I love finding great books, and since finding great books for teens is even harder than finding great books for kids, I love that even more. That’s why I was excited for the opportunity to read Mount Hideaway Mysteries: Breaking and Entering by Vincent Christopher.
Breaking and Entering includes some really neat angles that will definitely appeal to the teens in my sphere when I pass this book along – which I’ll definitely be doing. The characters in the story are all homeschooled, and that educational path is presented in a very positive light – which isn’t always the case in other books. The kids are all Christians at different places in their faith journeys but encourage each other and pray together when the situation warrants it. They’re each shown as individuals who have been encouraged to examine their gifts and talents and use them to prepare for their future. Dating, while shown to be an important part of relationships, is also portrayed as something that doesn’t need to be hurried, expensive, or veneered, but that it’s okay to wait for someone who shares core values and to treat that person with respect.
I love all of these aspects of this book, and I’ll eagerly tell others about it because of these.
Breaking and Entering is also unique in that it’s a faith-filled story about a murderous plot, forensic science, and greedy intrigue. They don’t always pair well together, especially for kids, but I think the author does a great job of keeping faith at the forefront of the action and causing the reader to examine events through that lens.
The story is written from the perspective of several of the characters, though, and while this omniscient view helps the reader to dive deeper into the mind of each of those characters, it can get a little confusing at times. I enjoyed the characters and the plot more than enough to keep going, though, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened.
‘What happened’ was also a bit confusing, though, and I believe that was intentionally done. The book is billed as a series, although I can only find Breaking and Entering out there. It is also a movie with a sequel on the way, though both of those happen years after this book takes place. While the movie sounds interesting and I’d like to watch it, I’m much more interested in reading a sequel to this book. There were a few holes in the plot and a few herrings thrown out that I really want to follow into the future to see if I’m reading the clues properly. I think that there could be great potential for more faith-filled action, although the ending of this book did make that just a bit more difficult.
All in all, the ending of Breaking and Entering made me want to read a sequel, and since that doesn’t seem to be possible yet, I’m dissecting this one and going back through it mentally – and isn’t that the best kind of book? One that keeps you invested in the story long after you’ve turned the last page?
I received a free copy of this book from Front Gate Media. All opinions are my own.
