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Ari Augustine (10 KP) rated Rust & Stardust in Books
May 4, 2020
Rust & Stardust is based on the real-life kidnapping of 11-year-old Sally Horner in 1948. Desperate to appease her friends, Horner is pressured into stealing a notebook from a local shop. At this time, she has no idea she's being watched by Frank LaSalle, who abducts her after pretending to be an FBI agent.
This story is disturbing, heart-breaking, and such a mind-blowing historical novel. It really is the kind of book parents should NOT read because it's likely to send them over the edge (or maybe make them more vigilant? who knows.) Though it was not a happy book, I still enjoyed it's historical side and would definitely recommend to my friends.
This story is disturbing, heart-breaking, and such a mind-blowing historical novel. It really is the kind of book parents should NOT read because it's likely to send them over the edge (or maybe make them more vigilant? who knows.) Though it was not a happy book, I still enjoyed it's historical side and would definitely recommend to my friends.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Throne of Threats in Books
Jun 13, 2025
You Are Cordially Invited to a … Kidnapping
Jax is just days away from the event we’ve been waiting for almost as much as she has – her wedding to the youngest son of a ruler of a neighboring kingdom. With friends and family coming in a couple of days before the big event, and a couple of days before the rest of the guests, Jax is hoping for some relaxing before she has to play hostess and politics with her guests. But when Uma, her lady in waiting, goes to pick up the flowers a couple of days before, she is kidnapped. With only a cryptic clue to guide her, can Jax find Uma and rescue her? And will this latest case hurt her relationships with those she loves most?
Any fan of the series has been looking forward to the events of this book. The beginning takes a bit of time getting to the story. Part of that is set up, but some is just general updates on the characters and the realm. Once the kidnapping happens, the pace doesn’t let up. I loved how things came together. I also loved getting to spend time with these characters again. They truly are fun. Reactions to the events of the story felt realistic, and part of that is because of elements from the past books that are mentioned in passing. It feels like we’ve turned a page in the series, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Any fan of the series has been looking forward to the events of this book. The beginning takes a bit of time getting to the story. Part of that is set up, but some is just general updates on the characters and the realm. Once the kidnapping happens, the pace doesn’t let up. I loved how things came together. I also loved getting to spend time with these characters again. They truly are fun. Reactions to the events of the story felt realistic, and part of that is because of elements from the past books that are mentioned in passing. It feels like we’ve turned a page in the series, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Erika (17789 KP) rated The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann in TV
Mar 16, 2019
Repetitive (1 more)
Nothing New
I've seen specials on this kidnapping case before, and most of them were slanting towards the parents doing something to their daughter. I watched the first two episodes and noticed it was going at a snails pace. Netflix seriously took 8 episodes to tell us absolutely nothing new. They could have cut it to 4 eps and it would have been much better. I did like that it showed more aspects and theories, but again, they amounted to nothing. It was also interesting to see that there were repercussions for the media reporting all of those crazy headlines. Some of the episodes used the same sections of interviews 2x, and I thought that I was having deja vu.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated The Reversal (Mickey Haller #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Michael Haller is surprised when he is asked by the LA District Attorney to retry an old case. A man convicted of kidnapping and murdering a 12-year-old 24 years ago needs to be retried because of new DNA evidence. He gets Harry Bosch as his investigator, and the two try to track down old witnesses and make their case stronger than before. Will it be enough?
This book is engaging from the first chapter with some surprise twists along the way. Seeing these two characters interact even more is very entertaining. I never wanted to stop reading and couldn't wait to get back to the story.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-review-reversal-by-michael.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is engaging from the first chapter with some surprise twists along the way. Seeing these two characters interact even more is very entertaining. I never wanted to stop reading and couldn't wait to get back to the story.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-review-reversal-by-michael.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

The Last Cadillac: A Memoir
Book
Middle-age is challenging enough, but when Nancy Nau Sullivan suddenly finds herself caring for two...

Did You Miss Me?
Book
Best be nimble, best be quick, I'm right here and you're my pick... The last thing Ford Elkhart...

WHo We Truly Are (Enhanced #2)
Book
Talon’s deadly abilities are spiraling out of control. Desperate to keep Finn safe, Talon...

Alison Pink (7 KP) rated To the Nines (Stephanie Plum #9) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
In the 9th installment of the Stepahnie Plum series Stephanie finds herself as the "prize" in a real-life game of murder. The players in this game are set up to hunt each other down by being given email clues from the Web Master an unknown person who directs the game & controls those who play it. Stephanie unknowingly thrusts herself into the game when she goes out to hunt down a guy who has bailed on his visa bond.
This book was much more suspensful than the last few in the series. There's lots of tasering, shooting, kidnapping, & bodyguarding. I figured out who the Web Master was with about 100 pages left to go...though I had my suspcisions earlier on. That didn't take away from the plot though.
This book was much more suspensful than the last few in the series. There's lots of tasering, shooting, kidnapping, & bodyguarding. I figured out who the Web Master was with about 100 pages left to go...though I had my suspcisions earlier on. That didn't take away from the plot though.

Andy K (10823 KP) rated Fargo (1996) in Movies
Jun 5, 2018
Who remembers The English Patient? No one!
This is probably the first time anyone noticed The Coen Brothers. They had directed a few good movies before Fargo, but this one really put them on the map.
When this movie first came out, I told multiple people they should go see it, but I had a hard time explaining what it was about. It has a simple premise of a kidnapping gone wrong, but the characters screenplay and their accents are really what make the movie most memorable.
Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and the rest of the cast are amazing.
I still can't believe this movie did not win. This film certainly has endured way better than The English Patient.
If you haven't seen, you must.
When this movie first came out, I told multiple people they should go see it, but I had a hard time explaining what it was about. It has a simple premise of a kidnapping gone wrong, but the characters screenplay and their accents are really what make the movie most memorable.
Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and the rest of the cast are amazing.
I still can't believe this movie did not win. This film certainly has endured way better than The English Patient.
If you haven't seen, you must.

Twelve Years a Slave
Solomon Northup, Henry Louis Gates and Kevin M. Burke
Book Watch
This edition also includes: The illustrations printed in the original book; Contemporary sources...