“All of Blackberry Valley is buzzing when a novel hits the shelves featuring their very own town! Hannah Prentiss isn’t the only one who quickly snatches up a copy and sits down to read…nor is she the only one who is shocked to realize that this novel isn’t mere fiction. It uses the real names of real families from the area—and apparently digs up the real dirt of those families from years gone by.
When the end of the book mentions a treasure buried somewhere in town, everyone is determined to find the author and demand answers. As Hannah and her friends piece together the mystery of long-forgotten town secrets, she’ll learn more about the ancestor she is named after, her great-grandmother Hannah Jane.
Could learning about her family’s past be the key to unlocking the truth behind the author’s identity and the so-called treasure?”
Series: Book #4 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, and Book #3!
Spiritual Content- Romans 12:14-16 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are referenced & remembered; A couple Prayers; A couple talks about God; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, church groups, services, sermons, & pastors/reverends; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of hymns;
*Note: Religious phrases such as ‘heaven knew’ is said twice; A mention of Santa.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: A ‘dumb’, two ‘stupid’s, and two ‘idiot’s; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Mentions of a murder in a story, the body being found, & the murderer (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including for parents); Mentions of crimes, criminals, thieves, stealing, & stolen items; Mentions of fires & a couple barely making it out alive; Mentions of gambling & a woman who has a gambling addiction (*Spoilers* She receives help from a pastor who struggled with the same thing and he helped her learn new ways to fight the compulsions to gamble *End of Spoilers*); Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deception; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of mental asylums & their often horrible conditions; A couple mentions of deaths from a car crash; A couple mentions of World War II; A couple mentions of the Great Depression; A couple mentions of being threatened; A couple mentions of smoking; A mention of a near miscarriage; A mention of a woman being abandoned as a child and raised in a home for orphans; A mention of embezzlers; A mention of shop-lifting;
*Note: In the historical time period, Annabeth feels like others are belittling her, but tries to correct herself that it’s her own insecurities bothering her; Mentions of people with deformities being ostracized & some believing Annabeth’s shouldn’t have been allowed to have children (because of their “issues”; Her father had a large birthmark on his face and her mother was deaf; She refers to herself as being the daughter of the town’s pariahs and recalls her father being accused of being a thief); Mentions of sanitoriums, signs of OCD like chapped hands from overwashing and picking at one’s hands, & OCD sometimes having “the potential to carry a genetic component”; Mentions of medication and therapy that helped others with OCD and ADHD; Mentions of Norman Rockwell illustrations; A few mentions of prejudice & the possibility of parents being against their son’s girlfriend due to her social standing; A mention of a car brand.
Sexual Content- Some hand holding, butterflies, nearness, smelling, & noticing (all in the historical time period; barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Hannah says she has no time for a relationship; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dates, & dating/courting; Mentions of handsome and cute guys; Mentions of crushes & blushes; A mention of a woman being caught kissing a man who wasn’t her fiancé; Light love, falling in love, & the emotions (historical time period);
*Note: A couple mentions of butting into a conversation.
- Hannah Prentiss
P.O.V. mostly of Hannah
Mostly contemporary, but also seven chapters from 1936
244 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
Both the third and fourth book in this series was different than the first two books of the series so far because of the almost dual-time period elements. I actually didn’t like the 1930s part at first because I couldn’t tell if this was suppose to be the actual history of the area or if it was from the fictional book that was just published that Hannah and others are reading in the current time. However, as the book continued (and we find out it’s the actual history, not the fictional story), I definitely got more interested in the historical time period--more than even the contemporary setting!
I do want to note that all of the other Guidepost mysteries I’ve read (in this series and a handful of other series) usually do not have to do with murder—they are just good ol’ mysteries—but this one did have elements/mentions of a murder because of the book the woman in the 1930s (the dual-time period parts) is writing. So, if you are sensitive to that kind of content, you might pass on this book. I don’t think you would miss anything major from this book if you did skip it, there would probably just be a few references to events in future books, but nothing really major happens. The murder mentions are not detailed (we’re not even told how the woman was murdered), but there is a few mentions of someone finding the body in a ditch.
As another note, there were some mentions and a few conversations about “mental illnesses” like OCD and being in a sanitorium along with also a few conversations about a woman’s gambling addiction. These parts brought down the light-hearted style that I often expect from these mysteries, but they weren’t super heavy which I was thankful for.
There were a few parts that had repeated information close together or Hannah saying odd things (like “app” instead of “appetizer”), but it wasn’t too distracting. I enjoyed Hannah and Lacy’s best friend banter and their teasing, it made me laugh a few times and added to the story. This wasn’t my favorite of the series, but it was still a decent one.
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
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