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Union Jacked
Union Jacked
Diane Vallere | 2019 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Retirement Parties, Strikes, and Murder
A British investment firm has bought out Travada, the local department store were Samantha Kidd works as a buyer. She’s struggling to match what she thinks the store should be selling with her new directives. Meanwhile, many of the employees are on strike, and Samantha is planning a retirement party for Detective Loncar. When Detective Loncar stops by the store on day, he’s on sight when someone shoots a gun. He and the leader of the strike are both shot. Who was the target? Can Samantha figure out what is going on?

Parts of the premise of this book stretch credibility a bit, but I was quickly caught up in the story and didn’t care. With everything happening, the story was fast paced and kept me engaged right up to the ending. The ending took a bit of thinking on my end, but it does make sense. What doesn’t make the sense is the timelines. It’s not anything that impacts the story, but Samantha can’t keep the days of the story straight or when some of her last adventures happened in relation to each other. On the other hand, I still enjoyed my time in the characters, new and old, and appreciated the growth we saw in Samantha. The humor is still sharp as well; I was grinning when I wasn’t laughing. Fans of the series will enjoy this adventure for sure.
  
Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective
Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective
Katie Siegel | 2023 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For a Non-Detective, Charlotte is Busy Detecting
Growing up, Charlotte Illes gained fame as a child detective, solving cases everywhere she went. However, Charlotte is trying to put that behind her now that she is an adult. The trouble is, she doesn’t know what comes next job wise. When her brother’s girlfriend starts getting notes on their apartment door, Charlotte reluctantly agrees to investigate. The case takes an unexpected turn when kidnapping and murder get involved. Can Charlotte figure out what is going on?

Since I read about fictional child detectives as a kid, the premise of this one sounded like fun. I don’t think I was the target audience since many of the characters are queer Millennials, but for the most part, that wasn’t an issue. Still, there were a few moments that made me prickle a little. But that was minor. Charlotte and her two best friends make a fun trio, and I enjoyed watching them grow as the book progressed. The rest of the cast is great, too. The pacing was uneven in the middle, but we still reached a logical conclusion with several twists along the way. There was plenty of humor, quite often coming from the banter of the main trio. There are quite a few four letter words, but as long as you know that, you’ll be fine. Overall, this really was a fun debut, and I’m glad I picked it up.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Jigsaw (2017) in Movies

Oct 30, 2017  
Jigsaw (2017)
Jigsaw (2017)
2017 | Crime, Horror
Some good twists (2 more)
Good death trap design
Popular cast
I want to play a game
A decent entry to the franchise after a long break from the last film. I like that it centres on one group of people doing several rounds of the "games" rather than lots of individuals. I wouldn't say it was scary but Saw has always been more about the gore and there is enough to keep fans happy. Those playing detective will have plenty of twists and red herrings to keep them entertained as well. Along with a familiar cast from various TV shows, the pieces come together to make a Saw film that's better than many of the later entries. Perfect for Halloween.
  
Veronica Mars (2014)
Veronica Mars (2014)
2014 | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Kristen Bell (1 more)
The fact the film came about by fans backing on Kickstarter
Average plot (0 more)
One for fans
I might be one who actually missed the 3 TV series which were made around 9 years ago. They had a big fan base and this film was funded by the fans on the Kickstarter site. Which I assume is a first for a major film. It has all the main characters from the show from what I can tell. So there is a nostalgia angle for fans seeing the story continue years after the TV series finished. For non-fans it's just an average detective story that is lacking any real tension or suspense.