The Moon Tenders

The Moon Tenders by August Derleth (1958) This is by famous Wisconsin author, August Derleth, who wrote an astounding number of books, but I'm not going to go into his history—for one, that could be a separate biography book—plus, I don't know much, but it's worth looking up—a really interesting character. Also, this title is the first book of a series, I believe called the “Mill Creek Irregulars”—but you have no indication of that on this copy—it appears to be a standalone mystery, involving two high school age boys in “Sac Prairie” Wisconsin. Derleth lived in Prairie Du Sac/Sauk City, and I guess set this series of mysteries in the area, using actual places and geography—so if you lived around there, it would be fun to follow along—or even with a good map, you can find the places. I'm not sure of the time period, but it's much earlier than the publication date, so it has a real old-time feel to it, but it's also not dependent on time-period specifics, so it has a real “timeless” feeling to it. The writing in the book is very good, quite literary. It's a lot more detailed, well-written, and philosophical than most boys adventure books. They are dealing with some real family issues, and ethics. It's just a great adventure, too, about these two friends who build a raft, then take it down the Wisconsin River, a ways. You can actually follow their progress on a map. They go to a place called “Bogus Bluff,” which is a real place, on the river. The mystery gets going quite slowly, so there's a real build to it. They discover a cave, and some counterfeiters, eventually, but I don't want to give away the story. I think anyone I know who likes reading fiction should check this book out—it's really good! And the way it played out—very satisfying—it didn't feel sensational at all—it was actually believable. Also, I felt a real sense of danger, like this visceral feeling of worry for these two boys—I mean, I was sweating for them. The counterfeiters are really great, complex, well-drawn characters, too—I felt like I was watching an old movie, and a good one. This book is kind of hard to find, but worth looking for—and if anyone sees any of the other titles in the series (hard to find, a bit collectable, and expensive), please let me know—I want to read them all—preferably in order.