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The Sleuth Sisters
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In this cozy mystery, the first of a series, middle-aged sisters Faye and Barb decide to open a...
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Red Equinox in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[Red Equinox] by [Douglas Wynne] was about how humans can become pawns of the gods even unwittingly. Also that not all gods are good. Part adventure and part mystery this book has a lot to offer various audiences.
Becca is a photographer and urban explorer. She was raised by her slightly eccentric grandmother who studied the occult. Some of this knowledge was unwittingly passed to Becca as the book starts with her grandmother's funeral.
Brooks is a detective for an unknown government agency that investigates the weird (think X-Files). He and Becca are bound to cross paths as a madman from a cult plans to unleash destruction on Boston, the Hub.
These are the two main driving protagonists in the book. The were developed well but I found I wanted to know more about them. Deeper personalities because they both were hiding things and fighting their own demons.
The plot got a little wordy at times but the descriptions gave me that visual I enjoy in a good book. Any book that makes me "see" what is going on is a good one. I hope the next one will flow just a little better but other than that nothing should change.
Becca is a photographer and urban explorer. She was raised by her slightly eccentric grandmother who studied the occult. Some of this knowledge was unwittingly passed to Becca as the book starts with her grandmother's funeral.
Brooks is a detective for an unknown government agency that investigates the weird (think X-Files). He and Becca are bound to cross paths as a madman from a cult plans to unleash destruction on Boston, the Hub.
These are the two main driving protagonists in the book. The were developed well but I found I wanted to know more about them. Deeper personalities because they both were hiding things and fighting their own demons.
The plot got a little wordy at times but the descriptions gave me that visual I enjoy in a good book. Any book that makes me "see" what is going on is a good one. I hope the next one will flow just a little better but other than that nothing should change.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Viper in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This book was engaging from the very first page. I was left guessing right up to the very end! Some books in the crime/suspense genre leave a bitter taste in your mouth when you finish, but this one did not.
I was intrigued from page one because right off the bat one of the main characters is in the hospital in a semi-coma. Fredrik is lying there & his detective partner is talking to him while his wife looks on. Then suddenly they are in the middle of the investigation into a billionaire's death. The plot bounces back & forth between the present time & the past few months when the investigation was taking place. It wasn't hard to follow at all despite the jumps in time frame. In fact, I think that part was a big reason why the book was so engaging.
There was also plenty of blood & gore, but it wasn't to the point that I was grossed out. It fit seamlessly in with the plot. The characters are well written & believable, not too out in left field. The plot was suspenseful & there was a lot of great police work mixed in with a healthy dose of luck, just like a real investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I was intrigued from page one because right off the bat one of the main characters is in the hospital in a semi-coma. Fredrik is lying there & his detective partner is talking to him while his wife looks on. Then suddenly they are in the middle of the investigation into a billionaire's death. The plot bounces back & forth between the present time & the past few months when the investigation was taking place. It wasn't hard to follow at all despite the jumps in time frame. In fact, I think that part was a big reason why the book was so engaging.
There was also plenty of blood & gore, but it wasn't to the point that I was grossed out. It fit seamlessly in with the plot. The characters are well written & believable, not too out in left field. The plot was suspenseful & there was a lot of great police work mixed in with a healthy dose of luck, just like a real investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Fourth Monkey (4MK Thriller, #1) in Books
May 23, 2019
Police with personalities (2 more)
Smart serial killer
Well plotted out story
Crazy smart serial killing awesomeness
My word what a book; this just hit all the right spots for me. Twisted smart killer with a good backstory and cops with a personality after him - all the good stuff.
When a serial killer gets stopped abruptly in a 5 year spree - by a city bus, Sam the detective who has been tracking him down has to find the latest victim before it’s too late. The diary on the body may provide insights.
I’m not sure what I enjoyed most about this book the main story itself with the cops racing against time or the backstory of the killer provided by his diary. Both parts were engaging and I couldn't put it down for wanting to get to the next part. There’s even gruesome discoveries in a box (hello happy Seven memories).
The cops were great characters, really enjoyed the well placed bits of banter. A lot of crime books I've read recently seem to lack real personalities for the investigators but not here.
Story was well worked out, well written and just a pleasure to read.
Can't wait to get my hands of the next 4MK thriller
When a serial killer gets stopped abruptly in a 5 year spree - by a city bus, Sam the detective who has been tracking him down has to find the latest victim before it’s too late. The diary on the body may provide insights.
I’m not sure what I enjoyed most about this book the main story itself with the cops racing against time or the backstory of the killer provided by his diary. Both parts were engaging and I couldn't put it down for wanting to get to the next part. There’s even gruesome discoveries in a box (hello happy Seven memories).
The cops were great characters, really enjoyed the well placed bits of banter. A lot of crime books I've read recently seem to lack real personalities for the investigators but not here.
Story was well worked out, well written and just a pleasure to read.
Can't wait to get my hands of the next 4MK thriller
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Big Over Easy: An Investigation with the Nursery Crime Division in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Fford. If you don't know him you should, especially if you love Adams & Pratchett
I picked this up on the off-chance , when it was on special offer. This is how I like to try out writers that are new to me. Buy 'em cheap and then it doesn't matter if (as is so often the case) they end up in the secondhand-bookshop.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Children Return (Bruno, Chief of Police, #7) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
The Children Return By Martian Walker I enjoyed this like no other mystery book. The main character Bruno, was someone I would enjoy reading more about. He seem content to help his town. This book could be read different ways as of a mystery, love story, adventure, or even a little of a guide about Muslim or even about a town.It depends on how you would enjoy reading this book. To me it was more fun to read it as a Mystery. I feel like i was discovering along with Bruno. We also find out about Sami and how he got where he ended up. I really enjoyed read and learning a little more about France. We got about 3 story lines going on with this book.
It a sweet story about a family love for their son. It can even be a about a love story about Bruno and what going on with his community. If your children or child enjoy adventure and some action then this book is worth it. You even get to feel like a detective and try and solve and save lives. That will be up to you and decide how you like your book.
It a sweet story about a family love for their son. It can even be a about a love story about Bruno and what going on with his community. If your children or child enjoy adventure and some action then this book is worth it. You even get to feel like a detective and try and solve and save lives. That will be up to you and decide how you like your book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Mouse Trapped (Mirage Mysteries #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Phoenix Robbery detective Marsha “Mouse” is shot in a meeting with an informant gone wrong. All the police have to go on is part of a name and the original tip that the thieves were targeting a collection of Native American silver jewelry. Homicide detectives Joe and Tom are pursuing some of the tangential leads, which brings them into the Robbery side of the case. Can the two figure out what happened without inciting a turf war within the police department?
It’s nice to have a mystery that involves another crime as well, and I enjoyed tracking down the thieves as a way to find the killer. Since the only clue is part of a name, we get too many suspects with similar sounding names, meaning we have to work hard to remember them all until we really get to know the characters. New Christian Joe is trying to grow in his faith, something I enjoyed seeing. I first read this book over 25 years ago, and it’s nice to see it stacks up to my memories of the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-mouse-trapped-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
It’s nice to have a mystery that involves another crime as well, and I enjoyed tracking down the thieves as a way to find the killer. Since the only clue is part of a name, we get too many suspects with similar sounding names, meaning we have to work hard to remember them all until we really get to know the characters. New Christian Joe is trying to grow in his faith, something I enjoyed seeing. I first read this book over 25 years ago, and it’s nice to see it stacks up to my memories of the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-mouse-trapped-by-sandy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Okay, I didn't hate this book as much as I thought I would but that doesn't mean much. As anyone that follows my reviews will notice, I do not read mysteries. When I do read a mystery it is for book club and inevitably I find it dull. This book was no different. I would give this book a 2.5 star rating so I rounded up to 3.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency made me reminiscent of Agatha Christie & Mary Higgins Clark. So if you enjoy those authors, I'm sure that you would enjoy this author. There was mystery but no suspense so it seemed to drag on for me. I borrowed this book from the library but after reading 5 pages into the book, I had to switch to the audiobook so that I could force myself to read the rest of the book.
Not going to lie, this reminded me a lot of Winnie the Pooh. If you think about it, Winnie the Pooh was always looking to solve a mystery and each chapter or episode/15 minute segment was a new mystery. This is very similar to this book.
All in all, I will not continue on in this series.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Outsider in Books
Jul 13, 2018
King does it again
My main worry about this book was that it didn't sound enough like King - on paper it almost sounded like a bog standard crime thriller. Fortunately though that wasn't the case!
This is yet another brilliantly written King novel, filled with intrigue, suspense and a lot of fairly gruesome horror. The characters are, as always, well written and the story centres mainly around the lovable detective Ralph Anderson (although chapters centred around other characters offer some nice variety). The central supernatural plot is one that I've seen/read before in other works of fiction, but it definitely doesn't get boring seeing it from King's point of view. There are some unexpected links to some other of King's stories - one obvious and direct, but another link for me was more of a similarity to a previous character - neither of which is a bad thing.
My only criticisms of this book are fairly minor. The first is that the ending seems fairly rushed in comparison with the slow build of the rest of the book. And the second is that although it is a very good and enthralling read, it doesn't quite have the impact of some of his older epic novels (The Dark Tower series, The Stand, Needful Things etc).
This is yet another brilliantly written King novel, filled with intrigue, suspense and a lot of fairly gruesome horror. The characters are, as always, well written and the story centres mainly around the lovable detective Ralph Anderson (although chapters centred around other characters offer some nice variety). The central supernatural plot is one that I've seen/read before in other works of fiction, but it definitely doesn't get boring seeing it from King's point of view. There are some unexpected links to some other of King's stories - one obvious and direct, but another link for me was more of a similarity to a previous character - neither of which is a bad thing.
My only criticisms of this book are fairly minor. The first is that the ending seems fairly rushed in comparison with the slow build of the rest of the book. And the second is that although it is a very good and enthralling read, it doesn't quite have the impact of some of his older epic novels (The Dark Tower series, The Stand, Needful Things etc).
Sue (5 KP) rated Blessed Be the Wicked (Abish Taylor Mystery #1) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Abish “Abbie” Taylor has been away from Utah and the quiet Mormon community she grew up in. After the passing of her husband, she has decided to the job of detective and come back home to reconnect with the family and community she left behind.
When the community is shaken by a death with the trademarks of sacred Mormon ritual dating back decades, Abbie is put on the case. She is faced with pressures from her father, the police chief, and others within the Church to keep to case quiet from the media. While trying to uncover the mystery, she also discovers that the power leaders within the Church would rather bury the truth then have it come to light.
Abbie is a strong character that is faced with finding the truth, but at the same time trying not to sacrifice her relationship with her family. She believes in her job and finding justice, but at what costs?
Having grown up in a different faith, I was fascinated by the author’s knowledgeable insight into the Mormon faith and teachings. I did not find the book preachy in any way and appreciated the conflict that she gave to the main character of Abbie.
When the community is shaken by a death with the trademarks of sacred Mormon ritual dating back decades, Abbie is put on the case. She is faced with pressures from her father, the police chief, and others within the Church to keep to case quiet from the media. While trying to uncover the mystery, she also discovers that the power leaders within the Church would rather bury the truth then have it come to light.
Abbie is a strong character that is faced with finding the truth, but at the same time trying not to sacrifice her relationship with her family. She believes in her job and finding justice, but at what costs?
Having grown up in a different faith, I was fascinated by the author’s knowledgeable insight into the Mormon faith and teachings. I did not find the book preachy in any way and appreciated the conflict that she gave to the main character of Abbie.