Title: The Kingbee
Author: George S. Haines
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 1496958918
Pages: 268
Genre: Adventure fiction
Reviewed by: Newton Mathews
Hollywood Book Reviews
George S. Haines’ novel The Kingbee is a historical young adult detective thriller. The Kingbee, the fifth instalment in the series, picks up the story of Sam and Howie of the S and H Detective Agency. In Grant County, Indiana, they will face a new mystery involving a bank robbery, a coal mine, and German scientists. It’s 1948, and the young investigators have a booming agency after their last case. When they investigate a bank robbery, they come into an experimental lab in an ancient coal mine, which may put the enigmatic guy known as Kingbee in risk. Action and excitement are just around the corner.
The plot is simple. Grant County, with Howie, Sam, and the other residents, resembles a Mayberry-style community. Sam and Howie both have steady girlfriends, life progresses, and there are several pointed references to “Southern courtesy.” Even with mishaps and blunders, the bad guys pay the price in the end. This gentle setting may work well for teen readers looking for less violence or to escape the trappings of modern society. Teen readers may be put off by the overly formal writing style. The vocabulary and sentence structure are distractingly proper.
Nonetheless, the book fills a fascinating space for younger people. The entire series takes place in the 1940s, and there are numerous references to that era, such as drive-in movies and lingering feelings about Germans after World War II. The setting helps to solidify this book as a decent historical novel, and the central mystery will keep young people reading. The Kingbee by George Haines is an excellent historical mystery novel for young adult readers, particularly those interested in the period immediately following World War II.