A review by kivt
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

2.0

Underwhelming mystery and too smug. The book has all the elements of what should be catnip for me: paranormal happenings, misfit smart kid protagonists, kids visiting museums to solve ancient(ish) mysteries by looking at art, and a familiar midwestern setting. It's almost really good! But the author is so fucking lecturey in the kids' inner monologues about art and the public's response to the main Art Mystery. The coincidences don’t add up to much—neither a satisfying answer nor a sense of awe or wonder. Just a list of stuff. Skip it. Too bad, this could have been fabulous.