A Mystery for Thoreau

by Kin Platt, Christopher J. Platt (Foreword)

Sixteen-year-old Oliver Puckle, news gatherer for the Concord Freeman in the summer of 1846, has his work cut out for him when word arrives of a gruesome murder at Walden Pond. It seems the only citizen who is not a suspect is the poetphilosopher Henry David Thoreau, who spent the night locked in the local jail for refusing to pay his poll tax. As Oliver leads the charge to unravel the mystery, he has much to learn from his colorful neighbors – among them Ralph Waldo Emerson and a feisty teenage Louisa May Alcott – but unexpectedly it is the recluse Thoreau himself who provides particular help to the investigation. This posthumously published novel, set in the famously literary town of Concord, Massachusetts, is rich with intrigue and witty detail and features a foreword by the author’s son.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Teen, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

Pseudonyms: Kirby Carr, Guy West, Alan West, Guy York & Wesley Simon York

Kin Platt (1911–2003) was the author of the perennially popular I Can Read Book Big Max, as well as several outstanding young-adult novels and the Max Roper mystery series for adults. Mr. Platt was also a noted cartoonist.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_Platt

Reviews

[Ellie Vickery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is aimed at teenagers, I found it to be very entertaining, and somewhat enlightening about the time period which it is written about. I really enjoyed that historical characters like Thoreau acted as I would have imagined they would act if I had only read about them in an English class.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, it was only interesting from a historical point of view. It gave an interesting account of what Concord was like in the 1800s, however otherwise it was not particularly interesting. It got mildly interesting when one of the characters died, but the solution was only okay.

[Megan Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published posthumously, and I have a sense why. It’s not that it’s wholly bad, it’s that there isn’t really an ideal reader for it. It’s a young adult plot that needs knowledge of Concord and transcendental personalities to fully land. The mystery wasn’t really well plotted, in my opinion, and the end came very abruptly. Also, I don’t really know what to say about stereotypes within the book, but they are there. Some are self aware, in a dated kind of way. Others are not. Fun concept overall, but not really an ideal execution.

[Alyssia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been on the shelf for a long time so I wanted to read it, I couldn’t tell if the details were juvenile enough to be a YA or gruesome enough to be an adult novel. Either way I enjoyed the fictional description of Concord and the historical figures who lived there and the book was engaging and short enough.

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oliver Puckle is 16 in the summer of 1846, living in Concord and writing for his uncle's paper the "Concord Freeman". This will be a summer he will not forget.

Miss Margaret Roberts comes to Concord and is looking to start fresh. She then suddenly vanishes and shortly after a body is discovered at Walden Pond. Is it this beautiful woman who just arrived? Why and how did the murder happen? With Oliver's uncle away on business in Boston, it is up to Oliver to handle keeping the paper going with the writing and publishing of the news.

Recluse Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Alcott families also live in this small town and make appearances in the story. Written in the style of speech of the era and at a nice pace, the plot pulls you along deeper and deeper. Life does move at a slower pace, but things can happen quickly.

This book was published posthumously by the author's son. The author, Kin Platt, had a varied career writing for radio personalities, Disney and DC Comics, along with script writing for cartoon series and also having over 30 published books to his credits. I think I will see what else he has written and add to my shelves.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver Puckle is a reporter for his uncle's newspaper in Concord in 1836, and he is always interested in stories for the paper. Henry Thoreau's arrest for not paying his poll tax is one such story. However, more sinister affairs are afoot in Concord. A mysterious young lady arrives from Boston and wants to place an advertisement for employment in the newspaper, and then disappears. Then the body of a local madwoman is found by Walden Pond. Now Oliver and his friends must solve the mystery before someone else is killed . . .

[Talene Kachadourian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young adult historical fictional mystery set in Concord, MA in 1846. The book is very well written and published posthumously by the Author's son, Christopher Platt, who discovered nearly 2 dozen unpublished manuscripts. In his foreword, Christopher Platt, tells about his father's career as a prolific writer of comic books, cartoons, and novels in many genres, and about his efforts to republish Kin's work. The Author made his living in cartoons and comic books (Marvel and DC Comics), and worked in the 1930's as a writer for radio stars such as George Burns and Jack Benny.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

short mystery which is really a detailed fictionalized account of Thoreau's lifestyle in Concord, Ma. and how he relates to the townspeople. His mindset is presented in a sympathetic manner, showing the eccentric he was. The murder mystery is not so much a mystery as a device for portraying the social mores of the times in a small New England town. Entertaining read.
Author's son gives an overview of author's career and this work was a venture into an entirely new genre, he previously did story lines for comics and more. Talented fellow, I'll have to read more of his works.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the historical aspect of this book. Amazing that Thoreau, Emerson, the Alcott family and Hawthorne all were in the same town at the same time! The mystery in the story really was not that great, but an enjoyable read. I am always a sucker for a posthumous piece.

[Jennifer Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this for "Kiss the Book" Blogspot.

Very uninteresting - it's intended as a teen novel, there's no way a teen would willing muddle through it..