Snatched

When a classmate disappears, Roni Delicata, crime reporter for the school newspaper the Bloodwater Pump, can't resist the challenge of figuring out who snatched her. With a sidekick slightly reminiscent of Encyclopedia Brown, and a charming disregard for fashion, Roni sets out to solve the case. There are plenty of suspects to choose from, from the missing teen's ex-boyfriend and her estranged father to the spacey Butterfly Man. But the truth may just prove stranger than any of the odd people Roni and Brian run across.

A bit simplistic but at least the ending wasn't a foregone conclusion. The issues covered - kidnapping, child abuse, etc., are certainly serious enough, but Brian and Roni make an amusing team. Hopefully in future show more adventures it will read a bit less like Encyclopedia Brown solves the case, though. show less

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Alicia has been kidnapped. Can Brian and Roni find her kidnapper and save the day? That's the plot in a nutshell, but the complete mystery would fill a large, very complicated nutshell.

Brian and Roni go to the same high school, but the only things they seem to have in common are frequent visits to the principal's office. Brian's a science nerd, and Roni is an ambitious reporter for the school paper. Alicia is a fellow high school student who has disappeared. This first in a series dubbed THE BLOODWATER MYSTERIES has Brian and Roni teaming up to solve the crime.

For mystery fans this book has it all. There is the big old family house connected to a possible curse. Part of show more the adventure takes the crime-solving duo to Wolf Spider Island to deal with colorful characters like Driftwood Doug and a butterfly collector named Mr. Nestor. Add in a wacky police department, suspicious high school thugs who key cars, and a trip to Nun's Island to search for a missing boat, and you have just a few of the adventures in this fast-paced book.

Pete Hautman, author of GODLESS and MR. WAS, combines talents with fellow Minnesota author Mary Logue, to create this new series. Fans of complicated whodunit tales will not be disappointed. show less

Brian and Roni don't have much in common, except getting sent to the principal's office. Brian is a science geek whose experiments tend to shut down the school and Roni is the hard nosed investigative journalist for the school newspaper with dreams of one day working for the Washington Post. When their classmate, Alisha is found beaten and then disappears circumstance teams up this unlikely duo to crack the mystery of what has happened.

This was a cute, easy read which I believe would be a great book for 5th grade and up. The story is told from alternating viewpoints between Roni, Brian and Alisha which gives the reader a well rounded perspective of the action and events as they happen.

The first book in the Bloodwater series introduces us to two engaging teenagers who become unlikely partners as they track down the mystery of who has abducted a classmate. I enjoyed this mystery very much; it was both fast-paced and realistic. I did find the ending somewhat disappointing (but can't say why because it might be a spoiler), but despite this, it’s definitely a recommended read. (http://msbookish.com/review-snatched-by-pete-hautman-and-mary-logue/ )

When Brian Bain and Roni Delicata ended up in the principals office and then suspended for their offenses they had no idea of the role they would play in the mystery surrounding a fellow student. Alicia Camden claims she was beaten up by a stranger while walking through the park. After leaving the hospital where she has had her injuries checked, she seems to vanish into thin air. Roni, the curious investigative reporter for her school paper cons Brian, whose mother is a cop investigating the disappearance, into helping her try to solve the mystery. There were a lot of twists and turns throughout this book. The characters and plot were very believable. This was the first book in the Bloodwater Mysteries Series. I look forward to reading show more more books in this series. show less

This story revolves around three high school students; one of which has gone missing, while the other two risk their lives to find her. Roni, an assertive and intelligent school newspaper reporter teams up with Brian, an Asian American with loves chemistry. They spend their time searching for Alicia, she has been physically abused, neglected, and now has gone missing in a small town in Minnesota. The two young detectives must interview and analyze an array of different characters, as well as piece together clues that will lead them to Alicia. However, even when the police think they have the criminal, they may find that nothing is as it appears.

Roni, the hot-shot school newspaper reporter, and Brian, the young science whiz who is frequently sent to the principal for some "small problem" with test tubes in the science room, seem to have little in common. But the two team up to solve the mystery of the "snatching" of popular Alicia.
The beginning book of a mystery series, this is pretty good, but more for the lower end of the teen scale.