Alberta Alibi

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

The third Gaetz mystery featuring a trio of young sleuths focuses on
Sheila Walton, the 12-year-old friend of Katie Reid (heroine of Mystery
from History, 2001) and her cousin, Rusty (hero of Barkerville Gold,
2004). Travelling with Katie’s grandparents, the three are scheduled
to spend a few days at Alberta’s Triple W Ranch, home of Sheila’s
dad, whom she has seen only three times in the two years since she and
her mother moved to Victoria. Sheila’s nervousness increases as they
near the ranch, but her anticipation suffers a serious blow when a boy
riding her horse, Silver, greets them in place of her dad, a man who
never “learned to keep track of time.” Already feeling abandoned,
Sheila directs her fury at Huntley even though dad arrives, apologizing
and warmly welcoming the threesome.

Almost immediately the trio learns that a night watchman guarding the
Glenmar Development at the neighbouring ranch has been shot. When the
RCMP, armed with seemingly solid evidence, focus on Sheila’s dad as
the prime suspect, Sheila, convinced that her dad would never resort to
violence, joins her cohorts in investigating and insists they identify
other possible suspects, among them the ranch foreman, Ben; his
20–something son, Ryan; Dad’s self-appointed watchman, Wendell
Wedman; and Dad’s girlfriend, Adele, who is engaged in litigation to
prevent the Glenmar group from destroying the area’s grizzly habitat
and trumpeter swan wetlands. Hoping to identify the villain, the young
adventurers set a trap that goes awry and nearly causes major harm to
innocent people. Fortunately they manage to unmask the guilty, free
Sheila’s dad, and successfully conclude another adventure.

The novel nicely blends Sheila’s uncertainty about her dad, the
mystery surrounding the shooting and arson, the greed of unscrupulous
land developers, and concerns about environmental protection of
endangered species. It also contains a well-paced plot, realistic
dialogue, believable characters, and issues worth considering in the
third instalment of the unnamed series. Recommended.