Eleven-year-old Suzanna Snow isn't looking forward to working in the kitchen of her parents' hotel this summer. What she really wants is to become a detective like her famous uncle Bruce. She keeps track of important details in a notebook and when Maddie Cook goes missing in the dark servants' tunnel, Suzanna has a mystery to solve. She saw the scalloped edge of a nightgown and what she thinks was Maddie, but none of the adults, including her uncle when he's called in, give her the time of day. She does find a partner and friend in her uncle's assistant, Will, and the two try to figure out what happened.

There are a lot of things I like about THE MIDNIGHT TUNNEL, not least of which is the character of Zanna and some of the supporting cast. Frazier doesn't dumb down her prose at all and uses some big words. She also has some advice to impart such as that things aren't always what they seem and being famous doesn't mean you know everything and sometimes kids are smarter than adults might think. Add to all of this that the plot is feasible, and while as an adult, I figured out whodunit along the way, it certainly wasn't obvious from the beginning.

Zanna definitely has the lead, it's obvious why she doesn't do so well at hostessing and kitchen work with her head in the clouds doing detective work. But her friends have great character too including Isaac ho works on the fish boat that brings a catch to the inn every morning and Lucy, a clumsy and lackadaisical maid who really only works there to make money to help her sick mother. Pair these with the wealthy hotel patrons and it's a terrific mix. Fans of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden and the Bobsey Twins have company. The Suzanna Snow series will be one to follow.

Book Summary

Suzanna knows what happened in the midnight tunnel, so why won’t anyone believe her? Suzanna “Zanna” Snow has sleuthing in her blood.

With the famous Bostonian detective, Bruce Snow, as her uncle, she knows she has more than just a pinch of investigative talent. But nothing out of the ordinary ever happens in the sleepy coastal town of Loch Harbor, New Brunswick. Instead of sharpening her detective skills, she’s stuck serving tea and learning how to be a “proper lady” at the Rosemount, an exclusive summer hotel under her parents’ impeccable management.

Everything changes one night during a thunderstorm, when one of the hotel guests, a young girl, goes missing. Zanna is certain she has clues that lead tothe girl, but only her friends, Lucy and Isaac, believe her. When detective Bruce Snow is called in, Zanna sees her chance to help solve the case. But everything is not what it seems, and as the mystery thickens, Zanna begins to suspect another crime is unfolding. And if her instincts prove correct, she’s sleuthed her way into a grave amount of danger.