The Name of this Book is Secret

I recently read a young adult mystery titled The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch.

My first instinct is to tell you that this was a fabulous book and then suggest that you read it if you enjoy mysteries. It was a highly entertaining book, and I do recommend it. However, I do have to warn you that this book has a rather complicated plot. Let me tell you a bit about it so that you can see what I mean (fyi- the rest of this post may contain spoilers):

Two middle-schoolers, Cass and Max-Ernest, discover a secret code hidden in a box of smells. (The box of smells is literally a box full of liquids that smell like different things.) They discover that an old man had developed a secret code by combining those smells in certain combinations. They follow this code, and a mysterious journal left in the old man's house, and discover that there is apparently a whole group of people in the world who have synesthesia, which means that their senses are mixed up (i.e. they see smells). Apparently, these people have been trying for centuries to discover a formula for immortality, something that will cause them to stay young forever.

The scientists who have been trying to discover this formula are so close. All they need is that box of smells ("The Symphony of Smells"). The only problem is that Cass and Max-Ernest have hidden that box away and they are determined to stop these wicked scientists from having their way.

Thus, Cass and Max-Ernest launch a big investigation into these ancient scientists and end up in more danger than they could imagine.

The whole story is told by a third-person narrator who frequently steps out of his role as storyteller. The narrator, in fact, spends the first few pages of the book warning people away from it. This book is too dangerous, he says. Once you know the secrets it contains, the "bad guys" might come after you as well... which, of course, only made me want to read it more. There are several more interruptions in the story line in which the narrator gives similar warnings, which I think is a good way to keep the reader interested, in this instance.

Anyway, I have now droned on about this book for a while. I repeat that this is an excellent mystery for young readers, but be forewarned about it's complicated plot.