Tobey's Reviews > Once Upon a Crime

While not really dropping in quality, I felt like the Sisters Grimm series lost a little steam in the fourth book. The mystery was a little more obvious, and the rhythms of the series are becoming a bit more repetitive. Sabrina is going to have an angsty personal problem (learning that her mother was all for fairy tale detecting, which isn't Sabrina's bag) that will be resolved, a mystery must be solved (a murder mystery this time, but the culprit is given away by the cover art), Mr. Canis will battle with his true self, and Daphne will have a new catchphrase ("Jerkazoid!"). I felt like the author, Buckley, tried to inject a little excitement into this volume with a change of scenery, but leaving Ferryport Landing for New York City actually cut all the tension that's been building in the little town.

But when a good series loses a little steam it's not alway the end of the world, and there are still plenty of great moments. I appreciated the respect that existed between Mr. Canis (the Big Bad Wolf) and Sheriff Hamstead (one of the Three Little Pigs), and I liked Mother Goose as a bartender in a bar run by the fairy mafia (fairy godfathers, get it?). And Scrooge as a psychic who can communicate with ghosts was a great idea. Oh, and Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins are now Wall Street pirates who battle Sinbad who captains a New York City ferry. Puck was out of commission for most of the book, and when he shows back up he's slightly more mature.

The dark tone is a bit lighter than in the last book, except for a couple of crazy moments. Remember that time when the primary suspect (SPOILER: who didn't actually do it) is straight up executed by being held in front of a freakin' cannon?

In summation, it's not the best of the series, but it is still a decent addition.