Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Think you’ve got what it takes to crack the code?”
A good, involving mystery is hard to find, but I’ve definitely found one in the form of The Invisible Hand! Even though it’s quite full on at times, it really is worth sticking with. Filled with wit, suspense and even a decent adventure, we follow the Pareto sisters on a pretty perilous journey doing what they do best – solving mysteries! Very happy to be sharing my review of the first book in what will be a trilogy by P.E. Klein!
About the book
In a neighborhood plagued by unseen terror, two sisters hold the key to outwitting a dark adversary before their lives unravel.
Ever heard of Fenton Pareto? He’s only the coolest private investigator around. But when the Bay Area turns into a nightmare of disappearing jewels, tormented pets, and mysteriously glitching cellphones, even he needs some backup. Enter Charlie and Clarke Pareto, his super-smart daughters, ready to take on the mystery that’s stumping their dad.
Think you’ve got what it takes to crack the code? Then strap in for a rollercoaster ride with the Pareto sisters, as they match wits with a remote enemy who’s controlling the chaos like a puppet master. And just when you think it couldn’t get crazier, the sisters get framed for a crime they didn’t commit!
But, how are the sisters supposed to clear their names while dodging booby traps, weaponized music, and dangerous QR codes? With a hefty dose of courage, a dash of stubbornness, and a custom-made secret weapon – their razor-sharp minds.
The beginning
I know a great writer when I see one and THIS is one author I’ll be keeping a close eye on! The opening to this book was filled with a type of language and tone that simply delighted my brain, and thankfully, this is what we were getting throughout the whole book. A mix of really intelligent humour with incredible vocabulary which just fitted the theme of the book perfectly. It was a style that felt so different, fresh and exciting. I loved it! We’re introduced to numerous interesting characters over the first few chapters, especially Fenton Pareto, a private investigator, and his two young daughters, Charlie and Clarke, who would soon take over their father’s latest case and put a whole different spin on things. For children so young, they certainly seem like they have significantly higher-than-average IQs and they don’t speak like your average 11 year old. However, this just added to the charm and uniqueness. I seemed to smile so often while reading, especially whenever something witty popped out of Charlie or Clarke’s mouth. Just such clever writing!
“I don’t completely understand you. But is it even important for us to fully understand one another?”
Each character we meet is so colourful, so full of personality. Every paragraph of description is so vivid that you can easily visualise each scene play out in your mind. The whole reading experience was excellent. The first case the Pareto girls take on is Laura Marcum’s missing jewellery, which certainly mixes up their caseload a bit after agreeing to look into a noisy dog keeping everyone in the vicinity awake. I loved how these young girls were trusted to do the work of a normal adult, how much confidence their father, Fenton, has in them to get the job done to a high standard. I’ll admit, I found some chapters hard to get my head around at first as there’s so much happening all of the time, but even if I had to reread parts some of the time to fully understand them and to follow the plot, doing so felt really rewarding. The opening to the book was really strong and I knew we’d be in for an eventful journey with these characters!
The middle
The mystery elements to the book were written really well, each scene keeping me curious and fascinated with what the girls discover, as well as keeping that humorous tone I loved. With each clue and each piece of information the girls gather, I felt so invested, like I was a third sister joining the Pareto’s on their mystery solving quest! The dialogue was great, each conversation they had made me think and analyse things which I loved. It’s a mystery book, this is what they should be like! I loved Emma’s involvement with the girls’ endeavours and how she keeps them on task whilst ensuring they’re looked after. I really liked her character and felt she brought a lot to the book, even complementing the Pareto girls’ characters. Learning Charlie is launching her own operation to get their mother and father back together after a divorce caught me off-guard and actually made me a tad emotional. The lengths she was going to in order to made this a success made my eyes water!
“Emma shook her head. Restraining influence? What a load of… You don’t know what’s best for your parents. We often don’t know what’s best for ourselves.“
There were a few instances where we’re given bonus content at the end of a chapter, but we are literally told this half way through reading said chapters which felt strange and took me out of the story a little. I tried to overlook this the best I could, but I did appreciate the extra content to enrich the story further. Despite the humour and mystery running all the way through, there’s actually danger and uncertainty which surprised me, but in the best possible way. I found myself worrying about characters, becoming concerned for their welfare, wanting to protect them in whatever they did. The author’s words just bring everything to life in an effortless way, each scene capturing and holding your attention, which must have been hard to do with the length of this book! The girl’s case regarding the barking dogs got more and more interesting as time went on and I loved digging deeper into the hows and whys, the suspects, the suspicion, all of it. All the research the sisters carried out impressed me no end. It makes me want to be a detective even more!
The end
I wasn’t sure Emma and the girls could get into any more sticky situations but after arrests, bloody injuries and brief kidnapping, I was proven wrong! Things became tense as we venture deeper into a web of mystery and secrets, but if I was honest, I felt in my element. There were some really strange and random moments scattered here, there and everywhere, and I felt like you could see a lot of the author’s personality in all this. I like weird. I like strange. And the further we got into the book and the closer we got to the ending, it really did escalate! Development of these characters throughout the book was great, but I especially loved Emma’s transition from being a newbie in her new role, to being an important and knowledgeable part of the Pareto’s investigations. By this point, we’d met a lot of characters, and maybe there were a few too many to keep track of for my liking, but it wasn’t a negative by any means. I guess they were all needed to an extent with how far and wide the Pareto investigations span!
“Your thoughts and actions should not be restricted to the single-minded and steadfast pursuit of your objectives but should dynamically consider how your moves could trigger a range of responses. Setbacks will invite frequent and sobering reassessments of your underlying strategy and vulnerabilities.”
There were so many fast-paced and unexpected scenes at the end of the book which really brought everything together; it had all been executed so well. The final few chapters were as tense and as action-packed as I hoped they’d be, but it did feel as though it was drawn out much longer than it could have been. However, saying that, I also understand that a lot of loose ends needed tying! Every (good) character did what they needed to do to find the answers they’d been searching for, the epilogue answering a lot of questions and giving us so much extra detail about the characters and what life held for them after solving the case. It was a really satisfying ending, especially since I spent so long getting to know these characters. After such an explosive first book, I can’t even imagine which direction the author will take in the next two books in this series, but I’m sure they’ll be just as mesmerising as this book has been!
Overall thoughts
The Invisible Hand is a thrilling, humorous and highly detailed mystery novel which follows the story of the Pareto Sisters on an unforgettable quest. There’s danger, quirky characters and surprises around every corner, but most importantly, it was a ton of fun, more so than I expected it to be! The vivid description and the sometimes completely bonkers scenes felt just what I wanted to read right now. The book is longer than I’d normally like and sometimes it can get overly complex and a bit confusing if your attention isn’t 100% on those pages, but definitely stick with it. It’s worth it! If you like a mystery you can really get your teeth into but need those fun elements to lighten the load, then this is definitely for you.
You can grab your own copy of The Invisible Hand over on Amazon right now. Check out my interview with author P.E. Klein here!
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