Back into fun fluff territory, though it's trying for deeper. The mysterious orders are rather silly - a good way to get a lot of Mounties coming to ask what's going on, I'd think (which would have been a better way of informing them anyway...). Pat is a rather odd sideplot; I wonder what she thinks about the whole matter? 8 years old is old enough to have opinions, but she presents about as realistically as that doll. And the main plot is pretty weak, in terms of leaning on coincidence even more than usual - Thorne comes across clues way too easily, though he does think about that (lampshaded). Decent, for fluff; this one I might read again. ( )

Third of the Silver Chief series which I liked as a boy. ( )