The Whole, Entire, Complete Truth: A Sarah Martin Mystery

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

Dragged from the familiar Mississauga environment to the sticks of
Muskoka, Sarah Martin hates her new home, school, and everything until
she meets Mindi, a classmate who spends time with the horses at a
neighbouring farm owned by her mother’s boyfriend. Mindi wastes no
time teaching Sarah about horses and riding, and the girls become
friends despite the efforts of Colin (the owner of the farm) and
Sarah’s father (an Ontario Provincial Police detective) to discourage
the friendship.

Colin insists that the girls stay away from the big barn, which
allegedly houses antique farm machinery. When the girls illicitly enter
the barn, they find cages of black bears instead of machinery. Sinister
men in suits come to visit at odd hours and Sarah overhears
conversations that suggest Colin is involved in the illegal bear
poaching. Her research convinces her of Colin’s guilt and, with the
help of Mindi and her older brother, Roy, she manages to foil the crooks
and save the day.

In an attempt to dissuade Sarah from further detective work, her father
insists that she write a “detailed accounting of everything that led
up the night when everything went wrong.” With the exception of a
peculiar chapter contributed by her brother, Sarah details events
chronologically in a report that’s “just like a real detective’s
report.” Unfortunately, she interrupts the narrative flow
intermittently by addressing explanations to her father and comments
about her brother. That irritant aside, Pattison’s first Sarah Martin
mystery will appeal to fans of the genre. An appealing sleuth,
action-packed plot, and contemporary themes combine successfully to
produce an exciting tale. Recommended.