The Last Chance Detective Series by Focus on the Family, Assorted Authors

Last Chance Detectives is a series following Mike and his adventures in Ambrosia, Arizona. When Mike turns twelve, he is given the keys to an old B17 plane. This plane was his father’s childhood playhouse and was left untouched. Since Mike’s military dad has been missing in action for the last 6 years, Mike looks through all of his father’s old possessions to better understand his father and perhaps find clues to his father’s current location. Mike befriends Spence, Ben, and Winnie. Though each friend is on their personal quest, they merge to solve mysteries presented before them. The group finds a hidden archaeological site Mike’s dad had written about in his journal. Through twists and turns, the gang is able to lead a drug bust and becomes known as the, “Last Chance Detectives.”

In the next book, Ben believes he has seen a UFO and two aliens. The detectives investigate and end up stumbling upon a team of thieves. In the third book, Mr. Varner believes to have seen Bigfoot and blames Bigfoot for stealing his gold. After tracking down fur from the crime scene, the detectives are led to an abandoned warehouse. In it, they solve the mystery of Bigfoot. Book 4 begins with Mike accidentally stumbling upon two bank robbers hauling their loot in a van. Mike hides in the van, only to be stowed away until the thieves realize he’s there. The thieves leave Mike and his dog for dead in the middle of a desert called Fire Lake. Mike must try to survive Fire Lake, while his friends and family in Ambrosia are piecing together the puzzle to find Mike.

Book 5 begins with a rocket ship explosion in the air, while a mysterious green vapor is giving people hallucinations on the outskirts of town. As the detectives put the pieces together, they find an embittered astronaut holding a space crew hostage at a military base. Mike and his friends face their deepest fears and escape the military base while having bazooka’s shot at them. The past and present combine in Book 6. The book details the background of the town sheriff. While the sheriff was in high school, he and his friend were vying for the same girl’s affections. Challenging his friend to a car race, the sheriff wins, while the friend accidentally plummets to his death over a cliff. In the present, a mysterious phantom car with a ghost driver appears and tries to push other cars off the road at that exact location. The story culminates with the detectives learning about vengeance and forgiveness.

The Last Chance Detectives stumble upon the preserved body of a Spanish conquistador in Book 7. After excavation, they find a treasure map in his hand. The detectives follow the clues to discover the Crown of the King, but they must evade a dangerous treasure hunter along the way.
*Note: This review details Books 1-7; review written in March 2025

Reading Level: Ages 10-12
Read Aloud Age: 12+

to embarrass him for his size. (Book 4 only)

The Last Chance Detectives is an edge-of-your-seat, heart-pumping, adventure series! I loved that it has many twists and turns, which surprises the reader. The series reads like an Indiana Jones mystery; for imaginative, action-seeking kids, it will be thoroughly engaging. I also loved that the theology throughout was Biblically faithful. Pop, Mike’s grandpa, is a devout Christian and reminds Mike to, “follow what is true and not depend on your feelings.” Later in the series, when Mike asks why God takes fathers away from families, Pop provides an answer about God’s holiness, goodness, and trustworthiness. Pop also gives a solid lesson on forgiveness, revenge, and justice in Book 6, and a great outline of Jesus being our substitute for the penalty of sin (penal substitutionary atonement) in Book 7. Though Pop remains steadfast in this faith, the series states Mike is a Christian, but he wrestles with God’s reality and goodness. In Book 5, Mike does “commit himself” to God, but I wish there was more of a working out of Mike’s personal faith in the series.

The biggest thing to consider before choosing this series is your child’s maturity level. In many cases, the topics and story elements may be more mature than your child’s age/reading level. I have tried to provide overviews for the storylines below under “thematic elements.” Please review Books 5+6 specifically, as their storylines read more advanced than the others. Throughout the series, Mike is held at gunpoint, running for his life, and has to escape gunfire. The writers do such an excellent job of making the reader feel a part of the story, that it may be scary to younger or sensitive readers. Lastly, some books have an emphasis on UFOs and ghosts. These are never communicated with and ghosts are “debunked” in the mysteries. It is worth noting that Pop explains why ghosts are impossible according to Scripture, but UFOs/aliens are not addressed.

Language:
Words: Stupid, Dumb, Jerk, Idiot, Beer-Bellied Man, Holy Cow, Hotshot, Doggone, Suicide Curve, Terrorist Organization, Serial Killer
Name Calling: “You’re Crazy!”, Stuck up Snob (in his head), Talks like a Know-it-All (in his head), School Kids, Chowderhead, Ninny, Stupid, Dork, Lame-o-Goob, Dweeb, Weirdo
From Bad Guys: Mikey-Wikey, “Shut up, Bobo Head!” Georgie Porgie, “Get in you idiots!” “Quiet you fool.”
Winnie & Ben Banter: “You overgrown sack of pork rinds,” “You don’t know when to keep your big mouth shut,” “Are you telling me that this is the best you could come up with? You continue to disappoint even my low expectations.” “You aren’t good for anything.” (not exhaustive)

Questionable Behaviors:
Attitudes
● Mike intends to run away from home at the beginning of Book 1
● Ben and Winnie get into increasing bickering and pranking as the series progresses. Winnie slaps Ben’s head in Book 2, and he sticks his tongue out at her. It gets progressively more sarcastic with eyerolls during their exchanges.
Violence
Some violence is noted under “Thematic Elements.” In addition:
● The bad guy hits Mike, pulling a pistol on the boys. He gets a semiautomatic rifle to poke and butt it into Mike. They fist fight and the bad guy tries to kidnap Ben. A revolver pointed at Ben. (Book 1)
● Josh steals a car; he has a revolver and robs a bank. They fire bullets in the air to scare the dog away from helping Mike. After Mike escapes, the thieves capture Mike again, and Mike uses the flares to explode on the thieves. (Book 4)
● In Book 5, Sheriff Smitty ingests hallucinogenic fog. He imagines he’s back in Vietnam, and Viet-cong soldiers are firing on his truck and throwing grenades at him. Later, Mike and friends escape the military base in a tank while undergoing heavy fire.
● JJ traps Smitty in an old fashioned saloon. While they talk, JJ makes a noose out of rope, intending to kill Smitty. He uses the noose to tip a lamp filled with kerosene, igniting the building to burn Smitty alive. JJ is locked in the saloon by Mike and stuck under a beam while the saloon burns. (Book 6)
Alcohol/Smoking
● Smoking: Long Clay Pipes (Navajo); villain smokes a cigarette (Book 1)
● Alcohol:
○ Book 1: Bad guy’s breath heavy with alcohol
○ Book 3: Silas Varner is the town drunk. He speaks harshly to the dog and muzzles it. Silas is in a drunken stupor actively drinking from the liquor bottle when the kids come. Smitty asks the high school boys if they have been drinking when they report a BigFoot sighting.
○ Book 7: “Galicia-Francisco Vázquez de Coronado! Ben looked a little confused, ‘You mean the guy who makes all that foreign beer?’”

Sexual Content:
● Arlene reads romance novels (Books 6 & 7)
● Ben admits he has a crush on Winnie. Winnie kisses Ben on the forehead. The team jokes that Winnie gave him mouth-to-mouth (Book 6)
● See “Thematic Elements” for love triangle details between young Smitty, Jimmy, and Donna (Book 6)
● A bully is harassing and trying to kiss young Donna (Book 6)
● When young Smitty takes Donna to the dance, he notices her romantically for the first time when she wears a dress (Book 6)
● Donna and Jimmy intimately hold hands (Book 6)

Other Things To Note:
Thematic Elements
● Mike’s dad is considered MIA. His crashed plane was found but his body was never found
● Mike and friends find Colombian drug smugglers hustling cocaine and are briefly taken captive, kidnapped, and have a violent gun encounter (Book 1)
● Mike and friends stumble onto a team of thieves and are captured. The thieves have a pistol and are trying to shoot the boys (Book 2)
● Mr. Plummer takes the butt of a shotgun and hits the sheriff’s skull; he asks the kids to lie and cover for him. The kids end up making a tranquilizer gun out of a pipe and tranquilize Mr. Plummer. Mr. Plummer chases Mike, and Mike is trapped. (Book 3)
● Mike is unknowingly taken by two bank robbers. When they discover him, they leave him to die in the desert. He gets bitten by a rattlesnake and falls off a cliff. The robbers come back to kill him. He uses flares thrown into a fire to either kill or disable them from attacking (Book 4)
● In the beginning of Book 5, an astronaut is flying over his hometown, with the town listening to the radio chatter. His wife and two young daughters are present. They hear a, “Mayday” and see their father’s space ship explode over the city. The report is that everyone was killed on board. The family grieves.
● In Book 5, Mike ingests a green vapor that makes you hallucinate your worst fear. He hallucinates his dad being injured in a plane crash, and Mike not rescuing him in time. His dad says, “Why didn’t you try harder? You can’t trust God because he took the Schaffer girl’s dad away.” Mike knew it was not his dad because his dad would never turn his back on God. Meanwhile, Spence is stuck in a tube being flooded with water. He is close to drowning and at the bottom of the tube, waiting on friends to rescue him. Additionally, Mike is kidnapped by an embittered NASA astronaut (he was struck in his pod by lightning) who says he will kill Mike, but mercifully kill him if Mike gives the green vapor.
● Book 6’s storyline begins in the past, when a high school student, Donna, is being harassed by the school bully. He has her up against a wall, teasing her while trying to kiss her. He is saying some nasty stuff, and no one helps her at first. She befriends her two rescuers, Smitty and Jimmy. Donna and Smitty dance at the school and have feelings for each other. After Smitty returns from deployment, Jimmy is now married to Donna with a baby on the way (Smitty doesn’t know this). Smitty challenges Jimmy to a car race, and Jimmy dies going over “Suicide Curve.” The son grows up, and seeks vengeance against Smitty. He pretends to be his father’s ghost, and runs multiple cars off the road. He hits Ben and almost kills Mike. Ultimately, he tries to kill Smitty and locks him in a room with kerosene and lights it ablaze. Mike is told Ben has died from sustained injuries.
● In Book 7, Milo Bellamy leaves Mike for dead in the king’s chamber and throws dynamite at his pursuers to kill them. He threatens to light the gasoline lake ablaze. Bellamy’s boat tumbles 200 ft. down in the canyon, and his body is not found. Some of the team wishes for Bellamy’s death.
Navajo Religious Views Shared
● Winnie is Navajo, and the team visits her family. They learn the Dine Origin Story of the world, which includes: medicine man, prayer sticks, rain-gods, long clay pipes. Due to her beliefs, she thinks certain areas are haunted by evil spirits. The Navajo shop in town sells dreamcatchers.
UFOs/Aliens
● Ben believes in aliens and is convinced there is life on Mars
● In Book 2, Ben sees two ghost-like skeletons with green glow. He thinks it’s a UFO
● In Book 5, a hippie woman sees an octo-alien and silver saucer in her garden
Ghosts
● Book 6 is laden with talk of ghosts because Arlene is first to see the “Phantom Car.” Inside, Arlene sees a ghost driving. After further investigation, the ghost face is of Jimmy, who died many years prior. This ghost face is being projected on a loop. The loop is: 1. ghostly face 2. clearly Jimmy’s ghost face 3. Jimmy’s ghost face catching fire and becoming charred and blackened 4. Jimmy’s skeletal face after the skin is burned away
● Pop biblically explains why there are no ghosts according to Scripture (Book 6)
Luck
● Luck is mentioned quite a bit throughout the series. Limited examples include: Winnie crosses fingers for good luck, Mike not caught due to luck, sheer blind luck/lucked out

This review is written by Good Book Mom contributor, Emily. To learn more about Emily, click HERE.

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