Murder in Mexico

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

Taylor introduced young readers to the twins, Jennifer and Maggie
Arnold, and their friend Sam in Adventure in Istanbul (2005). In the
second volume of The Spy Who Wasn’t There series, the trio travels to
Mexico for spring break—the girls with their paternal grandmother,
Grand, and Sam with his granddad whom he plans to join at a Mayan
archaeological dig after a few days of sightseeing with the Arnolds.
Almost as soon as they arrive in Cancun, Jennifer, the action junkie of
the group, spots a CIA agent they encountered during their previous
adventure. She uses her special ability to become invisible so that she
can spy on Brady and his associates.

A Greek tycoon and his driver, a beautiful seсorita wearing a diamond
necklace, a “moustached Mexican with a little woolen hat,” a couple
of dead bodies, and rival gangs add complexity to the investigation. The
mystery climaxes when gang members kidnap Grand and plan to trade her
for the missing diamond necklace. The intrepid trio rescues Grand and
foils the villain’s schemes, but suffers enough setbacks in the
process to keep readers engaged and entertained.

The well-paced, action-packed adventure unfolds from the viewpoint of
the three teenagers, revealing personality traits as they recount
activities. While Sam and Maggie share scholarly interests, Sam and
Jennifer share an addiction to action as the trio, with Grand’s
capable assistance, successfully solves another mystery. Award-winning
Taylor has published books for young readers since 1985’s Julie and
fortunately does not seem inclined to stop. Highly recommended.