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Louisa May Alcott is in Boston for the Christmas of 1855. There she is taking in sewing by day and is writing by night. She hopes to make enough money to buy nice gifts for her family, as she is unable to spend the holiday with them. Louisa is tempted by her muse to consult Mrs Agatha D Percy. More to the point her close friend Sylvia Shattuck wants to consult Mrs Percy and Louisa agrees to come along for story ideas. The idea of a crystal gazer has created an idea that she hopes will expand into a profitable story. Their seance does not quite go as planned, with messages that could not have come from the dead or could apply to just about any situation. Louisa remains skeptical but Sylvia is now a believer. But before their return visit, Mrs Percy is murdered. Louisa does not believe the police are looking for the correct suspect but they are unwilling to listen to her hypothesis. Therefore she decides to investigate on her own. Unfortunately, she is unable to find many clues at the murder scene. Also several important persons are concerned about the investigation as they have stakes in the matter. One of these characters is Mr PT Barnum. Louisa must use the resources provided by these people in order to stop the killer and clear the name of an innocent person. In LOUISA AND THE CRYSTAL GAZER, the third book in this series, Louisa continues to grow as a character. While her family remains incredibly important to her, especially as it is Christmas time, she values her friends and her own self-worth. She has the ability to understand her own flaws and works to overcome them. In addition, she is starting to see that her safe secure world is not always going to be so secure as her family slowly spreads out and her sisters begin to think of marriage. This self-growth and self-awareness help keep the book from becoming simply another historical cozy. This book is pretty typical of the rest of the series. There is a slight contradiction between the peacefulness of Louisa's own life and the morals of her family and the criminal investigations she finds herself involved in. Louisa is frightened by violence but feels the need to provide justice to the innocent victims. By relying on her own personal strengths and those of family and friends, Louisa has the ability to find the criminal regardless of the circumstances.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, May 2006
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