Too Many Secrets

Jennie McGrady Mysteries #1

by Patricia H. Rushford

[ Young Adult Fiction (Ages 12-17) ]

[Read by Rachel Dulude]
[Young Adult Fiction]

Thrilling intrigue and perilous adventure await in Too Many Secrets . -- Jennie McGrady loves to read mysteries, drive her mom's Mustang, and think about Ryan Johnson. Her summer seems perfect - until her grandmother Helen disappears with a million dollars in stolen diamonds. -- Helen McGrady's job as a freelance writer for travel magazines takes her all over the world, but it's her secret connections with the FBI that interest Jennie. -- Ryan Johnson is the good-looking boy next door - unfortunately it's next door to Gram, 150 miles away. When Jennie enlists Ryan's help in finding her, a dangerous search looms ahead.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Childrens, Teen

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

Patricia H. Rushford, an award winning author and speaker, has extensive experience in writing and has authored over sixty books, both fiction and non-fiction. In addition to having a nursing degree and masters in counseling, she is also an artist and quilter.

The Jennie McGrady Mysteries for young adults have sold well over 500,000 copies. Silent Witness won the Silver Angel Award for Excellence in Media and was nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America. She also wrote the Max & Me Mysteries for middle grade.

The various mystery series for adults continue to receive great reviews. Her series include, The Helen Bradley Mysteries, The Angel Delaney Mysteries, The McAllister Files and her latest, the Artisan Mysteries.

Her newest releases are: Watercolor Dreams, Deadly Deception and The Quiltmaker's Daughter, both are romantic suspense novels featuring artists.
She has been awarded the Golden Quill Award by RWA- Desert Rose Chapter and earned honorable mention in the Silver Angel Awards.

Patricia is a member of ACFW and a number of other writing organizations. She has participated in such mystery events such as Bouchercon--the World Mystery Convention, Left Coast Crime, and other conventions for lovers of mystery and suspense. She manages a website and blog and has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads and Linked-in and also generates a newsletter. Called Mysterious Musings.

Additional info at www.patriciarushfordbooks.com

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

January 2023 reread, revised audiobook.

Sept 2014 reread, revised audiobook.

Loved this series when I read it 10 years ago. Holds up well.

[Julie Jerles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this and a few others of the Jennie McGrady series years ago. Even though I'm a lot older, I still loved this just as much. It is just such a wholesome series.

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This sounded like it would be an exciting mystery but it wasn't the most gripping story. There just wasn't any urgency, even though Jennie's grandmother has just gone missing and her father disappeared years ago. It was ok but not thrilling.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My middle schooler called this a favorite series, and book #5 a favorite book, so much so that this near-teen wanted to re-read the series with both my husband and me as a bedtime story to introduce us to them. The series came from an adult friend of mine who had also read them and thought my kids might be interested. My older two teens felt they had passed the age where this would've interested them. So ... book #1.

In some ways, it reads as a Nancy Drew type mystery, but Nancy Drew did not have the family conflicts that this main character also faces. My near-teen's favorite character is one of the suspects in the story, so I don't want to give too much away about that. My favorite character, the missing granny, does not actually enter the story much. But she is not a typical granny, and I'll be happy to read her further adventures in the rest of the series. She is more of an elderly Mrs. Pollifax type sleuth (Dorothy Gilman's character) than an elderly Miss Marple type of sleuth (Agatha Christie's character.) I'd definitely recommend the Mrs. Pollifax mysteries to teens that enjoyed this series, the Granny character, and are growing up, themselves.

Jennie, the main character, is devious towards her family, at points, and makes various other unwise choices. Sigh. Yes, teens can do that, both in fiction as well as in real life. I don't think that Jennie fully understands the gravity and the peril in some of her choices - which, perhaps, can make good discussion points.

Although the story is simply written, and middle schoolers can definitely read it, it seems odd to me for middle school students to read about characters so much older than themselves - driving themselves places, making various decisions, dating. I've heard before that kids tend to like to read books about characters a year or two older than they are, so that they can see greater freedoms, but can still relate. These characters are about four or five years older than early middle school kids, and the thinking is very different.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennie is trying to complete her schoolwork so she can spend her summer vacation with Gram. Aunt Kate arrived & asked about Gram. She hung her coat on Jennie's arms...did she look like a coat rack? Jennie's mom was finishing the cake for Jennie's little brother, Nick's, birthday celebration that night...she hadn't seen Gram either. Gram was late getting back & no one had heard from her, Kate was worried. Mom felt that the McGrady side of the family was eccentric. Kate liked artistic better. Jason McGrady, Jennie's dad, was a pilot working on a government project when his plane went down, what if something happened to Gram's plane? Ryan Johnson was a neighbor of Grams & a friend of Jennie's. Jennie picked Nick up at preschool. Nick's teacher thought both of them were good kids. On the way home they discussed who would be at the party. When they got home, Gram's car still wasn't there...where was she?

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any of these in ages, but I remember LOVING them in jr. high and high school

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been five years since 16 year old Jennie McGrady's dad disappeared without a trace, his plane lost somewhere over the ocean. Jennie is convinced he isn't dead and is planning to ask her grandmother (Helen, a retired police officer) to help her look into his disappearance during her summer break from school. However, it looks like that may have to wait, as Helen has now disappeared herself. Most of the family assumes she just stayed longer on a trip than planned and forgot to call (this being the days before email and text messages), but Jennie feels that something isn't right and decides to investigate. This leads to Jennie getting caught up in a dangerous mystery without knowing who she can trust.

A large portion of this book is spent on developing Jennie's backstory and the dynamics of her family. The more exciting parts don't come until about ¾ of the way in. While there is a 'Christian' tone to this book, it isn't heavy-handed, mostly references to prayer and God in general.

Even though I think I enjoyed this book more when I was in my early teens, it was interesting enough to want to continue my re-read of the series.

[Halie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this entire 15-book series in middle school in the late '90's through early '00's, and I remember loving (er, maybe more like being obsessed with?) every. single. one. of these books. My mom would buy one or two paperback's at my school book fair each year, and I remember checking out the hardback copies from my school library on occasion. I haven't re-read them as a grown-up, but man now I'm itching to do so! Hoping I can get my hands on some of them. Maybe I even saved them in one of my boxes of childhood books? I really hope so! Would love to collect them, to shelve for my daughter to read some day too!

[Leanne Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first picked this series up when I was in my old school library. I never finished the series, which is why I have now decided to give them another chance. This book, the first in the series, is a great introduction to Jennie as a character and some of the large story arcs that connect all of the books.

This series reminds me so much of Nancy Drew. They are good old-fashioned mystery books with a young protagonist who isn't afraid to follow her hunches. Enjoyable for readers both young and old!

[Jaycee Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I completely devoured this series as a tween and teen. In fact, just this mon5 I was tying to remember the name of this series so I could order it for my teen and tween daughters for Christmas! Now that I’ve found it again, I’ll be sure to pick it up first chance I get so they can enjoy a clean, age appropriate suspense with a deeper message.

[Cherish Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

(5☆ Would recommend & would read again)
I read 2 books out of this series when I was 13 and I remember really liking them. I decided to buy the entire series as an adult and read through the series. As an adult, I still really enjoy this series. Would definitely recommend.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow pace and unrealistic plot. Unfortunately, I do want to know what happens as this appears to be part of a series.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and quick mystery book! Felt like adult version of Nancy Drew!!

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C-. fiction, teen, mystery, kidnapping, family relationships, series, (Jennie McGrady Mysteries, #1), simplistic

[Kaitlin Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my most favorite books!

[Becky Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trip down memory lane....

[Lora Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this young adult wholesome mystery.

[Marie Patlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgia at its best.

[McKenzie Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book for its intriguing mystery. From the first page, I immediately wanted to know what happened and how Jennie would solve the mystery at such a young age. I wasn't super impressed by how it turned out, but it kept my interest long enough to finish the book. Of course, it was written for a younger audience, so that may be why. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew books. The mystery has a similar feel to it, though the main character seems to have different motives.

I could see this book being used in the classroom to teach deductive skills and analysis, especially for students ages 12 to 14. It would open up opportunities for interactive activities where the students can discuss the clues revealed in each chapter and the theories that they have. They could also see if they can solve the mystery before the main character. It would also be a good exercise to show how clues can be inferred from the text before they are specifically stated or realized by the main character.

Warnings:
-drugs: no
-sex: no
-R&R: brief moment of kidnapping
-language: no
-violence: yes, but not all throughout

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this book 20 years ago, and found it still in my possession along with other books in the series. Reading it as an adult makes me appreciate it more than I probably did as a teen. I remember enjoying the story then, but I didn’t expect to enjoy the story and writing still today.

I definitely think it is better written than the Nancy Drew books that I have read. The conversations and plot moved very smoothly. I thought Jenni’s relationship with her mom was accurately portrayed in a Christian way. And her relationship with the cute boy was young and innocent, but accurate any teen girl’s viewpoint. The character of Jenni was very grounded, and although stubborn, she was still a responsible and mature protagonist. A positive role model for any teenage girl in the world during any point in time.

The story lacks a bit of emotion, but not everything has to have your insides in knots.

I would recommend this book to people today, and I will be strolling down memory lane with more stories in the series.

[Johanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was actually good i really like crime books my fav part was probably when Jennie and Ryan were in the cave the way Ryan protected Jennie was so cute. Well it was cute if u look away from the situation they were in lol

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is my second time reading this book since I am rereading the series. I love the scene's. Even though I knew what was happening since I had already read it I was still entertained and made sense of it more. It is really funny because the bad guy makes a lot more sense the second time you read it. I love Ryan. I how they are trying to prove that Jennie's grandmother did not still millions of dollars worth of diamonds. I love the scene where they are in the cave and the last scene with the bad guys. Once again it is the least expected person that is the thief. I love this book so much. You should definitely read it!!!

Third time reading. Still love it!

[Kiersten]

This whole series - packed with old-fashioned phrases and several noticeable slips in grammar - is so melodramatic it's almost laughable. And the stories become rather repetitive after a while (poor Jennie gets betrayed and subsequently held at gunpoint at least a dozen times), and they all wind up sounding pretty much the same. But i wouldn't say these books are terrible. They're actually not too bad if you try not to take them too seriously, and I do reread them from time to time.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was about a teenage girl that has to deal with a possibly dead father, her mom's new boyfriend, and a missing Grandma. She makes some mistakes and takes some chances. The characters seem real and the story was easy to follow. I think I will pick up the next book in the series.

[Nattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but found some of it annoying. The way the mother insisted on trying to push her new boyfriend on Jennie was just, ugh! Heck, the mother had only known the guy two months herself.
I also found Jennie's relationship with Ryan to be annoying.

[Douglas Wyndham · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting case of diamond theft and granny-knapping.

[Vas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was one of my favorites growing up and I decided to reread them again. I didn’t realize how much romance this first book included, it was a bit more than I expected. For older girls probably- 16+. The book had good mystery, was engaging, and was relatable.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read these with my children. They are a great modern day Nancy Drew with a christian base.

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F RUS bk.1

[Amanda J]

Read this book as a teenager. It's part of a christian mystery series.