The Case Of The Severed Alliance (Bad Machinery #10) by John Allison

I usually read a Bad Machinery book each Christmas, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it this past year. Book 10 is the very last book of the series, and I was not in the correct frame of mind to face the end of the stories featuring my favorite teen mystery solvers, not until last night when I was too sick to go spend time with my Arsenal family anyway. Missing their camaraderie, I needed some wit and suspense and good cheer, and found it in spades in The Case Of The Severed Alliance.

As anyone who’s been keeping up with the series knows, our two main characters (and cover stars here) Shauna and Charlotte had a massive falling out in Book 9. Honestly, I couldn’t face going into this book knowing that the former best friends were no longer on speaking terms, which was another reason I dragged my feet a bit. Plus, they’re all growing up! They’re fifteen and evolving into their adult forms! They’re not even my babies and I’m all verklempt!

Anyway, Charlotte (who is possibly my favorite fictional creation ever) is trying to find something to do to occupy her summer. Her mother is fixing up the house, making writing an impossibility, so a bored Charlotte decides to join the local newspaper in order to combine her love of writing with her gift for detecting. Her first task: to ferret out five stories. Interestingly, they all seem to lead to the topic of the on-going gentrification of Tackleford, who might be behind it and why.

Meanwhile, Shauna is encouraging her own boss at the antique store to fight higher rents by moving away from the rapidly gentrifying city center. Funded by their newest employee’s uncanny talent for sniffing out valuables, Shauna and Amy open up in a new locale… only to find themselves hired to seek out an allegedly lost treasure. As Shauna investigates, her path threatens to collide with Charlotte’s. Will the two girls be able to come together to solve what might be the biggest mystery their town has ever faced, or is their friendship over for good?

All I’m going to say is that I found the ending deeply satisfying and a great way to wrap up the series! I do have a digital version of Wicked Things that I’m going to read SoonTM, and the single issues of the Great British Bump-Off, AND the first two volumes of Steeple. I just miss these dear kids already, but am so, so glad I get to live in a world which has allowed me to revel in the on-going adventures of Lottie Grote. I’m not saying that the bangs I’m currently rocking are in homage to her, but I’m not NOT saying it either, lol.

Anyway, I have to go fix up my library and give all ten books of this series pride of place. Bad Machinery is easily the best young mystery-solvers (paranormal division) comics series ever written, and confident, kick-ass Charlotte will always be my #goals.

The Case Of The Severed Alliance (Bad Machinery #10) by John Allison was published January 26, 2021 by Oni Press and is so hard to find, I caved and got a secondhand copy from Amazon. But please do check back on Bookstore from time to time via my storefront!