Twelve year old Minerva Keen is bored. She can’t wait for her Detective Club to meet at school after class.when Minerva is in the class that has her favorite teacher teaching, she finds Ms. Claire Voyant is not acting normally. She never calls on Minerva for the answers to her questions. How did the mole on the back of her neck disappear? The Detective Club is having their first meeting in the library. A new student, Zoe Quick appears and tells them that she is joking their club. know-it-all Zoe starts telling them that she is nominating herself as president of the club and instead of solving mysteries, they will read mystery books. Minerva is mad as this was her club not Zoe’s. Worse still, Ms. Voyant, who has always had a soft spot for Minerva, takes Zoe's side. It's clear to Minerva that someone or something has taken over her favorite teacher. Add in terrifying nightmares, the return of Minerva's parents (who come home with more dangerous baggage than just their luggage), and some shocking developments-MK's Detective Club just might have more mysteries than they can solve. With nowhere to turn, the club walks right into danger...and the stakes just might be deadly. Will Minerva and her club be able to solve the mystery of Ms Voyant.? Minerva and Heck, her brother think their parents might be spying for the government, but is that true?

Te novel is a fast-paced, twisty caper made up of short chapters laced with frights, flights, misadventures, and, just for laughs. I loved the red herrings, the humor is quick, and the ending delivers closure. There are wonderfully quirky characters with slapstick buffoonery, and smart pacing propel this rambunctious detective story.

Minerva King is back at it with brother Heck, friend Santos and now new girl Zoe who invited herself to be a part of the MK Detectives Club. Minerva begin to suspect something is up when her favorite teacher, Ms. Clare Voyant, begins to favor Zoe over Minerva, something she knows would never ever happen, As the kids look for more mysteries to solve, they accidentally find themselves in the middle of several, including investigating if people in their community are being taken over by pod people.

I have not read the first book in this series, and still found this one to be a fun middle-grade mystery novel in the vein of James Ponti and Stuart Gibbs. Fun characters and fast-paced storyline with interspersed graphics keep the pages turning. Good addition to and upper elementary/middle school library.

With its mix of action, adventure, and middle school laughs, The Double Trouble Puzzle is a fun-filled book for kids. Even reluctant readers will enjoy following the characters as they set out to solve their latest case—and they might just want to go back and read the first book in the series, too.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read this book and the publisher for a chance to read this book. My sister is obsessed with anything James Patterson. I know its not his regular work but it was kid level version and very interesting. I would say this is perfect for kids who like that mystery Nancy Drew, Scooby Doo, kid mysteries that are also appealing to adults. I would think that if his work on kid level books is a 5 star for me then i can handle his other stuff. I cant wait to read more of this series and James Patterson's other work as well.

Wild and Wacky in a kid-friendly way! The young readers I work with will be seriously entertained by the second book in the Minerva Keen Detective Club series! Mystery, suspense, danger, competition and more!

“Sherlock who? MK’s on the case!”

If Nancy Drew had a TikTok, a toolkit, and a sassy squad with serious sleuthing skills, she’d probably want in on MK’s Detective Club. James Patterson delivers another pint-sized powerhouse in MK—smart, scrappy, and not afraid to chase down a mystery faster than you can say “missing lunch money.”

From suspicious neighbors to curious clues, this adventure is packed with laughs, clever twists, and friendship goals galore. It’s got heart, it’s got brains, and it’s got enough “aha!” moments to keep young readers flipping pages under the covers with a flashlight (and maybe a snack).

Perfect for middle grade readers who dream of solving the case before bedtime—and anyone who knows the real detective power lies in teamwork, courage, and just a pinch of rule-breaking.

** “We’re hunting a criminal. Sometimes you need to bend the rules until you can straighten things out.” **

James Patterson and Keir Graff once again join forces to bring us another tale about 12-year-old Minerva Keen and her Detective Club in “The Double Trouble Puzzle.”

When new girl Zoe Quick invites herself into the club, and attempts to take it over, Minerva is not pleased. And when her favorite teacher, Claire Voyant, doesn’t stick up for her, Minerva is even more unnerved. Ms. Voyant just doesn’t seem to be herself, right down to a missing mole.

So the club, also made up of her brother Heck and friend Santos, decide to figure out who their teacher really is, as well as look into the truth behind Minerva and Heck’s parents and their real jobs. No one seems to be who they claim to be.

Once again, Patterson and Graff develop a fun and twisty plot filled with not only mystery but humor. They create delightfully plucky and intriguing characters, as well as truly creepy ones. But they also include some good themes, like the power of friendship; finding courage, even when it is hard; doing what’s right; and fighting for the truth.

Fans of Patterson’s other “Treasure Hunters” series and other similar series will enjoy this book. Readers of all ages will truly love “The Double Trouble Puzzle,” which is due out April 7.

Five stars out of five.

jimmy patterson provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

What can I say, the author speaks for himself. All of Patterson's books are incredible!

I have not read one I would not give five stars or recommend.

He is fantastic.

Enjoy!

This was a cute middle grades mystery novel. It reminded me of Treasure Hunters in that there was an element of mystery surrounding the parents. I enjoyed the mystery elements and thought that the plot built well. It would keep the interest of middle grade readers.

This was a fun read that youth will enjoy. There was good character development and youth filled adventure throughout. This is a book which I would recommend to the middle school age group.

Minerva and Heck Keene live in Chicago while their parents, who claim to be university professors, travel the world giving presentations. They are minimally watched by their cousin, Bizzy. After watching the movie The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Minerva is obsessed by the idea that her teacher (and the sponsor of the detective club) has been replaced by someone else. She has some decent reasons to believe this, but approaches the mystery in a frantic way, mistaking a basement full of CPR dummies for dead bodies, etc. She's also dealing with brash newcomer Zoe Quick who claims to have already been admitted to the University of Chicago and is trying to take over the detective club. Minerva and her friend Silent Santos, aided by an amazingly responsive Detective Taylor, embark on some questionable tactics to prove that her teacher is not who she claims to be.

I really enjoyed Minerva Keene's Detective Club (I bought two copies), but this book was completely different. Instead of having a well plotted mystery that bordered on murder, it was just a series of anecdotes centered around Minerva's belief that her teacher, Claire Voyant, had been replaced by someone else, with forays into questioning her parents' jobs. I'm sure there will be another book addressing the parents situation, but I'm not entirely sure I will purchase this second book.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2023/05/minerva-keenes-detective-club.html

My nephew absolutely Jane’s Patterson books for younger readers and this book does not disappoint.

He loved it. Laughed while reading it.
And as his aunt I love Pattersons “ big people” books lol. It was pure joy to sit down and both of us read together!

My family and I are longtime fans of Keir Graff's middle grade books and of James Patterson's thrillers. We were thrilled to see two of our favorite authors join forces. The results do not disappoint. Graff's middle school characters are relatable and fun in all the best ways. They're witty and sensitive and adventurous. We cheer when they find another clue, and we groan when they make any number of bad (and relatable) tween decisions. The first Minerva Keen book was lightning-paced and tremendous fun. Double Trouble is just as fun but read more like a traditional mystery with plenty of clues and hijinx for middle school readers to sink their teeth into before the satisfying reveal. My son adores this series, and really loved the addition of the rival detective Zoe in this installment. We hope she's here to stay. This series is a dream for any middle school reader who wants to feel like they're part of a true detective club. We can't wait for the next MK, especially with the many seeds planted at the end of Double Trouble for another layered mystery in Minerva Keen's wacky world.

Enjoyed this book by James Patterson and Keir Graff. Enjoyed the characters, plot, and pacing. Will need to find and read the first book in this series. #MKsDetectiveClubTheDoubleTroublePuzzle #NetGalley

Note: I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
“Discover Nancy Drew for a new generation, packed with thrills, chills, and even laughs—from #1 bestselling mystery maven James Patterson.

Minerva Keen is the absolute best kid detective Chicago has ever seen, and she’s hungry for a new mystery to solve with her friends. But a know-it-all new girl, Zoe, tries to take control of MK’s detective club. Worse still, Ms. Claire Voyant, who has always had a soft spot for Minerva, takes Zoe's side. It’s clear to Minerva that someone…or something has taken over her favorite teacher.

Add in terrifying nightmares, the return of Minerva’s parents (who come home with more dangerous baggage than just their luggage), and some shocking developments—MK’s Detective Club just might have more mysteries than they can solve. With nowhere to turn, the club walks right into danger…and the stakes just might be deadly”.

The first book in the series was fun, but I found this book to be a very disappointing sequel. The book took some generic ideas and made a story out of them that still isn’t fun or interesting. The ending of the book was fun, but the beginning of this book just dragged on for ages. I'm not a big fan of the new character, Zoe, either. Also, I thought that Minerva constantly thinking that her teacher was actually someone else due to watching a scary movie was really annoying, and the reveal that this was true made me roll my eyes. I really wanted to like this book, but compared to the first, this felt generic and annoying, even if it became a fun read in the last 100 pages or so. Kids will love this book, but I can’t see anyone else reading this.
⭐⭐1/2