The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma (2009)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma is a 2009 children's novel written by Trenton Lee Stewart and illustrated by Diana Sudyka. For a decade it remained the third and final book in the Mysterious Benedict Society series; however, a new adventure followed in 2019.

Plot summary

In the third installment of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, Constance, and various loved ones find themselves holed up in Mr. Benedict's house, which is teeming with security. The evil Mr. Curtain is at large and hunting for the Whisperer—now in Mr. Benedict's possession—so he can control minds from afar. When a businessman named Mr. Pressius (one of the 'bullfrogs' on board the Shortcut in The Perilous Journey) appears with false records claiming that he is Constance's father, Mr. Benedict is compelled to use the Whisperer to uncover her short past. Distraught and confused after Sticky mistakenly reveals her birth certificates were destroyed (later discovered to be miraculously intact), Constance runs away, with the whole household after her—just the distraction Mr. Curtain and his men need to steal the Whisperer and set his evil plans into motion. Of course, the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society soon find themselves on his trail.

Soon, Reynie receives telepathic messages telling him a code number. He realizes it is a library code number, and Sticky tells them that that book's only copy is located in a library.

They find Constance and an apparent clue to where the Whisperer is, but it turns out to be a trap. They are captured by Mr. Curtain, and find themselves in a prison with a construction site. Kate makes several attempts to escape but does not prevail.

Finally, thanks to Constance, their various loved ones come to the rescue, particularly Milligan, who fights McCracken, leader of Mr. Curtain's team of "Ten Men". In a final confrontation, Mr Curtain attempts to brainwash Mr Benedict, who reveals he had inserted a self-destruct into the Whisperer, which had just come into effect. Having lost everything, and realizing that he is now bound for defeat, Mr. Curtain attempts suicide, but S.Q. prevents him out of love.

Mr. Curtain is arrested and sent to prison. Milligan retires, Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict, and the families settle in the first and second floor of Mr. Benedict's house. (Or in Sticky's case, across the street.) His narcolepsy is later cured by Constance, thanks to her unusual gifts. The book ends with Mr Benedict laughing unrestrainedly for the first time in his life.

Characters

Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon is a twelve-year-old living with his tutor and adopted mother, Miss Perumal, who is teaching him Tamil. Exceptionally bright, Reynie looks between the lines, observing and questioning, and gets past most obstacles by finding the "puzzle" within the situation. Reynie is an especially average-looking boy with average brown hair, average pale complexion, average clothes, and average height. He resides in the home of Mr. Benedict with his mother and friends Constance, Sticky, and Kate because the government has issued that the 4 children be placed in hiding because of threat of kidnapping and worse from the nefarious Ledroptha Curtain. He handles Constance better than Kate, and Sticky.

George "Sticky" Washington is also a twelve-year-old boy. He is characterized by his intelligence and ability to remember everything he reads—hence his nickname, for everything sticks in his mind. He strongly prefers this nickname to his given name, George Washington. Sticky ran away from his home after feeling that he is not wanted by his parents and lived near a river, but is now living in Mr. Benedict's home along with his parents. He has tea-colored skin and is bald because he used hair remover to disguise himself. Sticky also has a bad habit of polishing his spectacles whenever he gets nervous. Sticky also ran away, because his brain needed a rest from contests and his parents were forcing him to do work to get money. His family spent a fortune finding Sticky, leaving them very poor. His mother is wheel-chair bound and his father does not speak a lot.

Kate "The Great Kate Weather Machine" Wetherall is an energetic fourteen-year-old girl who became an orphan as a young child when her mother died and her father left her. She found out that Mr. Benedict's spy, Milligan, is her father, and lived with him on a farm until she and her father had to go into hiding. Kate finds any and all shortcuts in a conflict, and carries a red metal bucket which houses a great many things which she uses to overcome obstacles and evade capture. She owns a trained peregrine falcon named Madge (short for Her Majesty the Queen). Included in her bucket is a Swiss Army knife and a rope. She is very physically capable and almost fearless, often rushing into things without giving them a second thought. She has long, blond hair and light blue eyes.