This really is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Clue- mystery and a kind of contest and lots of twists and turns. I don't want to give too much away since this is really a book that has lots of mysteries that are fun to discover. I mostly enjoyed the story but I didn't love it- partially because I had guessed most of the secrets early on in the book. Since I'm a bit older than the intended audience, I won't hold the predictability against the book, I'm sure young readers will be truly shocked by some of the surprises. I also wasn't crazy about the level of violence in this book, it was a little much, I thought, for a middle grade book. However, overall, this is a fun read and certainly a good mystery. The illustrations are great and sprinkled throughout the book. The characters are fun and mostly likable. I enjoyed the creepy country mansion setting.