Review: It's Elementary

It's Elementary by Elise Bryant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fun and engaging mystery featuring some clever and endearing (if improbably bad at being sneaky) adults as they try to figure out the Mystery of the Missing Principal, collect some sweet reward money, flirt a little, and try not to drown in their busy lives. Oh and not get killed by anyone nefarious. Mavis is incredibly relatable, both her longing to have someone to rely on and her frustration as always being seen as someone dependable but unimportant. Her relationships with everyone around her felt deeply real: there’s her supportive (and occasionally combative) bestie Jasmine; her new snarky mom-friend, Corinne; her new romantic prospect, the dreamy and sweet Jack; her first-love and ex-husband, Corey; and her adorable roomie, her dad.

As for the mystery in this one, I suspected who was behind it all pretty much from the start, but I really enjoyed all the twists we took to get there. It was also great to see someone of the overbearing and gossipy white moms get their due, and to watch Mavis connect with other parents on a more human level. And like Mavis, I sympathize with the “villain’s” situation and reasoning. It’s can be hard to be angry at someone who is doing the wrong things for the right reasons.

I’ve read most of Elise Bryant’s YA fiction previously, and really enjoyed her foray into adult genre fiction - I really hope she keeps writing more mysteries, and that we see more of Mavis in the future! Hopefully, she’ll have kicked that annoying job to the curb and can start focusing on the things she really wants to do - once she figures that out.

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