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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Bear Bottom in Books
May 25, 2021 (Updated May 25, 2021)
Missing Necklace and Bison
Teddy Fitzroy is in Yellowstone with his parents and the McCrackens to evaluate a ranch that J.J. McCracken is thinking about buying. The ranch is just outside of the national park, and the Fitzroys are also using the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The ranch raises bison, and they’ve had a couple go missing, so Teddy is asked to try to figure out what has happened to them. Before he can even start on that, the house where everyone is staying is broken into by a Grizzley bear. In the aftermath, Mrs. McCracken’s expensive necklace disappears. Can Teddy solve both mysteries?
Part of the fun of the FunJungle series is the setting and the recurring characters. I’ll admit I missed them. However, this book does have a core cast of regulars, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Both mysteries are intriguing and kept the pace steady. Watching Teddy work is always fascinating, and we got some wonderful action scenes along the way. While the series always tackles some environmental issues, I felt like this book lectured a bit more than the series usually does. It doesn’t help that one thing intended to be funny didn’t come across that way to me; instead, if felt like more lectures. I still did enjoy this book overall. It’s just not quite up to Stuart Gibbs’s usual high standards.
Part of the fun of the FunJungle series is the setting and the recurring characters. I’ll admit I missed them. However, this book does have a core cast of regulars, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Both mysteries are intriguing and kept the pace steady. Watching Teddy work is always fascinating, and we got some wonderful action scenes along the way. While the series always tackles some environmental issues, I felt like this book lectured a bit more than the series usually does. It doesn’t help that one thing intended to be funny didn’t come across that way to me; instead, if felt like more lectures. I still did enjoy this book overall. It’s just not quite up to Stuart Gibbs’s usual high standards.
Fantastic Beasts: Cases From The Wizarding World
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Murder at a London Finishing School
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Long before American adventuress Beryl Helliwell and prim and proper Brit Edwina Davenport teamed up...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Murder at a London Finishing School in Books
Jul 26, 2023 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)
Returning to Their Alma Mater Means Murder
Brit Edwina Davenport and American Beryl Helliwell first met at Miss DuPont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies and forged their decades long friendship there. But now they’ve been hired by Miss DuPont to find out what is going on at the school that is driving down enrollment. The duo aren’t getting far with their investigation when they stumble on a dead body. Have the pranks escalated to murder?
If you look for the dead body to drop early, you might be disappointed with this book. I wasn’t. Between the early investigation and meeting the new characters, there was plenty to keep me engaged. Of course, things kick up a notch when murder enters the story. The ending, while logical, did feel a little rushed, but that was a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the series regulars, although a couple do make cameos. The new characters more than make up for it, and I appreciate how complex they were by the end. Beryl and Edwina grow as a result of visiting some place from their past. The story is set in the 1920’s, and things going on in society infuse the book. If you enjoy historical mysteries or mysteries set in England, you’ll be glad you picked this up.
If you look for the dead body to drop early, you might be disappointed with this book. I wasn’t. Between the early investigation and meeting the new characters, there was plenty to keep me engaged. Of course, things kick up a notch when murder enters the story. The ending, while logical, did feel a little rushed, but that was a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the series regulars, although a couple do make cameos. The new characters more than make up for it, and I appreciate how complex they were by the end. Beryl and Edwina grow as a result of visiting some place from their past. The story is set in the 1920’s, and things going on in society infuse the book. If you enjoy historical mysteries or mysteries set in England, you’ll be glad you picked this up.
[D.R. Martin] does an excellent job continuing the adventures of young boy photographer, Johnny Graphic and his friends. I [Johnny Graphic and the Attack of the Zombies] Johnny, Mel, Nina, and Dame Honoria continue the battle against Percy. This time Percy has created an army of zombies.
The classic style of the writing reminds me of Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew mysteries. It is a great throw back with a modern twist. I really enjoyed the style and the characters. The new characters that [Martin] added fit very well into the plot and enhanced the story line. I really recommend this book and feel it would be great in a classroom.
The classic style of the writing reminds me of Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew mysteries. It is a great throw back with a modern twist. I really enjoyed the style and the characters. The new characters that [Martin] added fit very well into the plot and enhanced the story line. I really recommend this book and feel it would be great in a classroom.
Sue (5 KP) rated The Cupcake Caper (Undercover Cat, #1) in Books
Apr 23, 2018
Dr. Bree Mayfield-Watson is most comfortable solving chemistry problems and logically looking at things. She never signed up to find her boss murdered in a secured building and is considered the number one suspect. Who wanted him dead and why are they framing Bree?
Unlike most cozy mysteries, Bree is not your average amateur detective doing illogical and impulsive things to solve the mystery. Refreshingly, she uses her brain, keen sense of observation, and trusty notebook to analyze the facts and formulate who is the real murderer.
My favorite part was being caught up in who the potential murder was and then finding out I was so wrong!
Unlike most cozy mysteries, Bree is not your average amateur detective doing illogical and impulsive things to solve the mystery. Refreshingly, she uses her brain, keen sense of observation, and trusty notebook to analyze the facts and formulate who is the real murderer.
My favorite part was being caught up in who the potential murder was and then finding out I was so wrong!
David McK (3673 KP) rated The Hound of the Baskervilles in Books
Jun 16, 2019
Perhaps the most famous of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries, in which the super-sleuth investigates the supposed Baskerville family curse of the hell-hound on the moors.
What else can I say? Originally serialised by Arthur Conan Doyle, there's been many attempts to adopt this for TV, film or stage over the years, right through from the classic Basil Rathbone 1939 classic (and which many - myself included - still envisage Holmes as) to the more modern BBC Benedict Cumberbatch TV series, one of which has an episode largely based on this story.
Mysterious deaths, ghostly hell-hounds, escaped convicts and the marshy moors all play a part in this ...
What else can I say? Originally serialised by Arthur Conan Doyle, there's been many attempts to adopt this for TV, film or stage over the years, right through from the classic Basil Rathbone 1939 classic (and which many - myself included - still envisage Holmes as) to the more modern BBC Benedict Cumberbatch TV series, one of which has an episode largely based on this story.
Mysterious deaths, ghostly hell-hounds, escaped convicts and the marshy moors all play a part in this ...
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Elementary, She Read in Books
Feb 21, 2018
What a great find for a Sherlock Holmes fan! Elementary She Read is the first in a new series about Gemma Doyle, who runs a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, which I very much wish I could visit in real life. When the owner of a rare magazine is murdered and Gemma finds the body, she becomes the prime suspect. Gemma and her friend Jayne investigate to clear her name. This was a well written mystery with a charming setting and some unique characters. Ive loved Vicki Delany / Eva Gates other mysteries, and this is now one more to add to my always-buy list.
Sue (5 KP) rated The Cupcake Caper (Undercover Cat, #1) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
Dr. Bree Mayfield-Watson is most comfortable solving chemistry problems and logically looking at things. She never signed up to find her boss murdered in a secured building and is considered the number one suspect. Who wanted him dead and why are they framing Bree?
Unlike most cozy mysteries, Bree is not your average amateur detective doing illogical and impulsive things to solve the mystery. Refreshingly, she uses her brain, keen sense of observation, and trusty notebook to analyze the facts and formulate who is the real murderer.
My favorite part was being caught up in who the potential murder was and then finding out I was so wrong!
Unlike most cozy mysteries, Bree is not your average amateur detective doing illogical and impulsive things to solve the mystery. Refreshingly, she uses her brain, keen sense of observation, and trusty notebook to analyze the facts and formulate who is the real murderer.
My favorite part was being caught up in who the potential murder was and then finding out I was so wrong!
Sarah Betts (103 KP) rated Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up in Books
Dec 31, 2019
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I have loved Nancy Drew Mysteries since I was 8. I've had to have read over 200 of the various series.
This book is a wonderful tribute to the character of Nancy and Carolyn, the pen name for the books.
The book spans almost a hundred years and goes into the life of Edward Stratemeyer and have s family and the ghostwriter Mildred.
I'm sure there will be some folks disappointed that this isn't Nancypalooza straight out the gate but it certainly is a cracking good piece of historical fiction.
I have loved Nancy Drew Mysteries since I was 8. I've had to have read over 200 of the various series.
This book is a wonderful tribute to the character of Nancy and Carolyn, the pen name for the books.
The book spans almost a hundred years and goes into the life of Edward Stratemeyer and have s family and the ghostwriter Mildred.
I'm sure there will be some folks disappointed that this isn't Nancypalooza straight out the gate but it certainly is a cracking good piece of historical fiction.