I saw someone in one of my reading groups was doing the ABC Reading challenge and, since I finished all my reading challenges over a month ago, decided to give it a try too, I decided to give this one a try. However, I could not find a book beginning with X that I hadn't read or had any interest in reading. One list had this series on as an option so I chose this one because I used to read these with my daughter and I felt nostalgic. Of course, I pretty much guessed the mystery just by reading the title but it was still fun to take a stroll down memory lane with Dink and friends. Cute series for young readers. ( )

Ah, yes....I do enjoy the A to Z mysteries...and I'm not a mystery person. This book started out great--a concert, three kids, everyone dressed up in costume--and ended up a real puzzler that could not be solved until the ending.

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The kids attend a concert during which a diamond pendant is stolen and soon are on the thieves trail.

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Dink, Josh, and Ruth go to a concert that turns out to be more eventful than they anticipated -- during intermission, Dink sprains his arm and the lead singer's diamond pendant is stolen as she signs autographs. Will the trio of friends be able to help solve the case and return the singer's necklace to her?

I picked up this book because the A-Z Mysteries (and other Ron Roy series) are incredibly popular, but I don't think I've ever read one before. To be honest, I was not exactly impressed. Roy has been writing for decades, and this book feels a bit dated, even though it's from 2005. For instance, two important clues in the story include autograph books and newspapers -- both of which aren't something many kids have immediate access to anymore. The book is also lacking in any diversity amongst its characters.

The story itself is slight and it was very obvious to me right away who the thief was -- however, the intended audience of elementary school-age children may very well be thrown off by the couple of red herrings Roy sprinkles into the story. The characters aren't particularly fleshed out, which makes entry into the series via any title easy but also doesn't exactly appeal to people like me who really enjoy characterization. ( )