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TL
The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad, #2)
Tana French | 2008 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.3 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great follow-up to French's "In the Woods." This time the novel features Cassie (of Cassie & Rob) as the narrator. In the aftermath of the first novel's Operation Vestal, Cassie now finds herself in the midst of an undercover operation, Operation Mirror. Cassie is brought in, reluctantly at first, after a woman is found dead and it is discovered she is using one of Cassie's old undercover aliases. The woman, Lexie Madison, is a ringer for Cassie. Cassie finds herself drawn into the web of Lexie's life and those of her four housemates. French is a great storyteller and while I didn't find this story quite as suspenseful as the previous, it's still quite compelling. It was very enjoyable to hear things from Cassie's perspective this time.
  
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
2010 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Another solid film in the Narnia series. The first is my fave, as I know that story so well, the 2nd had some good battle scenes and a bit more action. This is entertaining but in a different way to the others. I found the new cousin in this rather annoying and it's a pity many of the characters of the previous films are not in it that much.
Otherwise it felt a bit like the Sinbad films for me, a great looking ship, plenty of creatures and traps and riddles to overcome before a big finale. The SFX are very good, especially for the green mist effects. Overall a great family adventure if not quite on the level as the first two in my opinion.
  
The annual Winter Wonderland is about to open when Kaitlyn Clydesdale comes back to town. While she hints at knowing information about Charlotte's parents, Charlotte also wonders if she can trust this woman. Before Charlotte can learn more, Kaitlyn winds up murdered, and the police focus on Rebecca's boyfriend. Can Charlotte clear him of the crime?

The mystery is strong, and I have a hard time figuring out the killer. The story moved quickly, and the characters were mostly great. My only real issue was Rebecca, who is usually a fun character, was so over the top I found her annoying.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-review-clobbered-by-camembert-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
TW
Two Wrongs Don't Make a Write
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Writer Cassie and police detective James have been dating for two months, and Cassie has decided it is time to meet James' father, a man he hasn't talked to much since he was kicked off the force for being a corrupt cop years ago. But when a body is found and James' father had ties to the victim, Cassie steps in to find out what is really happening. I love these characters, and they are great to spent time around. The plot is a bit slow at first, but it picks up as it goes a long. Lots of fun overall.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-two-wrongs-dont-make-write.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
A local group who have dubbed themselves the Winsome Witches use October to raise funds for literacy. However, this year their leader is murdered. With Jenna’s Aunt Vera a member of the group, Jenna starts poking around to find the killer.

I truly do enjoy these characters, and so I was delighted to spend time with them again. The plot does drag in the middle a bit, but the clues all come together for a great climax. There was also more about Aunt Vera’s supposed psychic abilities than normal, an emphasis I didn’t like. Overall, however, I found this a fun Halloween cozy.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/10/book-review-stirring-plot-by-daryl-wood.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
DO
Death on Tour (Jocelyn Shore, #1)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
No one is too upset with the tour group busy body is found dead on the groups first day in Egypt. But Jocelyn soon begins to suspect that the death wasn't an accident. As the trip continues, strange things seem to happen wherever they go. What's going on? I enjoyed the tour parts of the book, although they did seem to slow the book down. That's not necessarily a bad thing because it is painfully obvious what is happening very early on. Add to that characters that aren't always likeable, and you've got something that could have been fun but winds up only average.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-death-on-tour-by-janice.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Brad and Ashleigh Lyon are in California for a teddy bear show when Brad witnesses a robbery. That night, he's visiting with his old police buddies when he goes to the scene of a homicide. The catch is, Brad finds evidence linking the two events. And how does the robotic teddy bear found at the scene fit in? I love spending time with this duo, and this book was no exception. I did figure part of the story out before the characters, but I really didn't mind. And the climax had me turning pages as fast as I could.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-clockwork-teddy-by-john-j.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Miss Drake is not looking for a new pet, but when 10-year-old Winnie comes into her life, the girl just will not leave her alone. So the dragon takes her on as a project. But a mysterious book will give them more danger than they might be able to handle.

I found this fantasy novel for middle graders inventive and funny. The two main characters were great. Unfortunately, the plot was a little slow for my tastes, although I can imagine the target audience enjoying it.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book via Amazon’s Vine program.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-dragons-guide-to-care-and.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
BJ
Billionaire's Jet Set Babies
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed this book. It has to do with father of twins and he meets a girl that cleaning his Jet. Alexa want this Jets for her cleaning business. She was cleaning up the jets. When she did the found two babies in the airplane left unattended.

Seth return early to his plane. She do not know for sure. He come more into the place and Alexa let me know this children were attended in the plane. But there some connection between these two people. Seth asked to be a nanny for 24 hours but do things change or not. If you want to find out suggest picking up the book to read. I strongly suggest that you like Romance for though that up to you.
  
If you know me, besides true crime, you will know I love ghost stories. Especially true accounts of them. That made this the perfect book for me. I found this at a used book store in the city of Orange, California when I was visiting my friends and it was so cheap, I couldn't pass it up. With so many first person true accounts as well as descriptions of famous haunted places around the world, it was indeed an interesting read. I loved how it was broken up into sections of similar stories, so that will make it easier to go back to if I find it necessary (which I most definitely will at some point)! Brad Steiger, great job compiling this book!