Jason and the Deadly Diamonds

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

In the first book of this series, Jason and the Wonder Horn, Jason, his
new friend Charlotte, and her little brother “Squid,” were swept
back in time to medieval Germany by virtue of their magical instruments.
In Jason and the Deadly Diamonds, the main action takes place in
Luxembourg during the reign/occupation of the French King Louis XIV.

The new adventure begins with the same spellbinding fog rolling in as
Jason, Charlotte, and Squid play their instruments. Jason’s bugle has
been passed down from his great uncle, who used it during World War II.
Charlotte plays a flute given to her by Grandma Cannington, who is
teaching Jason to play the bugle. Squid’s drum is a gift from his
father, a historian, and appears to be an antique of some sort. Shortly
after their arrival in Luxembourg, the children are taken in by a group
of travelling artisans. When a diamond-smuggling ring is discovered, the
children’s new friends become the prime suspects. Jason, Charlotte,
and Squid must figure out who’s really smuggling the diamonds and
clear their friends’ names.

In her well-written and clever evocation of 1660s Luxembourg,
Hutsell-Manning includes the legend of the mermaid Melusina and the
unfortunate young bugle player she warned of Luxembourg’s first defeat
in 1433. A secret coded map, a maze of tunnels, and midnight excursions
all play a part in this magical tale. Well-researched aspects may make
the book an excellent jumping-off point for investigations into
historical Luxembourg. Recommended.