Susan Runholt

When Kari Sundgren and Lucas Stickney meet as 10-year-olds in an art class at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, they soon become best friends despite the differences in their family backgrounds. Lucas is the daughter of a wealthy lawyer with an international reputation, while Kari lives with her single mom. Four years later, the girls are on the trail of an international art mystery involving a mysterious man they encounter copying Rembrandts first in Minneapolis, and then in London. The show more trail eventually leads Kari, Lucas, and Kari's mom to Amsterdam.

This mystery combines elements I love – art and travel. I didn't notice anything out of place in the descriptions of London, a city I used to know well. The girls spend a lot of time in the National Gallery, one of my favorite art museums. The mystery is plotted well and the educational elements are incorporated naturally, not shoehorned in as in some children's/YA literature. This is just the kind of mystery I would have loved as a tween reader except for a few things. The story starts with the history of Rembrandt's two portraits of Lucretia, an ancient Roman woman known for her virtue who killed herself after she was raped. The girls also end up in Amsterdam's red light district where they see prostitutes and people on drugs. Some tweens might be mature enough to handle these subjects. I was not at that age. The girls have freedom to get themselves into dangerous situations because they repeatedly lie to Kari's mother. At least Kari feels guilty about it. The dust jacket says the book is for age 11 and up. Due to the nature of some of the subject matter, I wouldn't recommend it for most readers under 13. show less

This book was so fun to read, I just couldn't put it down. "Just one more PAGE," I kept saying to my husband. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia is the story of two fourteen year old girls who see a strange man copying a Rembrandt painting in the art museum near their home. Then they see the same man in London copying another of Rembrandt's works. The just know something fishy is going on and they make it their mission to uncover The Mystery of the Third Lucretia.

Susan Runholt has done a show more superb job of mixing together travel, art history, culture and women's rights into a novel that I would be happy to read to any child for bed time. She includes a few risque topics like the dangerous part of Amsterdam, but she explains the thing that go on there in a way that informs and educates children with out giving them too much information. Also quietly tucked into the novel is a genius part about anger,

"She calls anger a "covering emotion." She says that almost all the time when people get angry they think they're just mad, but mostly, with out knowing they're doing it, they're covering up another feeling, like fear or hurt or guilt or grief. "

I applaud Runholt for such a dedicated use of tone and diction throughout the story. The voice of the narrator, fourteen year old Kari, sounds the way a fourteen year old should sound. There is a youth and a innocence to the way the story is told. It is also evident that Runholt is a big advocate for women and the power that they can have. The women of this novel are up front and center, each with their own strengths and weaknesses which help to strengthen the whole.

I would recommend this book for any child or parent but especially little girls and women, since Girl Power is a central theme. I read another review that said this would be a great mother daughter book club choice, I fully agree! show less

Rescuing Seneca Crane is the second book in the Kari & Lucas mystery series. I adored The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, the first book in the series, and I devoured this one during the read-a-thon. The story picks up only a few months after the first novel ends. It's late summer, and the girls are off to Edinburgh, Scotland with Kari's mom, who is interviewing teenage piano prodigy Seneca Crane for a magazine piece. Kari and Lucas befriend Seneca, who has accomplished a lot professionally, show more but has had little room for a normal, teenage social life. As the title indicates (it's literal, not figurative), Seneca is soon kidnapped, and Kari and Lucas find themselves in the middle of another caper in a foreign country.

Once again, Susan Runholt does a tremendous job of describing locations. Edinburgh and the other towns of Scotland are like characters in this novel. The misunderstanding of the Scottish accent provided several laugh out loud moments for me. I loved this book as an adult reader, which is not always true of children's books. (A side note about grade level: the characters are teenagers, and teens would certainly enjoy it, but I think it's also appropriate for upper elementary readers.) Runholt also deftly educates the readers while entertaining them. I learned a lot about classical music, Scotland and history along the way, but I was mostly aware of the adventure I was on and wondering how Kari and Lucas would solve the mystery and rescue Seneca Crane.

If you haven't read The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, please read it first. This book is just as good, but you'll love it more if you already know Kari and Lucas. I personally enjoyed Lucretia a little bit more because I enjoy art more than classical music, and I've been to most of the places Kari and Lucas visited in Lucretia. I haven't been to Scotland yet, but with Runholt's descriptions I could certainly picture myself there, and I do now want to visit Scotland even more desperately. show less

After reading a glowing review of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, I knew I wanted to read it. When it came in for me at the library, I first read the author's biography, which begins "Susan Runholt shares a love of art, travel and feminism with her teenage heroines." I would add reading to the list, but I'm proud to share the other three with Ms. Runholt, Lucas and Kari.

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia is the first (of many, I hope) Kari and Lucas mysteries. Kari and Lucas are best show more friends who live in St. Paul, Minnesota (a town I also happen to love). Kari's mom has one of the coolest jobs ever: she covers fashion and international culture for a teen magazine (if such a job exists, I would gladly apply for it.) Kari, who sees her father a few times a year, and Lucas, whose parents are eager to spend money for her to experience culture, often get to go along for the ride. The book takes place in St. Paul, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The girls happen to find themselves trying to solve an international art mystery.

I cannot say enough positive things about this novel. I wish it existed when I was younger, but I still loved it as an adult. I laughed out loud often, learned things (in a delightfully unpreachy way) and eagerly awaited the mystery being solved. Kari and Lucas are both real girls and inspiring to women (and men) of all ages. I am eagerly awaiting my turn to read the second Kari and Lucas mystery, Rescuing Seneca Crane, which came out in August 2009. I wish I knew more young women so I could give this book to them; I know it would have meant the world to me as a younger woman. Happy reading, feminists, art lovers and mystery fans of all ages! show less