Identical twins Dan and Paul Case set out for a three-day canoe trip on the Makatawa River and through the Mephisto Swamp as their high school graduation celebration, but they find double trouble instead. Author Rockwood's tight writing and non-stop action pacing rapidly lead the boys into the scene of their initial predicament. A group of currency counterfeiters has set up shop in an old sawmill that was built during the early 1900s to harvest cypress trees.

By Chapter Three, the mystery is fully in progress when the boys stop to take their first canoeing break at an old dock on the river. Dan, an artist who loves to sketch outdoors, is intrigued by an old road that leads to the sawmill. When he takes a stroll, he sees the printing press in action through a sawmill window by chance, launching this historical young adult thriller into fight-or-flight mode. Every action the twins take mires them deeper into danger, whether being held captive by desperate, armed criminals or when encountering natural perils like quicksand during an escape that leads right back to captivity.

The Case Twins Adventures are the juvenile equivalent of adult pulp fiction and are reminiscent of the classic Hardy Boys mystery series (1927-1979). This fourth installment of the series is a standalone tale (though it does briefly refer back to the boys' previous adventures and misadventures), so it appears that each book can be read in any order. Readers will immediately engage with the likable, smart twins and their ongoing banter steeped in sibling rivalry and brotherly loyalty. Though the book is written in a no-frills genre style, it doesn't lack picturesque descriptions or believable dialogue. Mature juvenile and young adult readers will look forward to exploring each new crime-busting episode of this series.

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