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Review: The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon Release Date: November 2014 Age: Mature YA, New Adult Genre: Contemporary Romance, Supernatural, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Romance Format: ebook Source: Purchased Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare. Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start. It all hap...

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer (Enola Holmes #4)

Enola Homes, younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, is living on her own and evading her brothers in an attempt to stay out of boarding school and keep her independence. When her landlady is mysterious kidnapped and her house ransacked, Enola sets out to find her and figure who and why someone would want her sweet old landlady. This was a very fun mystery. I enjoyed the character of Enola and how clever she is. Her brothers very much underestimate her but I think Sherlock is beginning to see the truth of his little sister. Enola is a very independent and she knows more about the ways of the world especially a lady's world than her brothers can understand. She is also very good at riddles and coded messages and those skills certainly come in handy for this case. I also like the history of this era like Florence Nightingale and how London was at this time. That was very interesting. Katharine Kellgren, one of my favorite narrators, is the reader of this book and I can't say eno...

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

In Chipping Cleghorn an advertisement is placed in the social pages of the local newspaper announcing the date and time of a murder. When several townsfolk show up thinking it is a game they soon see that it is not. For a murder does take place and the police begin to focus on the suspects. But soon Miss Jane Marple becomes involved and the murderer begins to become more desperate. Continuing with my mystery kick, I checked out A Murder is Announced. It seems that there are a quite a few Miss Marple audios but less Poirot or at least at my library anyway. But that's okay. I enjoy Miss Marple and how she is constantly underestimated because she is a little old lady. Underestimated, of course, by those who do not know her because once they do they never make that mistake again. This is one of those mysteries, like most of Christie's, that looks one way at the beginning but has a completely different outcome. All the little clues are there but it takes a mind like Jane Marple...

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Poirot finds himself on a train with a murdered man next door and too many suspects. As he methodically makes his way through the passengers, he finds a connection to an old kidnapping case lies at the heart of the murder. This is probably my 4th reading of Orient Express . I can't remember when I first read it but it was one of my favorites as a teenager. It's a joy to get to listen to the audio book version especially as it is read by David Suchet, the quintessential Hercule Poirot. He does an excellent job, as expected, of bringing to life one of Christie's most famous mysteries. The mystery itself, though now a classic mystery ending, is surprising at the end with its complexity. There are a number of clues, misdirections, and red herrings but once all the pertinent information has been gathered Poirot uses his little grey cells to solve the case. 6 hours, 53 minutes.

Review: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher ★★★★★ Release Date: April 5, 2014 Age: Adult, 17+ Genre: Dark, Contemporary, Suspense, Kidnapping, Mystery, Thriller, Romance Format: ebook Source: purchased Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble ($.99 ebooks for limited time at Amazon and BN) When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat... and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free. When I was reading this book, I felt like I was holding my breath. I was suffocating in a need and then I was part of the story. I was so involved in Tarryn's words that I was affected wholly around every corner an...

Once Upon a Thriller by Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew Diaries #4)

Somehow I ended up trying out the new Nancy Drew series on book 4 rather than book 1. But that's okay. The beauty of Nancy Drew is that there are not super linear and can be read out of order. As for this new series, eh, it's okay. I still prefer my classic Nancy and the girl on the cover looks 12, not 18 as it's implied this Nancy is. She can drive and has credit cards but no discernible income. I honestly thought this was closer to middle grade based on the cover. The mystery itself is classic Nancy though. She goes on a weekend vacation with Bess and George and falls straight into a mystery based out of a book. When a bookstore in the town catches on fire, arson is suspected. Was it the reclusive author who was due to give a signing? Or the book store owner herself? Or the inn keeper who didn't get along with either? And why is there a sudden rash of crimes related to the author's books? It's up to Nancy to solve the case.

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (audio)

When Colonel Protheroe is found dead at the vicarage, it causes quite the stir in St. Mary Mead. Even after there are two confessions, the police and the townsfolk are wondering how it happened. But little old Miss Marple is the one who solves the case. I read a lot of Agatha Christie as a teenager, like a lot . But it's been a while so when SYNC offered up The Murder at the Vicarage I knew I had to give it a listen. And I'm glad I did. I love a good murder mystery especially one that features Miss Marple who is clearly one of the best detectives ever conceived. It's interesting that everyone views her as a nosy old lady even the vicar at the start of the book. But by the end he comes to respect her keen observation powers and skills at deduction. Miss Marple is an example to us all. I don't remember reading this book though I'm sure I did so I couldn't remember the solution. It was simple yet not at all obvious like most of Christie's mysteries. I didn...

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Confessions #1) (audio)

Tandy Angel is a member of the elite Angel family, known for their perfectionism and lack of emotion. Some people call them sociopaths, she just thinks of them as family. When her parents are found dead in their room, the police suspect foul play and everyone including the Angel kids are under suspicion. Confession: I found Tandy Angel extremely hard to relate to, but then she is almost the exact opposite of me. Her parents have encouraged, beyond encouraged, made her into a emotionless, laser focus practically automaton. So much so I expect the big reveal to be that Tandy and her brothers were created in a lab of some kind. Not quite it turns out, but close (unless that comes up in the next book). She methodically tries to find out who killed her parents believing she has a better shot than the police and in the midst of her investigation, without her parents' influence, she beings to develop emotions as more and more of the Angel parents' secrets come to light. In the end I ...

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket (All the Wrong Questions #2) (audio)

Lemony Snicket and his chaperone are still in Stain'd-by-the-Sea and now they are onto a case of a missing girl who happens to be the daughter of the wealthiest people in town. All of the adults seems to feel that the girl has run away to the circus. But Snicket sees things that the grownups don't notice and it leads me on a strange path to find the missing girl and one step closer to the evil plan of the villain Hangfire. It's interesting to listen to a Snicket book after reading a Handler book. It shows how versatile a reading he is. Not everyone could do a contemporary YA from a female POV and a gothic childrens from a male POV and do it so well. This series isn't nearly as depressing as ASoUE, at least so far. There is the barest mention of VFD and Snicket's associates though there is a visit from one at the end. I do like a good mystery series and this one is a mystery per book. There are the craziest characters in a Snicket book and this one is no exception. ...

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews (Southern series #3) (audio)

Weezie Foley is trying to get her shop together for the historical district's annual decorating contest. But standing in her way are her competitors across the street, a crazy holiday schedule, and a little old lady who gets stealing and returning Weezie's stuff. I didn't realize that this was the third in a series. But it didn't matter. There was enough background given to get me up to speed with the characters. I think I missed out on some background relationships but not so much that I was confused. This was a cute book along the lines of the other Mary Kay Andrews books I've read. I enjoyed it though I started it before Christmas and then put it on hold to listen to Fangirl and then The Ocean at the End of the Lane . I liked Weezie and Bebe and their friendship. They always have each others' backs and that is nice. Everyone should have a friend like that. I enjoyed the quirky, funny aspects of the book like Weezie's kooky family and her auction buying tr...

Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Nick and Tesla are 11 year old twins who are sent to live with their mad scientist uncle while their parents are off to Uzbekistan for their own research. The twins love science and are excited to share their uncle's lab. But when Tesla's pendant that their parents gave to her is lost, she and her brother stumble onto a mysterious house with some shady characters living in it. Not to mention the girl in the window. Can some quick thinking and science solve this mystery? Quirk Books sent this one for review and I thought it would be a fun book to read with my 6 year old son. We have just got into chapter books and I was looking for one to engage him with. This turned out to be a good choice. He really liked it and asked to read the science book at night. Some of the chapters are longer so I would break them into two parts but mostly we read a chapter a night. This might be one of the longer books we've read together. He is really excited to read the second book which Quirk B...

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Cormoran Strike is having some serious troubles with his girlfriend, with paying back his debts and with life in general. But when a wealthy lawyer walks into his office asking him to solve the murder of his famous supermodel sister, he becomes embroiled in a case where everyone has something to hide. Because although the police have already determined that her death was a suicide, something tells Strike there is more to it than that. How easy it was to capitalize on a person’s own bent for self-destruction; how simple to nudge them into non-being, then to stand back and shrug and agree that it had been the inevitable result of a chaotic, catastrophic life. I picked this up after I learned who the real author was under the pseudonym. Of course I did. I tried her Casual Vacancy but literary novels are not my thing. But mysteries are. It was really good, long but good. I enjoyed it. Rowling can certainly write and certainly world-build. She also creates great characters li...

How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Charlotte is getting over a disastrous affair with her former boss when she takes a job as a nanny to the Ambassador of Iceland's daughter. But mysteries are afoot. What Would Nancy Drew Do? is the question Charlotte asks herself. Because if anyone has the answer it's Nancy Drew. This wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it turned out to be a Jane Eyre retelling with a little bit of a Nancy Drew twist. Confession: I don't actually like Jane Eyre that much. What with Mr. Rochester and the wife and all that. I don't know. Just not my thing. But the fact that this book is based on Jane Eyre explains why the tone is overly formal and why these people talk the way they do. Charlotte is not the most sympathetic of narrators though I think we are meant to be sympathetic to her. Her Nancy Drew observations are pretty spot-on and I liked that part. But other than that, this was just not for me. Probably if you like Jane Eyre then you will enjoy this book...

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Anne Dowling may have accidentally set fire to her school's auditorium and gotten kicked out but that doesn't mean her parents have to ship her off to boarding school. But they do and she finds herself having a decent time until her roommate is murdered. The school doesn't seem interested in finding the murderer, just on pretending everyone is safe. Not one to leave things alone, Anne goes in search of who killed her roommate and finds that her roommate is not as innocent as she appeared and that the school is covering up a multitude of secrets. I don't stick around to hand out explanations. I abandon my chicken salad and take off after Zach. He's fast, but my ever-unflinching willingness to cause a huge scene give me the upper hand her. p. 199 ARC Here's what I learned. 1. Don't read murder mysteries before bed even if they are YA and you think you are safe. Sometimes they are creepier than you think. 2. This is going to be a series and I'm pretty excit...

"Who Could That Be At This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket (All the Wrong Questions #1) (audio)

When Lemony Snicket was a boy he began an apprenticeship with a chaperone. The first assignment of that apprenticeship takes them to Stain'd-by-the-Sea to find a missing statue. But Lemony quickly learns that asking all the wrong questions will get you nowhere when one right one is all you need. I'm not sure what I was expecting. More of A Series of Unfortunate Events type stuff? Maybe. And this certainly follows in that vein. I guess this is the precursor to that series. More on the mysterious Lemony Snicket who, I was jarringly reminded, is actually a fictional character in his own right. A few characters from ASoUE appear, a detail I appreciated. I wonder if the Bauderlaire parents will appear. Anyway, Lemony takes an apprenticeship which I guess consists of solving mysteries with a chaperone (mentor). His chaperone is certainly a character and not the most effectual one. But she is suppose to be a means to an end. Instead though she brings him to Stain'd-by-the-Sea w...