I was busy with my senior year at high school so I wasn't able to read here goes the review.
Your SPAG is exceptional as expected, though I think you missed a word in the one of the first 5 chapters and had a factual error in the chapter where Iola gets out of the driving seat while Chet is driving.
That being said , you're a top-notch writer .I feel that your story is infinitely better than most of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories that I have read.
I suggest that you should write commercially.
Coming to the plot ,I liked the whole theme of Macbeth being used in the plot and how the murders were arranged.
I had deduced that Terry Shanth was involved by nearly the 10th chapter ,but the filling out of the details was amazing.

Awesome story! Love how you depicted the budding relationship between the boys and Callie and Iola. Most stories I've read they were already dating so this is nice to see. Also love the banter among the gang- the guys squeezing into Chet's jalopy poking fun at the car and talking about drawing straws to sit up front. Really enjoyed the brother/sister closeness between of the conversation between Joe and Nancy too. Usually Nancy is a romantic interest, most commonly Frank, but I can't wait to see how the 'sibling' relationship pan out in the following stories.

Again great job on this story and I can't wait until the next book is posted!

Wait, you're stopping THERE? Argh, LOL! And not updating until the middle of September? Oh dear.

Nice ending for now...

Mid-Sept huh-we have to for part 2-NOT THE FULL CONCLUSION-y'all as authors just LOVE to torture us poor lowly readers-oh, woe is me! As I have NO choice I will wait.

Aw. Thank you for the lovely sentiment at the end of your story. Well... the end of Part 1! Really, thebplesdure was all mine in reading this and your other stories. You are a fantastic writer and this series is excellent so far and I am sure will continue to be. I'm excited about the next story, even though I have to wait a month to read it- boo! ;)

This chapter was great. I know that everyone skips comments on the last chapter usually to comment on the story as a whole, but I do want to say that this was a great wrap up. Frank make me laugh with his comment about making out the best by getting out of school and still not getting shot- and Joe's advice to take one for the team had me smiling as well. You showed Joe perfectly in this role, and I'm so glad he was honest with Iola. It could have been a really awkward ending; instead, it's full of promise. The little touch of the white roses and the brief mention of the case was important.

Your note at the end about Olaf was interesting! I had no idea. I thought you made him an interesting character. For some odd reason, I could almost picture him the way I picture Chief Collig, except that Collig is more competent. I oddly enjoyed him, and the way you wrote him as a dubious protagonist was clever.

Thank you for sharing your talent. I'm thrilled to have read this. What talent it takes to write a mystery like this one. You need to keep the characters straight, keep the suspense with the Hardys (and Nancy), and then to be well read enough to allude to literature like Macbeth and Holmes- in depth. That takes a really nuanced understanding. I'm so excited for the next story. Congrats on this one.

Good chapter. Good side to Olaf!

What trouble will Terry cause before he's caught?

Olaf has redeemed himself, and glad that Joe is OK, BUT Terry should be in custody-what's the deal?

Well, Joe and Iola can compare bullet wounds, I guess.
Looks like Olaf was an okay officer after all. But it's too bad he didn't catch Terry Shanth.
My mind can't cope with all the characters, lol. I get confused too easily.

What a wonderful recap of this story! You really helped all of the puzzle pieces to come together. What a creative plot- loved it! I also love how there are other elements that are still not solved. Will Terry get away? What is Clarissa's role? Why did Fenton have a faraway look in his eyes and a fake smile when talking to Joe?

I was thinking- did the crooks' names start with M and D intentionally, like Malcolm and Donalbain (who, I imagine, would have made a mess of things as well!).

You realistically described Joe's injuries and his passing out and going into fogginess. I enjoyed the small details, like Aunt Gertrude being on the same page for 20 minutes and Joe's little quip about being the center of attention- that made me laugh. I also never disliked Olaf- he's just a grumpy guy- but he strikes me as a good man, unless I've totally misread him. I'm looking forward to the talk between Joe and Iola, and I can't wait at all for the next installment of this series.

You have done a wonderful job and set up the next story so well. Thanks for sharing your talent!

Wonderful, action-packed chapter! I have a feeling that a lot was revealed in the first part, which I have to re-read. Loved how you got in the "I need to talk to a lawyer" and you have me so curious with what Briwn was going to say. Who is more evil than Rodonna Shanth, and why was she so bad? Whomever it is is probably our Lady Macbeth! And see? I never hated Olaf! I hope I'm right there that he's not a bad guy. Let's pray that Joe didn't get shot.
Very suspenseful!

Ooh is it Joe is it Terry is it Olaf?

Ending there IS VERY UNKIND-please, update quickly!

Hmm, wonder what Fenton did to Terry [and my goodness but Bad Guys have long memories and hold grudges for decades!]? The two shots would be Terry and Olaf's guns. The question is, did Terry HIT Joe with his shot!