Tunnels of Tyranny

Lisa Arsenault is a high-school English teacher who is involved in
several ministry campaigns to increase literacy.

Siblings Andrea and Tony travel back in time to 1920s Moose Jaw,
Ontario, where they had encountered their grandparents as young people
on three previous adventures.

The Ku Klux Klan is attempting to set up a chapter in the town. They
are meeting stiff resistance from the townspeople, particularly Andrea
and Tony’s relatives. The teenagers’ mission is to retrieve their
grandfather’s notebook, which he urgently requires in the present and
which has ramifications for the past. They encounter intrigue, fraud,
and physical danger. They are kidnapped and threatened with bodily harm.


Atmosphere is well-established. One gets a strong sense of what Moose
Jaw was like in the early 20th century. Colloquialisms of the era add to
the authenticity, dress is appropriate, and the 21st-century
protagonists have a hilarious time trying to drive the Model T and other
cars of the period.

Evocative writing conjures up suspense, and imagery is often used. The
author grasps the reader’s attention from the beginning with the
dramatic opening statement: “I can’t believe we’re actually doing
this!” Similarly, the way the Ku Klux Klan is introduced is very
effective: at the inaugural rally in Moose Jaw, several children burst
into tears when they first see the Klan uniform, which is ghostlike and
frightening.

There is lots of action in this novel for young people as well as
balanced, polished writing. Recommended.