Herculean Jones is asked to read a book to one of her mother's clients, Mr. Hunt. His home has a black tower that is sinister. She and her friend "Meat" witness strange things in the house. This is a spooky mystery that will keep upper elementary and lower aged middle schoolers on the edges of their seats. ( )

Herculeah Jones' private eye mother gets a job for Herculeah reading to one of her clients who has been paralyzed by a stroke. The client, Mr. Hunt, can answer yes or no questions by blinking his eyes. The book he's selected for Herculeah to read aloud is Terror in the Black Tower. Mr. Hunt's spooky house has a black tower. Is he trying to send Herculeah a message? What secret does the black tower hold?

This is exactly the sort of book I would have loved as a tween, and my adult self enjoyed it almost as much as my younger self would have. Herculeah is precocious, but not too precocious to be believable. Her sidekick, Meat (real name Albert), is a loyal friend who is more cautious than Herculeah. Meat struggles when he has to choose between staying out of danger and joining Herculeah in her adventures. While there is a hint of the supernatural in the book - Herculeah has premonitions that make her hair frizz - the solution of the mystery doesn't rely on a supernatural revelation.

This is a series that will appeal to young mystery lovers and to young at heart mystery readers. ( )