Despair in Monterey Bay (Mathnet Casebook)

Mathnet detectives George Frankly and Pat Tuesday use various math skills to solve the mystery of the missing Despair Diamond

Grade 4-6-Based on the popular "Mathnet" segment of Square One Television, this mystery takes Manhattan-based detectives George Frankly and Pat Tuesday to California to protect the famous Despair Diamond from theft. The jewel is stolen, but, through perseverance and some clever mathematical calculations, the sleuths recover the stone and catch the crook. This series entry is a pleasant enough read, although the banter and wordplay work better on TV and some of the jokes fall flat. A few of the allusions will go over many readers' heads-the suave international playboy suspect is named Archibald Leach; Pat and George go by the aliases of Nick and Nora Chuck from a ranch in Omaha; they are assisted by John Steenbeck and his dog, Ol' Joad-but they don't hurt the story. The plot is fast moving and provides interesting information. Activities related to time zones and triangulation, concepts introduced in the text, are included at the end of the book. The TV connection will attract readers, perhaps even reluctant ones, and libraries might want to give this a try.
Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.