Twelve-year-old Riley Dare, who lives above her aunt’s escape room, is one of her town’s “queens of mystery.” Riley can solve any puzzle, recommend a good mystery book, and add her special touch of slight, but real magic to any of the escape room settings. Riley’s own life, however, is one of the few mysteries she can’t solve. She’s never met her parents, and her aunt refuses to tell her what has happened to them.
Riley is particularly excited about the escape room’s latest themed setting, which recreates their town’s biggest unsolved mystery, a heist that happened on the day Riley was born. But when a popular children’s mystery author disappears during the setting’s grand opening, leaving behind a bloody shoe, the bad publicity could mean that the escape room will have to close for good.
Riley refuses to let that happen, and sets out with best friends Kayla and Mateo to solve the crime—but is the perpetrator a mysterious ghost in the escape room or someone much more human?
The twisty mystery is full of spookiness, humor, and magic, but it is the character of Riley who makes it shine. She’s a rare middle grade protagonist not going through a period of angsty self-searching; she says at one point, “I’ve always been completely comfortable and confident at school; I know who I am, I know what I like, and I know who my real friends are.” That’s not to say that she doesn’t sometimes have self-doubts, particularly as the mystery remains unsolved and her own family history raises questions. But she’s capable and clever and leans into that in a self-assured way that feels refreshing. (Not that there isn’t also a place for middle-grade protagonists still finding their way—but those stories shouldn’t be the only ones.)
Riley’s friends round out the story and complement Riley’s skills: Kayla has a penchant for engineering, while Mateo is a storyteller who runs their D&D campaigns and loves fantasy novels. Together, they make a fun team.
Is there queerness here? With a penchant for short hair, button-down shirts, and bow ties, Riley is at the very least gender creative. Her aunt calls her by the gender-neutral nickname “Agent.” Whether Riley also identifies anywhere else on the LGBTQ spectrum remains to be seen (but given author M.K. England’s own agender identity, I think it likely). This is the first book of a planned trilogy, though, so I suspect we’ll learn more with the books to come in this highly recommended series.
Riley is White; Mateo has light brown skin and Kayla has dark brown skin.
