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Great Quicksolve Whodunit Puzzles: Mini-Mysteries for You to Solve
Get on the case! Help famous detective Dr. J.L. Quicksolve and his son Junior solve some dastardly crimes. Interview suspects, evaluate their stories, examine crime scenes, and take note of strange details. Be on the alert for liars, tricksters, and unlikely alibis. * Did Mary Contrary kill her new husband? Or could it have been someone else? * Who was stealing cattle from McDonalds farm? To figure that out, youd better follow the right truck--the one with the crooks inside! * How could a thief have gotten Lucy Lookers diamond ring collection out of her mansion without leaving the premises? * Someone kidnapped Benjamin Blowhard! But look closely at the ransom note, and you might be able to rescue him. * A couple of bank robbers want to make a speedy getaway. Can you stop them before they do? * Did Bobby steal the teachers money from her purse? Theres only one way to tell... The clues are all there. By reading these mini-mysteries carefully, paying attention, and using your powers of deduction, youll solve the crime! Or if youre stumped, sneak a look at the helpful hints. 96 pages, 25 b/w illus., 5 3/8 x 8 1/4. NEW IN PAPERBACK.
- GenresMysteryYoung Adult
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 19, 2019
I'm always surprised by how much death and violence and mayhem is within a mystery solve book for young readers. Encyclopedia Brown isn't that bad an offender. But Donald J. Sobol's other books- Two-Minute Mysteries, are filled with a bunch of victims. Jim Sukach's Dr. Quicksolve books are no exception.
The small town detective and his son Junior are on the scene of over two dozen crimes including stabbings, assaults and robberies. There's even a couple of mysteries involving the CIA and a trio of crimes involving the tragic demise of a 1960s rock band.
Most of the solutions were pretty easy to solve. A couple were quite tricky. And one or two had a solution that I just disagree with. To go into it further would bring about massive (and unforgivable) spoilers. So all I will say is that speculation and not fact are how Dr. Quicksolve arrives at 1 or 2 of his deductions. Sadly, poor detective work is rubbing off on the next generation as one of Junior's mysteries is solved by a 'guestimate' and not proven fact!
Seems a little unfair to me. But I am sure that's what happens in the real world too!
Two sections in this book involves a series of mysteries being grouped together. The first one had a one page set-up that took me a few minutes to figure out. It looked just like the other mysteries with a header and an illustration. But there was no blurb explaining to the reader about what aspect of the crime there was to solve. So when you get to this section of the book, don't do like I did and think that there is a page missing or a printing error. There's not. It's a transition that is just not presented to the reader very well.
While I thought that some aspects of this book had a little too much creative license, I did like how the solutions don't go in order. The solution for mystery #1 might be on page 95 and the solution for mystery #2 might be on page 88. This prevents over-eager sleuths from cheating. This was an innovation that I thought was greatly superior to those mysteries of Encyclopedia Brown. But that's about all that this book does better than the kid detective.
The small town detective and his son Junior are on the scene of over two dozen crimes including stabbings, assaults and robberies. There's even a couple of mysteries involving the CIA and a trio of crimes involving the tragic demise of a 1960s rock band.
Most of the solutions were pretty easy to solve. A couple were quite tricky. And one or two had a solution that I just disagree with. To go into it further would bring about massive (and unforgivable) spoilers. So all I will say is that speculation and not fact are how Dr. Quicksolve arrives at 1 or 2 of his deductions. Sadly, poor detective work is rubbing off on the next generation as one of Junior's mysteries is solved by a 'guestimate' and not proven fact!
Seems a little unfair to me. But I am sure that's what happens in the real world too!
Two sections in this book involves a series of mysteries being grouped together. The first one had a one page set-up that took me a few minutes to figure out. It looked just like the other mysteries with a header and an illustration. But there was no blurb explaining to the reader about what aspect of the crime there was to solve. So when you get to this section of the book, don't do like I did and think that there is a page missing or a printing error. There's not. It's a transition that is just not presented to the reader very well.
While I thought that some aspects of this book had a little too much creative license, I did like how the solutions don't go in order. The solution for mystery #1 might be on page 95 and the solution for mystery #2 might be on page 88. This prevents over-eager sleuths from cheating. This was an innovation that I thought was greatly superior to those mysteries of Encyclopedia Brown. But that's about all that this book does better than the kid detective.
May 9, 2019
Easy to solve mysteries and an overall bland premise.
July 9, 2020
My male wee beastie and his Nana adored this book. It made him think outside of the norm. This is especially good since he is home-schooled and we strive to instill creative solutions in him.
December 13, 2025
Typically, I like these kinds of mysteries, where the clues to solve them are embedded in the short story. I thought some of these stories, though, were unsolvable as they were written. :/
February 14, 2017
I'd give this one a 2.5 if the mysteries weren't quite so simple. Especially the ones starring Dr. Quicksolve's son, Junior, seem to be incredibly easy while others are things mostly only adults would know, like someone lying about a clutch. There doesn't seem to be a clear age group for this one, but the answers are still pretty obvious if you're trying at all.
I don't think I'd recommend this one to a friend, but hey, it was good for a thirty minute read. The cheesy names continue in this one as they did the others.
I don't think I'd recommend this one to a friend, but hey, it was good for a thirty minute read. The cheesy names continue in this one as they did the others.
October 9, 2010
a pretty good book. very good for someone who wants to exercide their brain a little bit
July 28, 2011
I used to love this book when I was little.... never could really solve much though... Ughh I feel so old now looking back at my old bookself haha.
January 11, 2015
Great QuickSolve Whodunit Puzzels: mini mysteries for you to solve. used to teach children the use mystery stories to connect to reasoning.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews