wholeheartedly endorse in its entirety. I read one book each month of this summer, so I extra-feel like I lived the adventures alongside Lark -- though it should be noted this one is actually a September book, starting on Labor Day.
I think I liked the first two a little more, as the mystery here is even simpler than the last book (or at least, the who and why are clear; the how is still a surprise), cool as the title premise is. Plus Aunt Abigail is an absolute pill, though fortunately she refuses to stay in their child-infested house and mostly just skulks around being sketchy in the background, occasionally popping up to either sneer or fake sweetness for nefarious purposes, until she gets her comeuppance.
Still, worth it just to spend more time with Lark on Swallowtail, getting to see her start school (the horse-drawn "school bus" wagon!) and what the island is like when it quiets down after the summer crowds leave. I will also NEVER have enough scenes of Thomas being wonderful: great dad, protective as hell of the girls and their best interests, top-tier artist & art restorer.
And I absolutely loved the reveal of
I am, however, bummed that there's no real conclusion to the origins of the fancy birds in hollowed-out books, or why they were hidden inside books in the first place. They aren't even really touched on -- Aunt Abigail makes inquiries into the whereabouts of one, so maybe they're valuable? but then they never come up again, even though we've been teased about potential meanings and/or history behind them since book 1. Maybe holding out hope for a hypothetical fourth book? Seems unlikely, though.
P.S. Special shout-out to the author's note, where he shares his wonderful poem "The Ballad of Book Number Nine," about the trials and tribulations of being a midlist author (and the moment you realize it's worth it to reach an actual kid who loves your book). I can't find it on his website anymore but I am STUBBORN so here is an internet archive link. It has immediately become one of my all-time favorite poems from anyone, anywhere.
I think I liked the first two a little more, as the mystery here is even simpler than the last book (or at least, the who and why are clear; the how is still a surprise), cool as the title premise is. Plus Aunt Abigail is an absolute pill, though fortunately she refuses to stay in their child-infested house and mostly just skulks around being sketchy in the background, occasionally popping up to either sneer or fake sweetness for nefarious purposes, until she gets her comeuppance.
Still, worth it just to spend more time with Lark on Swallowtail, getting to see her start school (the horse-drawn "school bus" wagon!) and what the island is like when it quiets down after the summer crowds leave. I will also NEVER have enough scenes of Thomas being wonderful: great dad, protective as hell of the girls and their best interests, top-tier artist & art restorer.
And I absolutely loved the reveal of
I am, however, bummed that there's no real conclusion to the origins of the fancy birds in hollowed-out books, or why they were hidden inside books in the first place. They aren't even really touched on -- Aunt Abigail makes inquiries into the whereabouts of one, so maybe they're valuable? but then they never come up again, even though we've been teased about potential meanings and/or history behind them since book 1. Maybe holding out hope for a hypothetical fourth book? Seems unlikely, though.
P.S. Special shout-out to the author's note, where he shares his wonderful poem "The Ballad of Book Number Nine," about the trials and tribulations of being a midlist author (and the moment you realize it's worth it to reach an actual kid who loves your book). I can't find it on his website anymore but I am STUBBORN so here is an internet archive link. It has immediately become one of my all-time favorite poems from anyone, anywhere.
December 12, 2025
I spotted this novel on the library shelf and snatched it up, laughing gleefully.
Lark and her family are back for a third installment on Swallowtail Island. This time, they are awaiting an appearance from Pip and Lark's aunt, Abigail. She is barely known to the girls; they met once some time ago at a restaurant at their mother's insistence. Now Abigail is demanding half of The Roost - and half of the land that Pip and Lark were left in their mother's will.
Meanwhile, Chase Kannen, son of a famous bronze sculpture, is here at Swallowtail Island looking for a statue his father made. The statue was being shipped by boat across Lake Erie and fell off during a storm. Chase seems to think it's in a particular triangle area but islander Les Findlay thinks Chase's chasing his own tail. He won't tell Lark why but Les thinks it's funny.
So Lark has been going to school on Swallowtail (along with the other kids in the family) but suddenly, she gets an offer that seems too good to be true - a full scholarship to Carton School. That means leaving the island though and Lark's not sure she wants to do that. It's just starting to feel like home (and leaving her family is a hard hard task).
Then Chase finds - and loses - the statue of his boat and Les Findley is implicated. Billie Jacobs, an insurance investigator, comes to the island to investigate. Lark makes friends with her and Police Chief Pawlowski is letting Lark help investigate - and they definitely come up with some ideas as to what might have happened with the statue.
With everything going on, there's going to be some big changes - and hopefully it won't mess up Lark's family too much.
The author's notes state he's not going to revisit this series and that's sad to me - I'd love to know how Swallowtail Island ends up, whether in the hands of the Cheevers or Lark and Pip. Also, there was a comment in the story that went unresolved, which would be nice to know more about. I feel like there's more story to tell; like there was a lot of underlying stuff in all three novels that still need to be resolved. So I'm a bit disappointed there won't be more.
Lark and her family are back for a third installment on Swallowtail Island. This time, they are awaiting an appearance from Pip and Lark's aunt, Abigail. She is barely known to the girls; they met once some time ago at a restaurant at their mother's insistence. Now Abigail is demanding half of The Roost - and half of the land that Pip and Lark were left in their mother's will.
Meanwhile, Chase Kannen, son of a famous bronze sculpture, is here at Swallowtail Island looking for a statue his father made. The statue was being shipped by boat across Lake Erie and fell off during a storm. Chase seems to think it's in a particular triangle area but islander Les Findlay thinks Chase's chasing his own tail. He won't tell Lark why but Les thinks it's funny.
So Lark has been going to school on Swallowtail (along with the other kids in the family) but suddenly, she gets an offer that seems too good to be true - a full scholarship to Carton School. That means leaving the island though and Lark's not sure she wants to do that. It's just starting to feel like home (and leaving her family is a hard hard task).
Then Chase finds - and loses - the statue of his boat and Les Findley is implicated. Billie Jacobs, an insurance investigator, comes to the island to investigate. Lark makes friends with her and Police Chief Pawlowski is letting Lark help investigate - and they definitely come up with some ideas as to what might have happened with the statue.
With everything going on, there's going to be some big changes - and hopefully it won't mess up Lark's family too much.
The author's notes state he's not going to revisit this series and that's sad to me - I'd love to know how Swallowtail Island ends up, whether in the hands of the Cheevers or Lark and Pip. Also, there was a comment in the story that went unresolved, which would be nice to know more about. I feel like there's more story to tell; like there was a lot of underlying stuff in all three novels that still need to be resolved. So I'm a bit disappointed there won't be more.
April 14, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
With the arrival of Labor Day, Lark must get ready to attend school, having moved from Connecticut to Swallowtail Island with her sister Pip, stepfather Thomas, and three stepbrothers. The Roost, the home that her mother willed to Lark and Pip upon her passing, is a comfortable place, and over the summer Lark has become well known for her ability to solve crimes. Now that summer people have gone, the locals like Simon and Dinah (both in their 90s!) are gearing up for winter. When Chase Kennan, a famed expedition leader, and his team have arrived on the island to search for a statue, there's an excitement surrounding their attempts to retrieve Kennan's father's statue from Lake Erie. It fell off a boat in 1967, and was never recovered. It's not long before the statue is found and brought to the docks, but it goes mysteriously missing. How could something that big and heavy just disappear? An insurance investigator, Billie, is brought in, and Officer Pawlowski is also involved. Lark has other things to deal with; her Aunt Abigail, an art dealer from Manhattan, has arrived demanding her share of the Roost and its land, and she has to contend with playing on a new soccer team. In order for the team to play, they need one more girl, so Lark makes an arrangement with Gina that Lark will sing in the choir if Gina will play soccer... for her father, Coach Djoussou! When Owen visits on a break from his boarding school, he tells Lark that the coach there is interested in having her play. Since she's been running the house with her step brother, Blake, while Thomas is in New York for work, and the younger kids are not cooperative, it's a tempting offer! When Lark has time to investigate the mystery, she uncovers information from the past. Will it also help her to thwart the advances of Aunt Abigail to take her property?
Strengths: Lark is dealing with a lot of issues tweens face (siblings and stepsiblings, navigating a new school, balancing sports and life) and also solving crimes, which is great fun. Swallowtail Island has a lot of cool sites and residents, and the interactions Lark has with them remind me of the best adult cozy mysteries. Thomas is a good stepfather who benefits from the extended community, including Nadine, Lark's mother's best friend. The mystery is solid, and I don't want to give away any of what happens. The aunt is a good evil foil. It was just so much fun to spend time with Lark. When I was young, I would have saved up my babysitting money to buy this series at the mall, and would have reread it frequently.
Weaknesses: The aunt was so unpleasant, and she just made me sad. For her not to have any pity for Lark and Pip and to want to take their home... ugh. She deserved worse than she got!
What I really think: Readers who love cozy mysteries like Frederick's Absolutely Truly, Haddix's The Secrets of Trash and Treasure, or Beil's own The Red Blazer Girls will want to pick this one up. Ohio libraries especially will want to purchase the whole series!
If you missed the first two, definitely take a look!
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
With the arrival of Labor Day, Lark must get ready to attend school, having moved from Connecticut to Swallowtail Island with her sister Pip, stepfather Thomas, and three stepbrothers. The Roost, the home that her mother willed to Lark and Pip upon her passing, is a comfortable place, and over the summer Lark has become well known for her ability to solve crimes. Now that summer people have gone, the locals like Simon and Dinah (both in their 90s!) are gearing up for winter. When Chase Kennan, a famed expedition leader, and his team have arrived on the island to search for a statue, there's an excitement surrounding their attempts to retrieve Kennan's father's statue from Lake Erie. It fell off a boat in 1967, and was never recovered. It's not long before the statue is found and brought to the docks, but it goes mysteriously missing. How could something that big and heavy just disappear? An insurance investigator, Billie, is brought in, and Officer Pawlowski is also involved. Lark has other things to deal with; her Aunt Abigail, an art dealer from Manhattan, has arrived demanding her share of the Roost and its land, and she has to contend with playing on a new soccer team. In order for the team to play, they need one more girl, so Lark makes an arrangement with Gina that Lark will sing in the choir if Gina will play soccer... for her father, Coach Djoussou! When Owen visits on a break from his boarding school, he tells Lark that the coach there is interested in having her play. Since she's been running the house with her step brother, Blake, while Thomas is in New York for work, and the younger kids are not cooperative, it's a tempting offer! When Lark has time to investigate the mystery, she uncovers information from the past. Will it also help her to thwart the advances of Aunt Abigail to take her property?
Strengths: Lark is dealing with a lot of issues tweens face (siblings and stepsiblings, navigating a new school, balancing sports and life) and also solving crimes, which is great fun. Swallowtail Island has a lot of cool sites and residents, and the interactions Lark has with them remind me of the best adult cozy mysteries. Thomas is a good stepfather who benefits from the extended community, including Nadine, Lark's mother's best friend. The mystery is solid, and I don't want to give away any of what happens. The aunt is a good evil foil. It was just so much fun to spend time with Lark. When I was young, I would have saved up my babysitting money to buy this series at the mall, and would have reread it frequently.
Weaknesses: The aunt was so unpleasant, and she just made me sad. For her not to have any pity for Lark and Pip and to want to take their home... ugh. She deserved worse than she got!
What I really think: Readers who love cozy mysteries like Frederick's Absolutely Truly, Haddix's The Secrets of Trash and Treasure, or Beil's own The Red Blazer Girls will want to pick this one up. Ohio libraries especially will want to purchase the whole series!
If you missed the first two, definitely take a look!
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
September 8, 2025
The third book in the series finds Lark dealing with a greedy Aunt who wants half share of the Roost--and the land the girls are set to inherit-and a missing statue. I really enjoy this series. There is a sense of nostalgia that reminds me of the mysteries I loved growing up.
September 23, 2025
A fun trilogy. A lot can happen in one summer - love the support for exploring all kinds of hobbies and activities as a kid rather than specializing too young.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews