Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit

Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit

Lilliam Rivera

Little Brown, 2020

254 pages

Grades 4-8

Mystery

Goldie Vance series #1

Based on the comic series by Hope Larson & Brittney Williams. The irrepressible Goldie gets wind of a major star coming to the Crossed Palms Hotel to film a movie. As an inspiring detective, she immediately offers her services to the head of security, the all-suffering Walter, who is no match for the teenager's tenacity. As a resident of the hotel (Dad is the manager), Goldie is in the perfect position to greet the famous movie star Delphine Walters and makes a connection as she saves Delphine from tripping. Accompanying her new friend to the film-shoot at the Mermaid Club, where Mom works, Goldie catches sight of the very valuable diamond studded swim cap known as "The Bejeweled Aqua Chapeau". Many suspicious characters linger around the set, including a nosy reporter. The power keeps flicking off and the Chapeau is not cooperating, constantly falling off the star's head and interrupting filming. After many stalls and breaks the frustrated director is ready to get back to business, only the precious cap is missing! Who could have taken the Chapeau? Is someone trying to sabotage the set? Goldie is on the case, interviewing suspects and searching for clues. Eventually, the culprit is smoked out and Goldie saves the day, all while making new friends and strengthening the old.

Meet Goldie Vance, amateur detective extraordinaire, Florida native, and all-around likable person. I was unfamiliar with the comic books when I picked up this fictionalized version. I was attracted to the colorful cover and bold looking protagonist. I thought that the series had a STEM connection, Goldie reminding me of Rosie the Riveter. Instead, it is an old-fashion pot-boiler, set in the 1950's in a time before the internet at a glamorous Florida resort. Goldie is older than the intended reader, yet so was Nancy Drew. I loved that Nancy drove a car and had a boyfriend, seeming so sophisticated. Readers will appreciate Goldie's independence as a teenager and be inspired by her confidence. Goldie has a crush on a girl who works at a local record store, yet it all remains innocent and will go over the heads of younger readers. The Chapeau does not go missing for over one-hundred pages, yet the story really requires a lot of set-up and character introduction. Once the mystery gets going, it is fun to try to solve. The answer is getable-with many red-herrings clouding the way forward. Action, eccentric characters, an interesting setting, an old-fashion mystery, and a likable protagonist make this series a winner. The second volume The Hocus-Pocus Hoax is set for a January release.