The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #3

by Jordan Stratford

The Wollestonecraft Girls embark on their most important case yet--the famed dinosaur fossil hunter Mary Anning is being blackmailed. Her precious dog has been snatched and the kidnappers are demanding that Miss Anning authenticate some fake dinosaur bones up for auction at the British Museum in order to get him back. Ada and Mary have just three days to track down the fossil fakers, find the dog, and save the integrity of science! The game is truly afoot in this quirky caper involving blood-sucking leeches, an asthmatic pug, smoke bombs, secret elevators, diabolical disguises, and wicked word-play.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook, Historical

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2016

About the author

Jordan Stratford has been pronounced clinically dead, and was briefly mistakenly wanted by INTERPOL for international industrial espionage. He is an ordained priest, has won numerous sword fights, jaywalked across the streets of Paris, San Franciso, and Sao Paolo, and was once shot by a stray rubber bullet in a London riot. He lives on a tiny windswept Pacific island populated predominantly by realtors and carnivorous gulls.

Represented by Heather Schroder of ICM Partners, New York.

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series for many reasons, including the fact that it's a fun and accessible mystery for small people, that it's full of textual victorian and regency shout-outs, and that our detectives are such good friends. But probably the reason I love it the most is the fact that I finish every book going "oh man there were so many smart and capable women in english history!"

Most of these I knew about before, but I had kinda thought of them all as the single exceptions. By making all these women meet each other and interact (with the help of some timeline fiddling to keep it MG), I'm reminded that they weren't all the one odd woman in history. There was more than one exceptional woman per century.

Which I don't think I can adequately explain how heartening it is to realize.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 11 year old said 5 stars, I say 3, so I'll go with 4.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Ada Byron is bored stuck in bed from the fever that nearly killed her. She's disgusted by the leeches Dr. Pollidori puts on her arm and decides to try an experiment that will hopefully make her well again. Finally up and about, Ada can visit with her sister and friends to learn what clever criminals need catching. Also on her mind is the cleverest girl in London! WHO could be smarter than Ada? When a woman named Mary Anning all the way in Lyme Regis in Dorset writes about her missing dog, Ada decides to take the case. When the others wonder why and worry about how to get to Dorset, Ada is one step ahead. Mary Anning is a famous fossil hunter and her dog is being held as blackmail bait to get her to do something she doesn't want to do. It's up to Ada, Mary and the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency to solve the mystery. Mary worries about the strange doll people she saw pop up at the window but no one else seems to have seen them. Then the girls discover they have a real problem to contend with-Ada's formidable grandmother has returned and she is determined to keep Ada inside and her friends out. What can one clever girl do to thwart her enemies? Use her brain, of course!

This is a fun little mystery. I'm not sure I ever would have figured out the connections without the clue on the dustjacket about wordplay. The mystery is complicated and has more red herrings than ever before. I love the introduction of Mary Anning but if I were the author I would have fudged the already condensed and made up timeline to make Mary still a girl and have her join Ada, Mary, Allegra and Jane as a detective. That would be amazing! I still want to jump into the post-Regency world of this novel and meet all those incredible women. I liked the anagrams and word puzzles the villains use to keep the girls guessing. It keeps the reader guessing as well. I did not like the plot at the end when it becomes more disturbing and more of a fantasy. I wonder what all that is about? It's rather creepy like zombies.

Ada is exhibiting character growth. She's now willing to admit she has friends and she likes their company. She also discovers she needs their help if she's going to escape her grandmother. Ada is trying to notice people more, like Mary, and become a little kinder. She's still a mad genius but a little more sensitive. I love that she has a secret laboratory. Does that make you think of anyone? What about the silent, 8-foot tall butler Mr. Franklin, first name Adam? Franklin--Frankenstein? I think the author is deliberately putting in these allusions to clue in the adults reading these with the children. It's a fun way to think about the inspiration for the famous novel but a little far fetched to be believable.

Mary is kind, gentle and thoughtful. She is a good foil for Ada and Allegra. Mary is becoming more bold and insistent about what she wants. Jane too has experienced some character growth since the last novel. I still don't like her. Allegra hasn't changed at all and is mostly relegated to the background along with Jane. Mary Anning is similar in personality to Mary Godwin. Mary Anning notices everything. She has a good idea of what's going on but isn't sure who to trust or how to solve her problem. I was disappointed she didn't play a larger role in the story. Ada's grandmother, Lady Noel comes across as mean and strict. The author should have included some details about medical theory and the rules of Society to show WHY Lady Noel was so insistent upon banishing Ada's allies and keeping Ada indoors. It kind of shoes Lady Noel cares about Ada in a bizarre 19th-century Society way. Fresh air was seen as unhealthy and ladies didn't go gadding about the city alone.

I enjoyed the fun adventure and can't wait to read the next one when Baroness Lehzen asks for help on behalf of the young princess Alexandrina Victoria.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of this series with the first 2 books but this book was a lot of fun. If anything it was too short and it opens the door to more books in the future so nothing is really resolved. But it was fun.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging mystery that is fun for young girls... and adults.

Ada and her young friends, including Mary Shelley, have formed the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency solving selected cases. Ada has been sick and has spent much time in bed while the doctor leeches her blood. She realizes that her former governess has held her mail and finally gets a stack. Ada, Mary and friend Jane, start sorting through the letters to decide on their next case. They come across a letter from a famous dinosaur fossil hunter, Mary Adding, whose dog has been kidnapped and decide this is the case.

Ada’s fierce grandmother comes home, grounds Ada to bed and ousts her friends and tutor. Now Ada has to creatively get away from the sick bed, sneak out to meet with her friends and try to help Mary find the kidnappers and rescue the dog.

Ada is a science whiz and loves math and all sorts of puzzles. She discovers notes that have been written as anagrams and believes that her nemesis is behind the group that is blackmailing Ms. Adding asking her to verify a fake fossil exhibit at the British Museum.

It is fun to follow Ada and her friends as they hunt down scoundrels, work on clues and manage some surprising interventions. This is an engaging, fun read/listen even for an adult and would be great for young girls 8-13.

Audio Notes: Nicola Barber does a fine job of narration. She captures the sweet voices and accents of the characters. The pacing is good and makes for a fun listen.

I received this from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love middle grade detective fiction, and the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series is no exception! Featuring Mary Shelley and Ada Byron as little girls (anachronistically), with partner in crime Charles Dickens, they solve what appear to be little instances of crime (stolen dog) but are actually major connections to criminal rings (there's a clever Moriarty character cropping up!). The books were originally inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens's protege, Wilkie Collins. Now they are taking on a life of their own and it's so thrilling to watch! I highly recommend this series for little history nerds, fierce feminists, readers with quick wit and sense of humor, and little detectives in the making.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was the perfect listen for my platelet donation and I loved it until the end when it seemed to end abruptly. I mean, the mystery was solved, so that wasn't the issue. But everything was happening so quickly at the end that I didn't realize when I actually reached the end. I had to go back and listen to make sure I hadn't just accidentally left off one of the audio files (I didn't). There was a brief sentence from the narrator saying it was a recording of Hachette audio, so I knew I had reached the end. So I went back and listened carefully and it made more sense, but it leaves me wanting a lot more, which is why I rounded up.

There are definite allusions to Sherlock Holmes in this story, including her archnemesis, and the way this book ends, you KNOW there will be so much more about this enemy as well as about her mother. I'm looking forward to reading the next one, but am planning on saving it for Christmas, since it has a holiday theme.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to book 4!

[Fi's Journey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third book in the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency is just as fun as the other two.

3.5 stars

You always seem to learn new things and new words like petrichor (the smell of earth after rain) or pangram (a phrase containing every letter of the alphabet) or just made up words like Brobdingnagian.

It's not fantasy but I like the characters, the humour, smartness (is that a word?) and the mysteries that they have to solve.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stratford, Jordan The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #3) 193 pgs. Knopf, 2017. $16.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G

In this third adventure set in old England, Lady Ada Byron, a misunderstood lonely genius and Mary Godwin, a girl with a head on her shoulders and quite a bit of smarts are on their third case. At least they are trying to be, but Ada’s Grandmother is trying to prevent them from being detectives. The girls take on the case of Mary Anning, a fossil hunter, who has an accident while out in the field and now her dog is missing. But there is a cryptic note regarding the whereabouts of her dog and the girls set out on adventure to solve the case that features counterfeit dino bones, doll people, and the Bavarian Illuminati. Features about one illustration per chapter.

I reviewed the first book in this series and liked it but worried about the cover appeal. To date, it has not received one checkout in my school library and I have book-talked it numerous times, my guess is that there is not much interest in historical setting mysteries right now. I did not read the second book and found this third book to be beyond confusing. It jumps right in and moves quickly ahead with many characters and references to past events. The mystery itself is a jumbled complex set of events and clues. I did not enjoy reading this book and would not add it to my library.

EL –NO Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Amy H. Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another wonderfully witty and inspiring installment in the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series, following the fictional adventures of not-so-fictional young Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Shelley), Ada Lovelace, and company. Steampunk detective girls with science! (and wonderful Easter eggs for those in the know). Great fun.

[Robert Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, spectacular! I stayed up all night just to finish this book. Sooooo good i can't wait to read the next book.

I think this book is amazing. I hope others do as well. I can't wait for the next book. Soo good

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series throws a new mystery at the girls Ada Byron Lovelace and Mary Shelley as well as their sisters. Ada is recovering from the illness she got in the second book and she selects an apparently mundane case to recover a lost dog. Only this is a special dog as it belongs to Mary Anning, the celebrated paleontologist.

But before the case gets started, Ada's grandmother unexpectedly returns, throwing the agency into turmoil, for the grandmother wants Ada to get well and will not let her out of bed. As the girls work out ways to get together without been seen, they discover the case is not what is seems, for Anning's dog has apparently been kidnapped and will only be returned if Anning will authenticate obviously fake fossils at the upcoming opening of the British Museum.

Compared to the previous two books, this book concentrates more on the tricks the girls have to get up to avoid been seen by Ada's grandmother and banned from the household. Comparatively little detective work is actually done and the resolution of the story apparently depends on Ada trusting Anning to do what Ada expects her to do at the museum. An unresolved plot point in this book involves the battle of wills between Ada and her unseen adversary (the smartest girl in England) who appears to be involved with the kidnapping.

Hopefully, the next book (a preview of which is given here) will return to concentrate more on the girls doing detective work and less on avoiding the grandmother.

[Julie]

I read the first two books of this series (The Case of the Missing Moonstone and The Case of the Girl in Grey) earlier this year and enjoyed them both. So when I found digital versions of the third and fourth books, I downloaded them immediately and plunged in. The third book in the series (The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals) continues the adventures of Our Tween Heroines (tm) as they unravel yet another case. This time, a kidnapped dog is being held for ransom: the owner (another young girl, this one an archeologist) must authenticate a clearly inauthentic ichthyosaur skeleton for the British Museum or risk never seeing her beloved terrier again. And this time, Our Young Heroines (tm) must face the complication that Lady Ada’s overbearing grandmother has come to visit and is Displeased with her granddaughter’s companions and “hobbies.” As with the previous books, the writing is on the simple side, but delightful. I enjoy that there’s continuity and callbacks from the previous books, and I’m especially enjoying the developing rivalry between Ada’s Sherlock and Nora Radel’s Moriarty. Definitely looking forward to book 4!

[Mahala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series is just FUN. Books 2 and 3 really more like 3.5 stars, but I really like the turns of phrase and the delight of the girls in learning things. A couple of moments of genuine horror in this instalment too, which was a pleasant surprise.

Some bits I liked:
'...that kind of clatter could only come in the churning wake of her battleship of a mother.'

'...draining away her blood in small munching gulps from his little pets'

'Well, it's crime, Ada. It's not as though you are playing chess and your opponent merely concedes. These are villains. They do villainous things.'

It's the kind of joy in words that I enjoyed in the Series of Unfortunate Events. And, as ever, the premise of Ada Byron and Mary Godwin (a long way yet from being Shelley) being friends and solving crime is a delight in itself.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars. This is a strange story, as the mystery is not really resolved within this book. It begins with Ada in bed, recovering from the drenching she received at the end of the previous story. Dr. Polidari comes daily to bleed her, which Ada is convinced actually inhibits her recovery. No correspondence is being passed on to the girls, but once they realize this, they demand to see what they've been missing. As they sort the letters, Ada chooses one, a case about a missing dog. This introduces the girls to Mary Anning, an early paleontologist. The girls, along with Charles and Peebs, must use a variety of ingenuity to evade Ada's grandmother who descents on the house complete with her own dog and a multitude of servants.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this historical-mystery-steampunk mashup, the Wollstonecraft Detectives Agency— two young girls, Ada Byron Lovelace (who became the first computer programmer) and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later known as Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein)— takes on a new case that involves fossil hunter Mary Anning and her beloved missing dog. Fossil fakers are blackmailing Anning with the safe return of her dog if she authenticates fake dinosaur bones at the British Museum within three days. With Ada orchestrating the case, clues come together with word games, logic puzzles, sinister doll-like minions, Charles Dickens, smoke bombs, and rollicking action. The book includes short biographies of characters. Readers who missed the first two books in this mystery series will want to catch up with them while awaiting the release of Book 4.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the author readily admits that her heroines in this feminist mystery series would not have been the right ages to be friends, the book still provides a delicious romp through history as it might have been. Ada Byron Lovelace and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley--take on a case involving Mary Anning of dinosaur fame. In this third entry in the series, the girls deal with a ransom note for Anning's missing dog, hidden messages, and a dinosaur that surely must be fake. As her grandmother attempts to keep Ada reined in and insure that she behaves in the manner expected for someone of her social class and gender, Ada somehow manages to thwart her at every step of the way. The book is plenty of fun and keeps readers guessing as to what's going on. The illustrations allow readers to see what these girls might have looked like as well as picturing the world in which they lived. Although there are clearly many plots afoot, there are also several humorous scenes that will make readers hoot in amusement.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third adventure for the young sleuths of the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency. This time Lady Ada, the world's best detective, has to match wits with Nora Randal who claims she is the world's #1 best detective. This series is charming, the young detectives, who have grown from two young ladies and Charles (the invisible carriage boy) to a motley crew, and how such delightful, uncomplicated stories can turn into little mysteries that even an adult like me couldn't figure out.
I look forward to #4 next year.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and the latest mystery does not disappoint. It provides an engaging mystery with some numerous moments mixed in to make it more fun. I love how it incorporates historical figures including many accomplished women in different fields. I also appreciate how it increases vocabulary by including advanced words with a character always telling the reader what the word means. I highly recommend this book and series for all ages.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first in the series that wasn't based on Wilkie Collins's work and instead took on more of a Sherlock Holmes flavor. Ada getting her own Moriarty and an overarching mystery is pretty cool, but I don't feel like all the clues were present in the narrative to figure out the mystery as you read along. Maybe I missed something since I typically read at work between tasks.

Either way the girls are charming as ever and this series is so cute. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable jaunt through the lives of Ada and Mary. As I mentioned on my last review I sponsored, via Kickstarter, Jordan's first of these stories. And as such I get the newer ones too. So I've just had a bit of a catch up session. Fun and easy to read. And full of feminine role models to encourage younger readers.

[Amy Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better! Took me a bit to get comfortable with the liberties taken in putting Ada Byron and Mary Wollstonecraft together as detectives, but the note before the story and further reading material in the back sets things straight. A delicious combination of historical fiction and swashbuckling mystery.

[Sheri Radford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I greatly admire what this novel was attempting to do, by building a story around two strong females from history, but I don't think it entirely succeeded. I was confused by several parts that mentioned earlier books in the series, but that's my fault for starting with book #3 (this one) instead of book #1.

[Courtney Stofko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really, really disappointed in this book.

I've enjoyed the series up to now, but I really don't like the direction this is going in. It's becoming darker and more sinister, and I really just wanted a light hearted children's mystery.

It almost felt like this was written by someone else. Just, very odd.

Not sure I'll be continuing with the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! Ada Byron (Lovelace) and Mary Godwin (Shelley) fighting crime! With a supporting cast including assorted other Georgian historical figures and a guest appearance by Mary Anning. Ten year old me would have devoured these and honestly, current much (much) older me pretty much adores them too.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this a 3.5. I love how Stratford fictionalizes real 19th century people. The mysteries are interesting and smart. This one just felt a little rushed to me and I wish it was a bit longer. I'm looking forward to seeing how it continues in the fourth installment.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, Another fun book in this middle grade historical mystery series. My mom and I read this for our mother daughter book club and enjoyed it as we have the other titles. This mystery wasn't quite as well plotted or as intriguing as the previous titles but it was still a fun and easy read.

[Brittnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun mystery for the Wollstonecraft Detectives. In this book the girls begin to uncover a link between all of their cases.
The book is fun and exciting like the previous two. It also does a great job of setting the scene for more books in the series.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun series!! I loved how the girls are working together and getting through one challenge at a time. Ada is so special and so glad she has Mary to help her. I would recommend this series. I’m excited and sad to read the 4th and last book in this series.