Book Review: And Then I Found Out The Truth by Jennifer Sturman

SUMMARY:

Delia Truesdale is still searching for the truth about her mother, who is in hiding somewhere in South America. But for now, Delia has to make do with her mystery-solving in New York City, alongside her Aunt Charley (a downtown hipster), her Aunt Patience(an uptown ice queen), a detective with a questionable taste in neckties, an eccentric psychic, her brainiac friend, and Quinn, the wealthy, gorgeous boy who--gasp!-- seems to return Delia's affections. Too bad Quinn's shady CEO dad may be involved in the scheme Delia is trying to crack. And a trip to South America may be in order after all...


OPINION: 4 STARS

Picking up where the first novel left off, And Then I Found Out The Truth continues Delia’s search for the truth about her mother. With the same outrageous characters, witty banter, and packed intrigue, And Then I Found Out The Truth is a fantastic second installment and tie up for the set.

Delia’s character stays as she was in the first book, holding the same strong mentality and determination. Though she still has her moments of stupidity and weakness, she handles the situation very well overall. After making some new discoveries, Delia comes to a big decision that launches a big part of the plot of this book.

Quinn also returns, as caring as before and holds his own determination and intrigue. When the two end up finding themselves searching in South America for Delia’s mother, their relationship is tested as are their own personalities and strengths. As a result, much of this book focuses on how the couple handles themselves dealing with situations out of their control in a foreign country. Their investigation leads to some shocking discovers and brings in startling characters.

The plot moves at a stronger pace than the first one, with plenty of twists and allegations to keep things going. The writing is also still strong, keeping with Delia’s mindset and age while providing plenty of detail and descriptions. The climax comes swiftly after a certain point, finally revealing everything to the reader before tapering off to tie up the rest of the loose ends.

The romantic aspects cranks up a few notches in this one, adding a great element in the midst of the South American mystery and search. The writing continues to be quirky and give more spark to Delia and there are plenty of unforeseeable plot twists that more than make up for the predictable spins. Overall, this is a great two book mystery.

Details:
Source: ARC received for review as part of promotion
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Point (July 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545087244
ISBN-13: 978-0545087247

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