Review: Manhunt by Kate Messner

Some of the world's most famous art masterpieces have been stolen.  The notorious Serpentine Princes seem to be behind the art heists as a means for their leader Vincent Goosen to get his son released from prison. The secret Silver Jaguar Society is called into action to try and find the thieves and bring them to justice.  The first task is to head to Paris and try to prevent the Mona Lisa from being stolen. Once in Paris, Anna Henry and Jose are left in the care of Ursa and local  junior member Hem, while their parents rush off to protect the Mona Lisa.  When the junior members find out that their parents may have been caught by the Serpentine Princes, they may be the only ones who can find them and protect the Mona Lisa.   



Manhunt includes a diverse ensemble of characters with one being a descendant of an indentured servant, a Mexican artist and Paul Revere.  Then Messner places them in the setting of Paris giving all the historical details of the setting to enrich the story.  These details are woven into the plot, so sometimes it is the characters themselves that relay the information via a conversation or it's the tour guide at the Louvre.   With the children free to roam the city there is plenty of action, as well as a mysterious message to unravel, art and literary references and maps and drawings.  The Author's Note includes information and photographs from the author's research and visits to the locations mentioned in the book.