The Hunk Machine

Kristin Butcher writes novels for young adults. Her most recent works
are The Trouble with Liberty, Zee’s Way, and Chat Room.

This mystery series for the preteen set features 12-year-old best
friends Christine Bellamy (Salt) and Patti McKenzie (Pepper), with
pivotal guest appearances from Christine’s younger brother, Hal.
Christine is the narrator.

The first instalment of the series, The Vampire’s Visit is set in
London, England, where the holidaying children find themselves caught in
the middle of a war between good vampires (is there such a thing?) and
bad ones (these guys refuse to follow the vampire code of ethics).
Events unfold much like a Three Stooges movie, but in the end, goodness
prevails and the children solve the case.

The Hunk Machine revolves around celebrity robots, a Hollywood movie
set, and a town-wide robbery. Once again, the would-be detectives do
more fumbling than fact-finding, but are nevertheless successful.

The stories are told in a fast-paced, breezy style that is initially
entertaining, but after two books the sarcastic glibness begins to
grate. The characters, including Salt and Pepper, are flat stereotypes
who don’t grow or change in any way. As for the plots, they barely
hang together. Even if readers buy into the existence of vampires and
lifelike robots, events in the storyline aren’t always credible,
logical, or connected.

Though these books will probably appeal to less-critical readers
because of the narration style, they aren’t likely to leave a lasting
impression. Recommended with reservations.