The Big Dip

by Melanie Jackson

Joe and his friend Skip are enjoying the thrill of the Big Dip, a famous rollercoaster, until they learn the old man in front of them has been shot. The old man mutters with his dying breath something about getting a Margaret Rose to the police. Joe leaves the crime scene to get on with his life. But someone is desperate for the Margaret Rose and thinks Joe has it. When his sister is kidnapped, Joe is in a race against time to solve the puzzle.

Genres: Mystery

112 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Melanie Jackson wrote her first mystery story at age seven and hasn't stopped since. She isn't sure why she likes mysteries so much, except that maybe it's part of being curious about life and its possibilities. A former journalist, Melanie volunteers as a creative writing mentor for the Vancouver School Board. Born in Scotland, raised in Toronto, Melanie lives in East Vancouver, in the same Commercial Drive area as her singing sleuth Dinah, with her husband, daughter and cowardly cat.

Series:
* Dinah Galloway
* Ailie Mooney

Reviews

[Blake David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it about mysteries and those are the books I am into.
I recommend this book to people who like books about killers, murders, and mysteries.

[Ana Paula]

"The Big Dip" by Melanie Jackson, is an addictive book that only makes you want to read more and more. It´s a short book, but it has so much mystery and suspense. A boy named Joe goes to a roller coaster because he had just finished his exams. When Joe is waiting for his turn in the ride, an old man gets shot in front of everyone. When the old man is laying in the floor with the bullet punched it´s way through his body, the man tells Joe a treasure. The man told Joe to get a Margaret Rose, and that was worth hard cash. Who killed him? Why would they kill that innocent man? Joe experienced a hard journey, but she kept looking at all clues and he found the killer. You would never know, but the killer was NOT something that I expected at all. So far, this is the best book that I´ve read, it has so much tension and so much suspense; I one hundred percent recommend it.

[Meredith]

It's not what I expected to happen at the end, and all the things joe went through just to get his sister back, to find out it was someone close to him. It all came together at the end when his friend amy had told the police about it so that at the right time they could come and help out joe. I would read this book because it is a good mystery and will throw you off thinking its someone else.

[Lisa McManus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect read for middle grade readers. A mystery, a bit of adventure, suspense and a main character who has to make difficult choices at high stakes moments makes this read riveting. Engaging writing mixed with morsels of Vancouver BC history make this a riveting read. Highly recommend!

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

link to book in BCPL's catalog

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple little mystery that I quite enjoyed. Fast read.