A review by billcoffin
Goldie Vance Vol. 4, Volume 4 by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball

3.0

Set in south Florida in 1963, Goldie Vance is a smart, resourceful and tough teen detective who goes around solving the mysteries that occur in and around the Crossed Palms resort, where she works a sa valet and her dad works as manager. It's one part Nancy Drew and one part Lumberjanes, and at the heart of it is a great concept borne by occasionally strong writing. But there are issues with this that often break our spell, whether it's handwavy plot jumps to solve the mystery at hand or panels of really crude artwork that makes one wonder why the illustrators never learned how to draw cars. Being part of the Boom! family of books, there's a lot of socially progressive tonality here, which is awesome. But one keeps wondering, being set in 1963, when are we going to confront the awful norms of the day? Goldie Vance never does, and it makes one wonder how much it's serving its presumably young readers to set the story in a time that doesn't deserve to have its worst parts glossed over.