The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

Series: The Swifts #1

Author: Beth Lincoln

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

In her family, Shenanigan Swift has always been synonymous with mischief. As Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude always says, “She can’t help her name.” When a family reunion suddenly turns into a murder mystery, Shenanigan is determined to catch the perpetrator. A celebration of words and individuality, this remarkable debut is both brilliantly contemporary and instantly classic.

shenanigan, noun
1. Tomfoolery, skulduggery, mischief of all varieties
2. A devious trick for an underhanded purpose

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred family dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, one it’s assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift doesn’t much like being told what to do.

Troublemaker and mischief enthusiast Shenanigan rattles around the grand old Swift house rehearsing Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude’s funeral with her older sisters Phenomena and Felicity, plotting future crimes, and wondering whether she is herself by choice or design. When the Family Reunion floods the house with people, Shenanigan is excited to meet her rogue’s gallery of relatives–until one of them gives Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs. Shenanigan had planned to spend the reunion hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s hidden treasure. But more murders and an awful lot of suspects–from newcomers Daisy and Atrocious to beloved Uncle Maelstrom–keep complicating Shenanigans plans.

With some help from her sisters and their newly befriended cousin Erf, can Shenanigan catch the killer? And in a world where definitions are so important, how will she define herself? – summary from Goodreads

A Dictionary of Scoundrels is an interesting middle grade mystery book!

This book is guided by words, which I really quite enjoyed. All of the characters get their name from a family dictionary and many people think that the name you are given indicates what type of person you are. I loved how all of this is explained. It was an entertaining and fun naming system, and it was a unique backbone of the story.

Our main character’s name was Shenanigan- which means this story was just fun. All of the characters were very interesting, and I loved following this dramatic family. It almost reminded me of the Willoughbys- though none of the kids wanted their parents dead, or maybe the first Knives Out movie. This family was dramatic and weird, and so, so much fun to read. I could read a whole book just about this family spending time together.

There was a nice sisterly relationship in this book, too. I wish there was little more of the sisters being together, but I did like their growth and their individual personalities. My absolute favorite characters were Felicity, Aunt Schadenfreude, Aunt Inheritance, Uncle Maelstrom, and Cook. They added such a depth to the story that I loved.

The setting was another part of the story that I loved! It was such a fascinating house, that one could get lost in for days!

One quick thing: I loved the different games this family played! I loved Scrabble to the death- I mean the ending wasn’t ideal, but until that point it was highly entertaining.

There was a lot of twisty turns in this book. There was also murder, though it wasn’t graphic. I enjoyed the mystery of this book and was pleased how it ended. It was genuinely shocking, as the big twist came out of nowhere!

Not only was there murder, but there was also a treasure hunt. The treasure hunt was overshadowed with the crimes that took place, but the treasure hunt was always there and guiding the story. I love a good treasure hunt, and I loved how this was woven into the story.

This book does have a lot of contention on Goodreads. There were some things mentioned that I didn’t agree with, but I don’t think it took up too much of the book.

A Dictionary of Scoundrels is a fun, twisty, captivating middle grade murder mystery, with a special focus on words, a wacky family, and a treasure hunt making this story unique!