CHOCOLATE LOVER (Missing Persons Case #2)
M.E. Rabb
Puffin Books
Mystery
ISBN: 0142500429
Ages 12-17
185 pages

• About the Book
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M. E. Rabb follows the previous adventures of Sophie and Sam Shattenberg (in THE ROSE QUEEN) with another fast-paced mystery, from the viewpoint of Sophie. The two orphaned sisters from New York have altered their looks and names, and are living incognito in the tiny town of Venice, Indiana, to avoid being separated by their vicious stepmother. Venice is a long way from New York City, and there's much to miss. Sophie yearns for her Jewish identity and the traditions that accompany it. However, the sisters have good friends, including nice guy Colin and Sophie's new best friend Mackenzie. And they love their job, working in private investigator Gus Jenkins's office.

Sophie's first day of school turns mysterious when she happens upon a poster of an upcoming lecture by Leo Shattenberg, who will discuss the art of famous painter Ivan Sebrid. Could Leo be their grandfather's cousin, long lost in Poland during the Second World War and presumed dead? The girls are convinced he is, but they can't tell him without blowing their cover.

The plot quickens when Leo's grandson, Josh, falls in love with Sam. Sophie teases her sister about being on Jerry Springer's "I Married My Cousin" show, but Sam is quite shook up. She has never had a boyfriend before and there's no denying the major chemistry between her and Josh. What will she do?

When the girls mention they work in a detective agency, Leo hires them to look for his childhood sweetheart, Ruth, who mysteriously vanished in 1947. Leo found a painting, which once belonged to Ruth's family in a museum. He suspects the painting was stolen during the Holocaust. Can the sisters and Gus find Ruth? Can they even prove the painting was stolen?

As always, Sophie is a total crack-up. Yet she remains a thoughtful character, painfully considering the Holocaust and what it meant to her family and so many others. She misses her parents and home. And … is there some attraction in the air between Sophie and her good friend Colin? Stay tuned for Book #3 of the Missing Persons series!

   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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