FMAM MOSTLY MYSTERY REVIEWS
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THE FMAM MOSTLY MYSTERY REVIEW is the place to come
to find out what to read next. Want to know what readers are saying
(as opposed to critics) about the books you see around you? You’ve
come to the right place! And, if you appreciate a critical review
we’ll have those, too. Come in, sit down and see what’s
write with the world! (Or, right in the world of write!) New reviews this month from: . Dr. Cynthia Clark . Harriet Klausner . Christine I. Speakman . Cerri Ellis . Mystery Dawg . Rebecca Swets |
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November 2007
Bunny Hop
Janice Bennett
Electronic book Publication: July 2007
Cost $6.49
ISBN 9781419910494
Publisher’s website www.cerridwenpress.com
Janice Bennett has done it again. Another superb tale with one of my favourite characters – Annike McKinley is back and she’s funnier than ever.
Annike has started her new career as a professional event coordinator and you know that means more dead bodies. But, a body hanging from a yardarm, are you serious? Yes, a yardarm. Where else would a murderer hide a body at the Land’s End Yacht Club, after all the clubhouse looks like a Spanish galleon…it’s even referred to as the Galleon. And the folks involved this time are more secretive, more devious, and more argumentative than dear Aunt Gerda and her friends.
And don’t worry about any crazy turkeys in this story; Annike is tiptoeing through giant patrol bunnies.
“Bunny Hop” will have you laughing out loud as you follow clues to a surprising and satisfying end, cheering Annike all the way. Surely this Easter fete will never be forgotten.
What’s next Ms. Bennett? There is a next…please.
Candy Cane Murder
Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier
Kensington Publishing, October 2007, 390 pages, $16.00
ISBN: 13:978-7582-2198-8
CANDY CANE MURDER is a collection of three novellas tied together by their Christmas theme and candy canes.
In the first novella by Joanne Fluke, which shares the title of the collection, CANDY CANE MURDERS, we once again see Ms. Fluke’s Hannah Swensen fall headlong into a murder. Hannah is a master cookie maker who seems to find murder as easy as she bakes delicious cookies. In this story Hannah is playing elf to department store mogul Wayne Bergstrom’s Santa Claus for the county children’s home. Wayne is hoarse and through barely speaking says he has a sore throat, but the show must go on. Hannah tells the kids that Santa is hoarse with all the Ho Ho Hoing that he has been doing, and that they need to be kind. The kids are fine. Hannah, the elf speaks for Santa as he hands out the gifts and candy canes. Hannah hopes for the left over candy canes to try a new cookie recipe she has in mind but when the event is over, he tells her to put all the candy canes in his pocket. Hannah is quite disappointed. She stays only a little while at the party leaving with her sisters, Andrea and Michelle. As they walk through the parking lot in the snow, Hannah notices candy canes on the ground. Her candy canes. They walk a little further, more candy canes and then more candy canes. Hannah is getting irritated. These should be her candy canes on the ground. There is also a snow drift in front of her. She tells her sisters to wait for her as she climbs it to see if there were more candy canes. There weren't, but Wayne is lying there, very dead. She yells for her sisters to call the police and yet again she is catapulted into murder.
Two men vie for Hannah’s attention, Mike, one of the local police men and Norman takes photos for the newspaper. Mike investigates the murder officially while Norman helps Hannah unofficially investigate.
Wayne Bergstom was generous to the kids, but cheap in other ways, like with the candy canes. But who killed him? Cyril had a falling out with Wayne over a limo deal gone bad. Wayne ’s ex wife is in town. Wayne ’s current wife doesn't seem too sad. Cory, Wayne ’s brother in law can’t be ruled out either. But who did it? For that you will need to read the book. You wont be disappointed.
Hannah in between baking cookies, catering her mother's special awards event, and investigating the murder, tries to find time to Christmas shop as well. But of course all goes awry.
CANDY CANE MURDER is a delightful Christmas cozy interspersed with recipes from Quiche Lorraine (served at Hannah’s mother's luncheon), to Regency Seed Cakes to Peppermint Martinis to Christmas Date Cookies to Candy Cane Bar Cookies and more. Joanne Fluke has created the not your normal heroine in Hannah as she is overweight. She is single, smart, and a great cook. Norman is madly in love with her, and we see Mike’s caring for her, but we are not sure how deep that care is. Her family is charmingly quirky, with a mother who secretly writes romances to a sister who can't cook (Andrea), to another sister who is staying with Hannah. All in all, CANDY CANE MURDER is an easy, fun read. A great choice for Christmas mayhem and cookies.
The second novella in the series is THE DANGERS OF CANDY CANES by Laura Levine. Jaine Austen a freelance writer doubles as a PI. Seymour, a client she was written jingles for has called her for help. He is a roofer and one of his clients is now dead. The client, Garth had climbed up on his roof to hang Christmas decorations and fell when a shingle from the newly done roof had come loose. Now Seymour is being charged n the man’s death. Jaine checks out Garth’s home to discover a street decorated to the hilt. She calls the street Hysteria Lane . As Jaine begins to investigate she sees the mailman. He tells her that Garth had many enemies; after all he was a lawyer. The mailman leads her to Mr. Cox. Garth and Cox had fought over Christmas decorations. The battle extended to Garth rolling over the Cox’s dog.
Next Jaine questions Cathy Janken, Garth’s widow. But something tells her that Cathy won’t respond to a PI so Jaine tells her she is an insurance investigator.
Jaine decides to something altruistic this Christmas and signs up for Girlfriends. She undergoes the checking out process meeting Tyler Girard who makes her heart flutter. She has to remind herself that she is volunteering to be a girlfriend. She passes muster and is assigned a girl, Angel. But Angel is no angel, and their “date” is hell. It barely lasts ninety minutes. But as Angel is going inside she struggles to breathe telling Jaine that she has asthma. Jaine feels guilty and buys an $80 pair of jeans only to discover Angel doesn’t have asthma and is using Girlfriends to find a wife for her dad.
Continuing with her investigation, Jaine tells another neighbor, Libby Brecker that she is an insurance investigator – something that comes back to hurt her, Libby had won the annual Christmas decorations prior to Garth’s sudden wins. Definite motive. Cox has motive. His own law partner had motive. So who killed Garth? Read the DANGERS OF CANDY CANES a witty, funny rump through a Los Angeles Christmas. Laura Levine has created a clever, female ROCKFORD (of ROCKFORD FILES) like character that is just plain fun to read. A great escape from the dull, sad tales of everyday life.
The third and final novella is CANDY CANES OF CHRISTMAS PAST by Leslie Meier. Lucy Stone and her husband are preparing for their grandson’s first Christmas and as they are they remember a Christmas of years gone by, 1983. Lucy and Bill have moved to a new town and bought a fixer upper. Their son Toby is two. The house wasn’t the piece of cake they had hoped. As if painting, caulking, wallpapering, basic wiring isn’t enough, the stove goes out. And Lucy wants to make Christmas cookies. She and Toby go into town to find the nearest Sears to order a repairman. They wind up at the library and talk to the librarian, Miss Tilley. Lucy finds out that no one can fix her stove for three weeks, nor can she have a new one delivered for three weeks. Miss Tilley offers her the use of her stove her cookie baking. There at Miss Tilley’s house, as Lucy bakes, Miss Tilley talks about her family, a very rich family. Later at a yard sale, Lucy finds a large glass candy cane for one dollar and thinks that it will make a nice cheap, thank you gift for Miss Tilley. When Lucy gives her the rather large glass candy cane, Miss Tilley breaks down and tells of her mother’s death; down a flight of stairs with a broken candy cane beside her, just like the one Lucy gave her. It makes Lucy sad, to see how depressed Miss Tilley is, not really knowing what happened to her mother. Lucy suggests that they investigate the thirty plus year old death to see was it an accident or was it murder. If it was murder, was it her husband, the philandering demanding man, the maid, the nurse, or someone else? You’ll have to read CANDY CANES OF CHRISTMAS PAST to find out, I won’t spill the candy canes. Although, this is the weakest of the three novellas it is still a quaint cozy and a worthwhile read. It lacks the dynamic zing the first two have, but in its’ own quiet way it is enjoyable.
On a whole CANDY CANE MURDER is a fun, escape to Christmas candy cane crime with fun heroines.
On a scale of 5, I give this book a 4.5.
Cut to the Bone
Shane Gericke
Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN 0-7860-1814-3
Mass-Market Paperback
399 pages
$6.95
June 2007
CUT TO THE BONE is the second book in this wonderful thriller suspense series centered in Naperville, Illinois. He enjoyed well deserved success with his first thriller BLOWN AWAY
Emily Thompson, the hero of the last book, and her lover, detective commander Martin Benedetti, return as they try to keep their relationship intact while investigating a terrifying psychopath known to us as The Executioner. In addition to their investigation, Benedetti is asked by his boss to secure the plan for crowd control over a controversial death penalty execution that is to occur at the end of the week. Thompson and Benedetti battle their own inner demons on each side of the execution and their relationship hangs in the balance.
Gericke has an easy to read style that draws the reader into the story quickly. The action based dialogue seems better suited to a movie script, but works well with his particular style. Throughout the book there are flashback scenes which help to fill in the details of the story and provide background for the reader to form their own opinions on capital punishment. He has the skill of putting you in the electric chair and making your own hair stand on end.
In regards to the cast of character, Emily and Martin are well drawn and readers will gravitate to them. The rest of the ensemble cast helps to shown that the men and women in blue are a family and care for each other. The clever plot twists and red herrings that are offered up help quicken the pacing of the book and add tension to the storyline.
CUT TO THE BONE is face paced and well plotted novel. Gericke has not only written a full octane thriller that is guaranteed to keep you glued to your seat but has also presented for your consideration a balanced look at the death penalty. The way that the discussion is humanized enhances the feel of the book; there is no one opinion favored in the reading. This is one of the required reads of the summer.
Aldo T. Calcagno
Mystery Dawg
http://acalcagno.blogspot.com
Deadly Laws
Jim Michael Hansen
Dark Sky Publishing, Inc.
ISBN 9780976924333
Original Trade Paperback
423 pages
$13.95
October 15, 2007
DEADLY LAWS is the fourth book in the LAWS series by Jim Michael Hansen. Hansen continues to expand the high tension drama that is the life of Bryson Coventry, a Denver homicide detective.
While investigating the death of a drifter, Bryson Coventry has only a single clue to go on. Kayla Beck, a third year law student who is overloaded with her studies, Law Review and life in general becomes the pawn in a wicked game of life and death. They share the same goal to find out who is behind the savage serial murder of young women. An out of the blue phone call to Kayla challenges her to her moral core; “do as I say and you can save the life of an unknown women or else she dies.” Her decision unleashes a chain reaction that keeps the reader glued to 400+ pages of electrifying tension. How Coventry and his colleagues put all the pieces of the puzzle together will keep you guessing and the masterful twist at the end is stunning.
Coventry is still battling his demons; he drinks way too much coffee, falls too easily into bed with so many beautiful women and tries to squeeze in time for his passion to paint. Hansen’s characterizations are what draw you into the core of each of his books. Coventry faces his own moral deliminas – the professional cop, who has a strong drive for justice, but just as easily can fall in bed with a beautiful suspect involved in the his investigation. Can he control is libido and still be objective in solving the crime?
There is more to the series than just Coventry. Hansen carefully surrounds his protagonist with a strong cast of characters who support Coventry and lovingly give him a hard time about his carefree lifestyle. Even Denver is a character in the books providing a contextual and atmospheric backdrop for these horrific crimes. If the good guys are this complicated, Hansen is among the best at getting into the heads of the vicious killers; men of no moral fabric who as easily smile at you or kill you depending on their disposition.
DEADLY LAWS is face paced and well plotted novel. Hansen has once again demonstrated that he a gifted wordsmith and he able to balance the thriller, crime, romance and violence aspects of writing and develop them into a well written novel. In each of the novels of this series Hansen is able to draw the reader in quickly and hold them captive until the satisfying ending is at hand. For the uninitiated, this is a caffeinated, high tension tour de force."
Aldo T. Calcagno
Mystery Dawg
http://acalcagno.blogspot.com
Don’t Close Your Eyes
Mary Eason
Electronic book Publication: August 2007
Cost $5.95
ISBN: ISBN 9781419910340
Publisher’s website www.cerridwenpress.com
Romance/Paranormal/Suspense
Megan has the gift. The gift of insight, second sight, psychic, whatever it’s called she doesn’t like it. Now her six year-old daughter is showing signs of this same gift. And Emmie’s father, FBI Agent Jack Montgomery, is about to find out he is a father.
But worse of all, the Angel of Death is back.
I’m at a crossroads with “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” There is something within this short (159 eBook pages) story that could/should be very good and thrilling. However, it’s just not grabbing me. It feels rushed, like something vital is missing.
I like the paranormal aspect. I easily fall into believing the Angel of Death is mentally taunting Megan. Having this insight into a killer’s mind, a killer who supposedly died six years ago, is one of my favourite reading themes. Even having Emmie ‘feel’ the essence of the bad man and mommy’s danger is an enhancement.
Okay, I did figure out who the Angel of Death was…assumed who it was, s/he was the only one who made sense. So, thank you Ms. Eason for not setting the story up only to fall back on someone from left field who we, the reader, had no way of finding.
I didn’t mix with Jack Montgomery. I read him as too weak to be head of CASMIRC – Child Abduction and Serial Murder Investigative Resource Center. I actually wished for a different ending to this story.
I’m just not sure about “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”
Fatal Laws
Jim Michael Hansen
Dark Sky Publishing, Inc., 2007, 400 pages $13.95
ISBN: 13-978-0-9769243-6-4
Bryson Coventry is a cop who is slightly irreverent and pushes the button. Investigating a murder, he meets Tianca Holland, a beautiful bi-sexual ex lover of the victim. Tianca comes on string to Bryson, answering the door in just a flimsy silk shirt. She comes on to Bryson who is having difficulty not having sex with her. Across town, newly sworn in attorney, Haley is getting ready for her new job. When she arrives, she seeks out Renee Rand, who had been her mentor when she had clerked for the law firm years earlier. But Renee wasn’t seated at her desk, a young Asian lady was. And that’s where she learned that her mentor and had been missing now about five months.
Christina now sits at Renee’s desk.
Jack Degan began scouting his next prey, Mia, a tattoo artist in Pueblo .
Haley’s new law firm consists of approximately 123 attorneys and at least one other city. Austin Gray is the big man, the senior partner and to Haley’s surprise, he invites her to lunch. She asks him about Renee, but he tells her it is the hands of the police. This just isn’t good enough for Haley and she proceeds to investigate on her own.
In the meantime, another body is found, close to the first body. This gets Haley thinking about body dumps, so she goes to the site, in a rain storm, to discover indeed a third body. Well, not exactly a body, but the head of her mentor and friend Renee. Haley makes an anonymous phone call to the police.
In the meantime, Degan gets in a bar fight with a biker, falls in love with a hooker and captures his prey, Mia. Degan is taking orders from someone, who tells him who to take and then to clean up the mess.
FATAL LAWS is a book with multiple main characters whose lives intersect in deceit, sexual manipulations, and murder. Why was Renee murdered? Who murdered Renee? Who murdered the others? Who is the “Big Boss”? You’ll have to read FATAL LAWS for the answers, but what I will tell you is that, FATAL LAWS is a fast, easy read through maze of characters that connect in odd and interesting ways. At first, I thought there might be too many main characters, but no, not at all. Jim Michael Hansen, has written in a way that it is clear which character is working, what is going on and how it all fits with the rest of the package. Very well done. Very enjoyable. It is a graphic thriller and not a cozy. I read it in one sitting, enjoying it immensely; however, I was a tad bit disappointed in the ending. Just my preference.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 4.5.
Grave Apparel
Ellen Byerrum
Signet Books, 304 pages, $6.99
ISBN: 978-0451221780
Lacey Smithsonian is the fashion reporter for the EYE STREET OBSERVER. Not only has she a witty charming way of writing about fashion, she has a way with murder. It seems that Lacey has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the latest Lacey escapade, Christmas is nearing, and a vile reporter, Cassandra Wentworth writes a scathing editorial on Christmas sweaters. The very same Christmas sweaters that food editor Felicity Pickles wore, fueling their already existing rivalry. Lacey steps in and writes a cute piece on sweaters, and the issue is labeled sweatergate.
As Lacey prepares to go the paper’s annual Christmas party, Lacey receives a call form Cassandra’s cell. But it’s not Cassandra, rather it’s a child's voice begging her to come to the alley, for her friend has been hurt and may die. Her friend? Hardly, Lacey thinks, but she goes to alley to see Cassandra on the ground dressed in a garish Christmas sweater that is playing “Jingle Bells.” A shepherd boy, barely 10 or so, approaches Lacey and asks about the lady. Lacey calls 911 and help arrives in time to save Cassandra. But who tried to kill her? Was it Felcity? They did hate each other. But would Felicity dress Cassandra in her very special Christmas sweater?
Cassandra summons Lacey to the hospital where Lacey meets Cassandra’s friends. Who know she had friends? Lacey is surprised. But they seem to harbor oddities that might just be motives. There are certainly no shortages for suspects. And what about the little shepherd boy? Where is he? Oh, yea, he’s a she, and nearly 13. Where is she? Why did she steal the shepherd’s robe from the nativity scene? And is she next on the killer’s hit list?
GRAVE APPAREL is a charming, delightful cozy. I loved it. Ellen Byerrum writers a fun, Christmas tale that makes you feel warm all over. Lacey is pure fun and her columns are fun to read as well. I can’t wait to read more of Lacey exploits, she is my kind of heroine. Love it!
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5!
Mahu Surfer
Neil S. Plakcy
Alyson Books, August 2007, $ 14.95, 314 pgs.
ISBN – 13: 978-1-59350-007-8;
ISBN – 10: 1-59350-007-6
Mahu Surfer grabs you by the throat, drags you under, and surfs you through a roller coaster pipeline of a story. Kimo Kanapa’aka is the only openly gay detective in Honolulu . He has just survived coming out of the closet, nearly dying, and saving his own brother from a cunning murderer. Now he’s back on the force. But he can’t tell anyone. Because Lieutenant Sampson has a job for Kimo: finding out who’s murdering competitive surfers on the North Shore of the island.
The Lieutenant explains to Kimo that three surfers have died in the past few months. And the police have hit a brick wall. The surfing community, for various reasons, doesn’t talk to the police, at least not as much as the police would like them to. So Sampson sends Kimo undercover.
Kimo isn’t happy with the situation. He’s just come out as a gay man, and has stopped lying to himself, his friends, and especially his family about his sexuality. Going back to lying isn’t something he wants to do. But he does it. And once he gets his teeth into the case, he doesn’t let go.
Along with the mystery, Plakcy gives us a man struggling with his sexuality, learning how to cope in a macho world. The author also doesn’t pull any punches in the sex scenes. No, this book isn’t for young people. It’s for adults who know what real life is like, regardless of sexual orientation. How the world can reach out and kick you when you’re not looking. How friends can be enemies and enemies friends.
Kimo meanders his way through the community, encountering old friends as well as old enemies. Through his detective skills, and sometimes bumbling personal life, Kimo comes up against a perpetrator who is selfishly evil, to the point of murdering someone because of their connection to another. The denouement of the story is classic detecting, yet new in its approach.
The writing is crisp, the characters real. I could almost smell the scent of the sea, and feel the roar of the surf in my bones. Plakcy has written a worthy successor to the first book in the series, Mahu.
I’m looking forward to the third book in the series, Mahu Fire, due to be out sometime in 2008.
Rebecca Swets
Rebecca Swets, freelance writer and journalist.
No Accounting for Chase
Sara Dennis
Electronic book Publication: August 2007
Cost $5.95
ISBN 9781419910265
Publisher’s website www.cerridwenpress.com
More romance than mystery, but we actually mixed.
I like the character, Amanda St. Claire. There’s parts of her that reminds me of me and other women I know. I just hope none of us ever have the mob after us.
Chase Tremaine. Cop and big brother to Amanda’s best friend and blind to the crush Amanda’s had for years. Yeah, that sounds like some guys I’ve known.
If you’re looking for a strong mystery/suspense, “No Accounting for Chase” isn’t going to give you a lot in that department. This aspect of the story is muted.
If you’re looking for a simple quick romance, “No Accounting for Chase” will give you that with just a little touch of danger.
Sara Dennis has written a pleasant story.
PARADOXIA: A Predator’s Diary
Lydia Lunch
Akashic Books, 2007, $13.95, pp. 162
ISBN-13: 978-1-933354-35-4
Paradoxia: A Predator’s Diary is a dark and chilling introspective snapshot of the “no wave” movement’s most fascinating and vocal punk auteurs. Lunch, an underground phenomenon, was guitarist and vocalist for the seminal "no-wave" band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. But it was her next band, 8 Eyed Spy, which brought her acclaim and acknowledgement from New York rock critics.
In the mid to late 80’s through to the 90’s, she began a series of collaborations with various artists, including Thurston Moore of the group Sonic Youth. Lunch has turned her energy toward her writing, penning this book originally in 1997 and Toxic Gumbo in 1998.
However, this book, despite its promise of “No names have been changed to protect the innocent. They’re all fucking guilty,” only contains a brief mention of her brushes with other underground punk muscians.
Paradoxia: A Predator’s Diary seems to be more of a purgative for the author. Lunch says of her violent and brutal sexual experience as a child, “So twisted by men, a man, my father, that I became like one.” She details her obsessions and the struggles she endured to survive in an increasingly violent and diseased world, in turn embracing the bloated decay she finds, ultimately becoming it’s seducer.
Raw and uncensored, her sexual exploits are graphic, disturbing glimpses into the bottomless pit of the human soul.
Starting Over
Terry Odell
Electronic book Publication: August 2007
Cost $6.49
ISBN 9781419910197
Publisher’s website www.cerridwenpress.com
Can’t run from your fears; can’t run from your heart.
So, where does that leave you? In the middle of another solid Terry Odell book. “Starting Over” follows Colleen McDonald as she moves across country and deals with the aftermath of a fatal shooting, one that nearly cost her, her life.
We first met Colleen in “Finding Sarah.” Colleen was the officer longing to be a detective. Now, living in Florida she just wants the nightmares to end. Falling in love with an Orange County Sheriff wasn’t in her dreams. Neither was investigating a missing person case; however, life never throws you what you want, only what you need.
We know I don’t mix well with romance/mystery; however, I mix very well with Terry Odell’s stories. Ms Odell blends suspense and romance into a simple straightforward story that gently draws you along. Her pacing leads to each logical discovery of clues leaving just enough questionable diversions.
The characters are flawed, wary, unsure, and honest. They’re not perfect nor are they overdramatic. Ms. Odell has a way of fitting her heroine and hero together that leaves no doubt they belong together…two halves making a whole.
“Starting Over” is a pleasant read; one that’s ideal for a rainy day.
The Mudslinger Sanction
Gerald Mills - http://www.gerryscorner.com
ISBN: 1-933353-92-9
Release date: Apr 15, 2006
Pages: 386
Cost eBook: $5.50
Cost Paperback: $19.50
Publisher’s website http://.twilighttimesbooks.com
“The Mudslinger Sanction” = A whirlwind thriller.
Mr. Gerald Mills’ character, James Foster, and company are not fighting for their country; they’re running from it. The very same people who hailed Foster as their only hope have now ordered his execution – An Executive Order.
Months ago, Foster tried to defuse the volatile tension between the American and Russian governments, the press christened him - The Mudslinger. What else would you call someone who dumped tons of water and mud onto the White House, and tore the insides out of the Russian embassy…all in the same day.
Two notorious vicious bounty hunters now stalk Foster. No one told them those so-called impossible events in Washington, were all done by one-man’s mind…Foster’s mind. Using Foster’s friend Dr. Gordon Whittier as bait, well, that’s a second mistake.
Mr. Mills’ words excite me. His subtle writing draws you into a world of impossible feats done by very humble human characters. Nothing matters more to his characters than family, the family of bonded friends. I cheered both heroes and villains – the success of one and the destruction of the other. But, we are not black and white. We’re shades of grey and here in lies our personal surprises and shocks, and these characters are about to discovery their own.
Some sequels fall into the habit of regurgitating a previous book’s storyline…dead boring. You will find nothing boring about “The Mudslinger Sanction.” “The Mudslinger Sanction” incorporates the previous storyline as a deeper look into known characters and an unique observation of a new complex character.
“The Mudslinger Sanction” stands alone, but will propel you to read more by Mr. Gerald Mills. I must.
The Secret of the Lonely Grave
Albert A. Bell, Jr.
Ingalls Publishing Group, Inc. Boone , NC
$8.95, 200 pgs.
ISBN 978-1-932158-79-3
Remember when you were 11 years old, and the world was full of mystery? Well, the two protagonists in this little book, The Secret of the Lonely Grave, not only solve a mystery, but learn about the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, and what happens when people do what they feel is the right thing for all the wrong reasons.
Steve and Kendra are best friends, living in a little town in Western Kentucky , near the southern border of the state. The mystery they encounter one afternoon after they get off the school bus is anything but usual. They go to visit the grave of Kendra’s little sister, Moniqua, who drowned in a swimming pool when she was six years old. Their eyes are drawn to a tombstone far away from the others, in a lonely corner all by itself. Amanda Allen, Beloved Daughter of Matthew and Laura Allen, died October 12, 1862, right at the beginning of the Civil War. How and why she died leads them on to why the tombstone is in that lonely spot.
And in the process, Steve and Kendra make new friends, discover the history of their little town, and find a way station on the Underground Railroad, almost literally right under their feet.
Not only is this book well-written for the younger set, it held my attention as well. I could see the children, their town, the people in the present and the past, and everything unfolding around them as they learn what they never knew before. The reader will not only enjoy the story, but will also learn about the Civil War in Kentucky , and how it affected everyone, not just the soldiers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.
Rebecca Swets
Rebecca Swets, freelance writer and journalist.
What’s In a Name?
Terry Odell
Electronic book Publication: April 2007
Cost $6.49
ISBN #9781419908545
Publisher’s website www.cerridwenpress.com
Can we ever escape our pain, our past?
Yet, another solid Terry Odell offering; however, this one will have your computer smoking. I couldn’t scroll through the screens fast enough. Talk about a fast-pace thrill-riding adventure…wow!
Who is Kelli Carpenter? Is she…Casey Wallace…Karen Abbott…Emily Carruthers? Is she a computer hacker or computer security expert or an environmental scientist or murderer? All of the above?
Blake Windsor, corporate negotiator, is about to find out.
There’s not a whole lot I can tell you about “What’s In a Name” without giving away way too much information. So, the quick lowdown is…Blake’s boss, governor-wannabe Victor Hollingsworth, wants to know if Kelli is really Casey. Why? He didn’t say. Fine, Blake will play the part of handyman and check Kelli out. Till Kelli pulls a gun on him; till he saves Kelli from a rapist; till they’re running for their lives.
Till they fall in love.
Yes, this is a romance/mystery and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it in about four hours. I couldn’t stop myself. Talk about a high-speed adventure. “What’s In A Name” propels you through country roads to seedy motels to Corporate America to cyberspace and at last, it’s the hero who’s left breathless and confused, not your typical damsel in distress.
Every time I start to type something more, I realize I’m giving away something vital to the plot. Ms. Odell has not left much room for sneak peeks. What I can say is, Ms. Odell’s writing takes a head-spinning tale and a much too fast falling in love pairing and turns in another flawless read.
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