Publishers Weekly
In the paper-over-board Heir of Mystery: The Second Unlikely Exploit by Philip Ardagh, illus. by David Roberts, the McNally siblings hunt down the stolen brain of their dearly departed brother, who took a tumble in The Fall of Fergal. They must fend off a teddy-bear-wielding mad genius la Dr. Frankenstein who has plans for Fergal's noggin. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Young Fergal McNally died in The Fall of Fergal (Holt, 2004), and in this sequel, his preserved brain has been stolen and it's up to his siblings to get it back. Unfortunately, this is no easy task as it's being held by the terrifying Mr. Maggs in a dilapidated mansion located in the heart of Fishbone Forest, from which no one has ever emerged alive. Ardagh's meandering narrative, loaded with deadpan humor and macabre details, and the many events and characters will make this entry hard to follow without having read the first book. Excellent black-and-white illustrations add to the book's creepiness.-Heather Ulesoo, New York Public Library Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The second of Ardagh's Unlikely Exploits series takes the poor but unusually gifted McNally sibs into dreaded Fishbone Forest to reclaim the pilfered brain of their recently deceased youngest member, Fergal. Though they encounter several new characters-notably Mr. Maggs, a menacing, not-exactly-human brain surgeon cradling a teddy bear and scheming to resurrect Cary Grant, make all numbers even, and similar horrors-and do accomplish their goal (sort of), the plot tends to be elbowed aside by backtracking expeditions, authorial asides, and seemingly inexplicable occurrences. The oppressively rain-soaked setting, and Roberts's vignettes of misshapen figures with madly staring eyes, give the tale a Lemony taste (as in Snicket)-but it reads more like a set-up for future episodes than a self-contained story. (Fiction. 9-11)
