The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma | The Mysterious Benedict Society #3

Even before she turned, Rhonda knew what she would see. Sure enough, there they were, having already crept out of the room and now standing in the hallway. Reynie and Sticky were grinning and waving; Constance, like a pint-sized pudgy princess, had raised her chin to demonstrate her smug superiority; and Kate was leaning in through the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, the other gripping a horseshoe magnet and a tangle of twine. With a wink and a half-apologetic smile, she pulled the door closed. The dead bolt turned with a click.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma, while being a mouthful of a title, is the third installment in The Mysterious Benedict Society series. It is also a finale of sorts, wrapping up all the conflicts.

I say “of sorts” because there’s a fourth book in the series, which reopens and then resolves the primary conflict of the main series.

Anyway, to the review.

Plot

Since their last run-in with Mr. Curtain, the Mysterious Benedict Society has been living in Mr. Benedict’s house, training and improving their skills. Meanwhile, Mr. Curtain’s spies are working harder than ever to retrieve the Whisperer. The threat of government agents taking it is looming larger by the day.

When an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown, the Society must unravel Mr. Curtain’s latest scheme. It brings them closer than ever to the edge of danger. Is this the end of the Mysterious Benedict Society?

I enjoyed The Prisoner’s Dilemma a bit more than The Perilous Journey but not quite as much as book one. At the midpoint, the tension rises to and stays at perhaps the highest of the series, with the Society and the entire world at stake.

And, like any good story, it wraps up everything satisfactorily with a perfect ending.

Characters

The characters of The Mysterious Benedict Society are some of the best I have ever read. They’re each unique, very memorable, and fun, and their team dynamic is just amazing.

I would say that this book has made Constance my favorite character of the series, for indeed she becomes more complex with every book, but it is impossible to pick a favorite character.

Mr. Benedict’s selfless love of the children, Reynie’s leadership and problem solving, Kate’s ingenuity, Sticky’s paranoia, Constance’s poems, Number Two’s nervous overbearing care—and that’s not to mention Milligan or Rhonda or Miss Perumal—each one is carefully crafted and beautifully developed. You truly feel like you know them as people by the end of the series.

Theme & Content Warnings

There is no central message to the story, though there are themes of family bonds, friendship, and other good things.

Overall

This is truly one of my favorite series. The prose is delightful to read, the plots are clever and—of all unexpected things—mysterious, and, most of all, the characters are exquisitely crafted. Each has their own distinct personality and meshes with the others so well.

While this is aimed to a younger audience, it is not dumbed-down. Readers of any age can enjoy it.

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Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the day!