The single flick of a switch can change everything and cause darkness all over. Panic erupts from citizens, and now it is up to the Mysterious Benedict Society once more to keep evil at bay. This book review will explain in full detail why this book is worth spending your time on. It’s titled The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemna.

The book begins with Reynie, Sticky, Katie, and Constance completing different exercises to keep their brain in shape and enhance it further. The Whisperer, a device that Mr. Curtain used to control minds, is safe in Mr. Benedict’s house, where the whole crew lives. All seems to be peaceful, until a blackout arrives, leaving everyone in dark, disoriented confusion. Luckily, the power gets turned back on, with not much harm done. Nevertheless, another odd event comes up when a mysterious man shows up with remarkable claims about being Constance’s father. Hence, Constance being puzzled and inquisitive as the child she is, she convinced Mr. Benedict, her dad who adopted her, to use the Whisperer on her to gain memories of her early childhood and parents. She is emotionally distraught by the memories and sprints away from home to find important papers that were in the memories.

Reynie, Sticky, and Katie decide to try and find their friend. They go through many obstacles and solve riddles, deciphering codes along the way. Soon, they eventually find Constance, but Mr. Curtain captures them. Milligan and their other older friends come to the rescue to save them. It gets extremely risky while Milligan is fighting one of the “Ten Men” on the roof. Meanwhile, the children are trying to escape while attempting to fend off people like Dr. Curtain. Will they be able to succeed and win? Or will they fail to save Stonetown and allow Dr. Curtain to possess the Whisperer again? Read the book to find out!

I would rate this book 4.2 stars. While it was action-packed, I feel like there is a little character development, but not much. The team of 4 doesn’t really play a big part in the fighting, and Milligan and the other adults usually do that stuff for them. However, the plot had many twists and surprises and will keep readers on their toes. I recommend this book to readers who are in middle school and love the genre, mystery, and riddles. Who knows when this book will run out of stock? So go purchase it and indulge into this wonderful tale.