Enchantment Lake by Margi Preus

I'm not too sure what to make of this book. It's like a MG mystery in terms of quirkiness, but YA-ish when you consider how old the characters are and how they act. This confusion is basically me throughout the whole book - while I did enjoy it, I always had this "um...." feeling.

Something's fishy at Enchantment Lake, and there's nothing to do with actual fish. A panicked Frankie flies to her great aunts, who live at Enchanted Lake, after a phone call, only to find they're alive and well. They do, however, suspect that someone's been killing off the residents. So it's up to Frankie, who once played a cop on TV, to do some detective work, and hopefully stay alive.

If the story was restricted to the mystery, it would have been a fun and lighthearted read. Frankie's aunts are quirky and adorable, and the huge cast of characters are entertaining. The mystery was engaging too, and there was a constant parade of suspects as Frankie tries to figure out who's behind everything. I definitely did not see the twist that appeared.

But, the story tries to go a bit deeper and pulls in Frankie's past. Questions about her family history are raised, and this is where the novel falls a bit flat for me. It feels as though the book wants to be both light-hearted and serious, and the serious stuff did not work for me. I suppose this is where the not-MG feeling came from, because these start to deal with issues that I associate more with YA.

Personally, I much prefer the fluffy, lighter sections of the book. Sure, the body count is high, but it's possible to write a light read with a high body count. Instead, the book's attempt to also be serious and deal with deeper issues was what pulled me out of the story. Weird, huh.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.