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Zusatztext "Zesty and entertaining. The combination of school details, animal classmates, and homage to Raymond Chandler is glib but broadly and sustainedly humorous. . . . Young readers . . . will want to scuttle along with this schoolyard sleuth." -The Bulletin THE MYSTERY OF MR. NICE "Green-scaled gumshoe Chet Gecko hits his stride in this hard-boiled follow-up to The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse . . . Hale throws in wisecracks by the handful, terrible jokes . . . , and daffy clues. . . . Hold on to your fedoras: this gecko's going places."-Kirkus Reviews Informationen zum Autor BRUCE HALE is the author of Snoring Beauty, illustrated by Howard Fine, as well as the fifteen Chet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he lives in Santa Barbara, California. www.brucehale.com BRUCE HALE is the author of Snoring Beauty, illustrated by Howard Fine, as well as the fifteen Chet Gecko mysteries. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he lives in Santa Barbara, California. www.brucehale.com Klappentext Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee?stinkbug pie. So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy a pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry. . . . Leseprobe 1 The Case of the Long-Gone Lizard Some cases start rough, some cases start easy. This one started with a dame. (That’s what we private eyes call a girl.) It was a hot day in September. The kind of day when kindergartners wake up cranky from their naps. The kind of day when teachers pull their hair and dream of moving to Antarctica. In other words, a normal school day. I was watching a fly. He zigged and zagged over my desk. He flew barrel rolls and loop-de-loops. Near as I could tell, he was getting ready to sing "The Star Spangled Banner." So I shot out my tongue and zapped him. Bull’s-eye. Midmorning snack. "Nice shot, private eye." I looked up. She was cute and green and scaly. She looked like trouble and she smelled like . . . grasshoppers. Shirley Chameleon leaned on my desk. Her chartreuse scarf tickled my nose. "Hey, Chet," she said. "Hey, Shirley," I answered. "Haven’t seen you around for a while," she said. "Where’ve you been?" "Duh. Right here in class." I’ve always been fast with a comeback. "Listen, I need your help," she said. I checked out the classroom. Old Man Ratnose was busy grading papers. Tony Newt was scribbling rude designs on Walter Pigeon’s tail feathers while his brother stifled giggles. The other students were reading their books or quietly torturing each other. Kids. "Okay, Shirley," I said. "Let’s step into my office." We walked back behind the aquarium. "Sit," I said. She sat. She turned a deep brown, to match the chair. Chameleons do that. "Spill your guts," I said. She spilled. "It’s my little brother, Billy," said Shirley. I knew the kid. He had Day-Glo stripes and a bad attitude. He liked to light matches off his scales and put them out in his nostrils. Pretty tough for a first grader. "What’s up with Billy?" I asked Shirley. "Did he steal some kindergartner’s lunch money?" "No, it’s not that, it’s— oh, never mind." Shirley shook her head and stood up. One tearful eye looked at me while her other eye wa...
