by L.A. Tonkovich
"There was a town, and there was a girl, and there was a theft." That is how Lemony Snicket’s new book, Who Could That Be At This Hour? begins. Although it begins as something a kindergartener would write it soon gives way to a thrilling tale of surprises, (which our hero finds unsurprising), great anxiety, (which our hero does not feel) and action. Accompanied by two mysterious girls, Moxie Mallahan and Ellington Feint, and a hopeless chaperone, Lemony Snicket investigates a stolen item that was never stolen at all. It doesn’t have quite as much sarcasm as A Series of Unfortunate Events and more of the strange, random stuff. For instance, the story takes place In a town called, Stain’d by the Sea a town that, yes, you can guess it, is not by the sea. Although many houses, stores, and apartment houses few people live in Stain'd by the Sea,and the people who do live in the town are very odd. There’s a taxi that is driven by two boys, (one steers and the other controls the pedals) Pip and Squeak. There are the Officers Mitchum who are to weird to explain and their son Stew, who enjoys shooting birds with a slingshot, behind his parents' backs. In this book Lemony Snicket has a mysterious past involving a “unusual” education and a trusted associate and The Hemlock Tearoom and Stationary Shop. This is as a wonderful book as his other books and probably intertwines with his other books.
In this book Lemony Snicket asks all the wrong questions, and so will you when you’ve finished it.
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