It’s hard to know where to start. I read this book, the first in the Echo Falls Mystery series, 3 years ago not long after it came out. I read and enjoyed the sequels, Behind the Curtain and Into the Dark, but it wasn’t until I reread Down the Rabbit Hole that I realized how great the first book is. I’ve already quoted my favorite passages, so you can see for yourself how witty the writing is, but I want to tell you, the plot is really well laid out also. The story follows Ingrid, budding actress, talented soccer-player, and devotee of Sherlock Holmes, in the aftermath of the murder of Echo Falls’ most eccentric resident, Cracked-Up Katie. There are lots of side stories (Why is Ingrid’s football-playing brother, Ty, suddenly so pumped up that he can beat their grandfather at arm wrestling? Will their grandfather stop at nothing to prevent the sale of the family farm? What’s up with the new dark version of Alice in Wonderland that the director who’s replacing the recently-run-over-by-a-piano director, Jill, is making The Prescott Players perform? Can Alice really be menacing?) but they don’t detract from the unfolding of the central mystery. As smart as Ingrid is, she has to make some not-so-smart choices sometimes, but those are believable too.
