From the Publisher
"The author's trademark wit and talent for sustaining suspense make this fast-paced, noir mystery a fun choice for kids who enjoy a good whodunit."—School Library Journal
"Reading this second adventure is like playing a combination of Clue and a children's literature version of Trivial Pursuit."—The Horn Book
"Chock-full of linguistic play and literary allusions to children's and classic literature, this is adventure mystery for young readers who like to think as they read."—Kirkus
"Snicket introduces a sometimes charming, more often alarming cast of characters-all whom keep pages turning."—Booklist
The Boston Globe
"Demands to be read twice: once for the laughs and the second time for the clues."
Los Angeles Times
Praise for "Who Could That Be at This Hour?":
"A Pink Panther-esque page turner...exceptionally literary and entirely singular. Characterized by linguistic playfulness and an appreciation for the archaic, "Who Could That Be at This Hour?" is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious...illustrations by celebrated cartoonist Seth only add to the throwback gumshoe vibe of this outrageous, long-overdue, middle-grade follow-up series from a truly beloved narrator."
Booklist
"There's no stopping Snicket!"
NOVEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12- year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations. C.A. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2013-08-15
Questions answered, question posed (the wrong one again). Mysteries solved, mystery deepens…. Nearly 13-year-old Lemony Snicket chased the missing statue of the Bombinating Beast under the inept, ignorant and annoying supervision of his mentor S. Theodora Merkson ("Who Could That Be at This Hour?", 2012). That case didn't turn out too well. They now have a new case, and Theodora looks to be pursuing this as ineptly as she did before. The duo is searching for Miss Cleo Knight, daughter of the heirs of Ink Inc. Her unconcerned parents appear to have been drugged by their private apothecary, Dr. Flammarion, but housekeepers Zara and Zora are deeply worried. Cleo's a brilliant chemist, but shallow investigation points to her having run off to join the circus. Young Mr. Snicket knows most things are not as they seem at first, and while his mentor celebrates solving the case, he investigates further, with the help of associates from his last adventure, and discovers connections to their last case…and the case his sister Kit is working on. Snicket's second of four All the Wrong Questions is more sly noir for preteens. Chock-full of linguistic play and literary allusions to children's and classic literature, this is adventure mystery for young readers who like to think as they read. Little is answered definitively, but fans won't mind; they'll just be pleased there are two more young Snicket adventures to come. (Mystery. 8-14)
