Book 28- Invisible Boy

I read it, I read it, I read it!!! I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!! I mentioned how much of a fan I was of Ms. Cornelia Read? Well, I am thrilled to say this novel was wonderful!

Madeline Dare is back and better than ever in this third outing, Invisible Boy, by wonderful author Cornelia Read. Madeline and her cutie husband Dean have now reclaimed NYC, even if it is in a crummy sublet walk -up with her sister and a family friend, Sue. She's officially left upstate New York behind and can be back among the land of the living again.

Or so she thinks... she meets a distant relative and they agree to do a clean up project of a family cemetery. And while cleaning they stumble across the remains of a 3 year old boy who had obviously been abused in his short lifetime.

As Madeline tries to stay away from the case, of which too many factors keep pulling her in, she is also rekindling a friendship from the past: Astrid, a prep school friend. Astrid with her wealthy and ares, and her rich husband Christoph seems to leave Madeline even more unsettled. Add the money problems, her mother's "news", her re-settling into the city, Dean's new & stressful job, and the revelation of a tragic family secret, Madeline is fraught with stress.

As the mystery of the dead boy is revealed, Madeline becomes involved in solving the mystery. In a great courtroom scene, all the details are woven together; but will justice prevail, and really, what is justice in this case?

This is a brilliant novel. I am a huge fan of Read; she is a smart author. I feel, as a reader, she caters to me, a person with a brain. Her word choices and metaphors are dazzling and as often I found myself laughing out loud with the characters, I also found myself thinking: thank you to Read for challenging me while entertaining me!

I also love Madeline. She is a smart woman who doesn't take herself seriously. I like how she knows she's from 'old money' but rather than write from the upper crust perspective, she's more of a debutante turned poor- and she seems happy with it. Her wit is razor sharp, sarcasm is as necessary as air, and she has a clever view of what it was like to be a WASP-I love her voice!

This was a well told story, much more than just a mystery. I appreciate the look into the minds of the characters, and how real they were. This was also more than just a mystery. Rather than a cursory glance at the people involved and a focus on the whodunit, read paints a detailed picture of all involved, with high polish on their emotions. This book, to me, was all about the characters.

Loved this story! I recommend it, as well as the previous two Madeline Dare novels, A Field of Darkness and The Crazy School.