I'm not sure what age range I'd say this book is for as a couple of fourteen-year-old girls sneak into Amsterdam's red-light district at night. But it turns out perfectly fine and they are catching an art forger. ... So It's just a fun adventure story?
Also a lot of lying happens, but they are well punished for it. ( )

Best friends Kari and Lucas stumble upon an art forger while traveling in Europe after recognizing him from a gallery in Minneapolis the year before. They embark on an adventure while trying to gather evidence, putting their lives in danger.

Please find my review at http://www.myshelf.com/reviews.htm ( )

While traveling in London, Paris, and Amsterdam, fourteen-year-old best friends Kari and Lucas solve an international art forgery mystery.

I didn't read this book under ideal circumstances. My car broke down near the public library, and I walked over to pick up a book to read while I waited for help. Help ended up being delayed, so I had plenty of time to plow through this book while sitting in a dark, cold car in an abandoned parking lot.

I enjoyed the European tour, especially because I've been to London, Amsterdam, and Paris myself. However, I thought this book wasn't much of a mystery, in the sense that the protagonists solve it through collecting clues or using logic. Instead, the two fourteen-year-old heroines spend a lot of time dressing up in silly disguises, behaving recklessly, and lying to their parents. A certain amount of rule-breaking is a hallmark of books in the "teenage caper" genre, but Kari and Lucas made really questionable decisions, such as walking through Amsterdam's red light district at night while dressed like prostitutes.

I usually enjoy middle grade mysteries--the Red Blazer Girls books are charming--but this one never really captured my interest. I'm pretty sure I had started reading The Third Lucretia sometime last year and given up on it before picking it up again, and if I hadn't been a captive audience, I probably would have put it down again. ( )