Sobol uses a number of the plots from his Encyclopedia Brown series. That kinda fells like a cheat. This book was originally written in 1967. So a number of solutions rely on a knowledge of fashion standards and gentlemanly ways that have fallen out of the norm for quite a long time. To have read this book in 2019 and not solved as many of these mysteries as I did isn't a slam at my knowledge or lack thereof.
Another aspect of Two-Minute Mysteries that seems outdated is the level of violence in some of these whodunits. There's quite a few victims that bought the farm due to gunshots, stabbings or assaults. There's also one or two puzzles which deal with heroin smuggling.
This book, as it's sister volumes and subsequent second, third and fourth printings have all been by Scholastic Press, a leading publisher of children's literature! I'm really surprised that these books haven't been meet with some sort of protest by parents, especially since I remember first reading these books at my elementary school library. I'm not saying that these books should be banned. I am just shocked that somebody hasn't tried to get these books removed from school shelves. (Don't you dare get any ideas, people!)
A nostalgic read but full of unfair solutions, many of which are outdated by about 25 years.
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
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