This book was hard to follow. The author would skip from one storyline to another on the same page which made the flow of the book seem uneven. The story lacks focus and suspense and seems to get lost in the complicated plot and narrations of the multiple characters.
There were some aspects I liked. Each chapter starts and ends within the same day which is a unique concept. The author provides great detail about events, but these details do not bring any added insight to the story or the characters. At certain points I found myself skimming and wishing McMillan would just get to the point!
The main characters are a nurse named Narcissa Powers and former slave/herbalist named Judah Daniel. The two join forces to search for a mysteriously missing Confederate soldier whose mother Narcissa meets while caring for wounded soldiers in Ward 27. While there she is drawn to Sgt. Smith. Suffering from a gunshot wound in battle,and who had been treated in a home before his condition began to grow worse. His wounded leg had to be amputated, but not before tetanus had set in.
We are also introduced John Chapman and Susy Reynolds. Reynolds starts off the story by taking a letter, written by Henry Wise and given to Jefferson Davis , out of a fire place and sneaking it out. Later while making his daily deliveries of baked good, Chapman comes across a baby boy someone has abandoned in the graveyard at St. John’s church who he ends up turning over to Judah. She then begins a quest to find the mother of the baby who Chapman has named Moses.
While Narcissa is recovering from her illness she find the body of a dark skinned black man dressed in rough clothing near where John Chapman found the baby the day before. It is speculated that the man is connected to the baby somehow. After learning about the letter Susy had taken from Jefferson Davis, Narcissa begins to believe the dead man and perhaps the baby’s missing mother had discovered this secret and were killed to protect it.
At the climax of the story, we find out that the dead man, the missing mother, and the baby are all cousins of Susy. She had been planning on helping them escape to the North. However when the information about the letter was discovered by the young solider that Narcissa had believed to be dead, he killed the husband thinking the family was trying to go North to place the mysterious letter in the hands of the Union.
I was glad when the connection was finally made, but at that point the only reason I continued reading was to see what happened to the letter. I commend McMillan for her research about the Civil War. History buffs would enjoy the information provided about battles and tactics.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Last Scene Alive by: Charlaine Harris 2002 Library Crime and Librarian Detectives
I did not even know Harris wrote mysteries, but I had read several of her Sookie Stackhouse novels! I really liked this book. It is set in a small town in Georgia and our main character is a librarian named Roe Teagarden. Roe is still mourning the loss of her husband Martin.
Roe's world is turned upside down when her former boyfriend returns to Lawrenceton to film the screen version of his best selling novel. The novel is based on the story of Roe and Robin (the author) solving a string of murders committed in this small town. Roe is just beginning to live down the events; all she wants to be left in her own misery.
Roe does not want anything to do with the filming of the movie, but it seems everyone in town has gotten a job working with the crew. At first when Robin calls she hangs up on him and refuses to go to the set. In another interesting twist her stepson, Barrett, is in town working on the film. Barrett feels Roe married his father for his money (because Martin was 15 years older than Roe). Barrett is beyond nasty to Roe, however; she is there for Barrett when the leading lady in the movie shows up dead. Barrett had been intimate with Celia the night before.
Robin and Roe reconnect with each other and soon are kissing like teenagers. Robin shows Roe how she has been living in the past and making themselves miserable. Robin used to date the actress in the film and after her murder he wonders if Roe is next. One afternoon while leaving the library someone came up behind Roe and knocks her to the ground (she was more upset that she ruined the flowers she was carrying from Robin). Robin suspected a young woman who worked for the catering company who was providing food for the film. Tracy was a girl with a history of mental illness. She had stalked another author before Robin. One afternoon Tracy entered Roe's home when she held a knife to Roe's maid. In a struggle Tracy cuts Roe's arm and then falls on her own knife. Tracy admits she has been stalking Robin and that she had struck Celia in the head with her Emmy.
In another turn of events....the blow delivered to Celia's head with her Emmy was not what killed her. Before her death, Celia had gone to the library and checked out books. When the books were returned the secretary at the library started acting very strange and then she disappeared. The secretary was not who she said she was. It turns out she was the younger sister of a radical Black Panther member who made bombs during the sixties. Patricia was not who she seemed to be but she redeemed herself.
One night when alone in the library, one of the crew members from the employee entrance. Roe told the cameraman the library was closed and he would have to come back. He insisted that he had left something in one of the books Celia had checked out. The letter he was searching for blew to Roe's feet. She picked it up and discovered he was Celia's father. Celia had Huntington's disease and was beginning to show symptoms. Will had watched Celia's mother die after losing all her dignity from the disease. So Will drugged Celia and then suffocated her with a pillow. He thought it would be better for her to be remembered as the actress who died tragically rather than losing all control of her body. Roe knew too much now and he could not let her leave except.....the radical secretary had come back to the library to get something from her desk. She saw what was happening and struck Will in the back of the head with a gun. Roe made a pact to never say anything because she had saved her life. Roe takes blood and puts it on a corner of desk to make it look like Will hit his head during the struggle.
Roe ends up moving on with her life and is happy with Robin. I liked the twists and turns of the novel and I also lived the romantic aspect.
Roe's world is turned upside down when her former boyfriend returns to Lawrenceton to film the screen version of his best selling novel. The novel is based on the story of Roe and Robin (the author) solving a string of murders committed in this small town. Roe is just beginning to live down the events; all she wants to be left in her own misery.
Roe does not want anything to do with the filming of the movie, but it seems everyone in town has gotten a job working with the crew. At first when Robin calls she hangs up on him and refuses to go to the set. In another interesting twist her stepson, Barrett, is in town working on the film. Barrett feels Roe married his father for his money (because Martin was 15 years older than Roe). Barrett is beyond nasty to Roe, however; she is there for Barrett when the leading lady in the movie shows up dead. Barrett had been intimate with Celia the night before.
Robin and Roe reconnect with each other and soon are kissing like teenagers. Robin shows Roe how she has been living in the past and making themselves miserable. Robin used to date the actress in the film and after her murder he wonders if Roe is next. One afternoon while leaving the library someone came up behind Roe and knocks her to the ground (she was more upset that she ruined the flowers she was carrying from Robin). Robin suspected a young woman who worked for the catering company who was providing food for the film. Tracy was a girl with a history of mental illness. She had stalked another author before Robin. One afternoon Tracy entered Roe's home when she held a knife to Roe's maid. In a struggle Tracy cuts Roe's arm and then falls on her own knife. Tracy admits she has been stalking Robin and that she had struck Celia in the head with her Emmy.
In another turn of events....the blow delivered to Celia's head with her Emmy was not what killed her. Before her death, Celia had gone to the library and checked out books. When the books were returned the secretary at the library started acting very strange and then she disappeared. The secretary was not who she said she was. It turns out she was the younger sister of a radical Black Panther member who made bombs during the sixties. Patricia was not who she seemed to be but she redeemed herself.
One night when alone in the library, one of the crew members from the employee entrance. Roe told the cameraman the library was closed and he would have to come back. He insisted that he had left something in one of the books Celia had checked out. The letter he was searching for blew to Roe's feet. She picked it up and discovered he was Celia's father. Celia had Huntington's disease and was beginning to show symptoms. Will had watched Celia's mother die after losing all her dignity from the disease. So Will drugged Celia and then suffocated her with a pillow. He thought it would be better for her to be remembered as the actress who died tragically rather than losing all control of her body. Roe knew too much now and he could not let her leave except.....the radical secretary had come back to the library to get something from her desk. She saw what was happening and struck Will in the back of the head with a gun. Roe made a pact to never say anything because she had saved her life. Roe takes blood and puts it on a corner of desk to make it look like Will hit his head during the struggle.
Roe ends up moving on with her life and is happy with Robin. I liked the twists and turns of the novel and I also lived the romantic aspect.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Whispers in the Dark by: Eleanor Taylor Bland 2001 Native American (And Other Ethnic as African American, Hispanic)
I was not a big fan of this book. It contained two murder/attempted murder stories in one. The story was centered around Marti Macalister. She is a detective and her husband, Ben, is a paramedic. They have a blended family after the death of both of their previous spouses.
One story that takes place within the novel involved a series of arms which were found in the woods. There seems to be little to link the arms because they are found in a period of over 20 years. Two of the arms have materials linked to artists under their fingernails (one had paint and the other contained chemicals used to develop film). Marti and her partner Vik began asking questions in the artist community. They discovered a local artist named Lucy Carlisle stole art from other people and tried to pass it off as her own. When the artists came back to claim their work, Lucy killed them. The home she lived in was being sold to the government. The part being sold contained the shed that she had buried the bodies under. Once Lucy knew she was caught she shot herself.
In the other part of the story, Marti's best friend, Sharon gets herself in a lot of trouble. Sharon was born to a twelve year old named Rayveena. Rayveena entertained a lot of men during Sharon's childhood. She contracted AIDS and was dying. Sharon could not deal with her mother's illness. Sharon was dating a man named DeVonte. She had sent her daughter, Lisa to live with Marti because she did not want to introduce her daughter to DeVonte yet. Sharon and DeVonte decide to elope and take a honeymoon in his condo in the Bahamas. Sharon does not realize that DeVonte has killed several other women for their money. DeVonte did not realize Sharon had a daughter and therefore would have to split the life insurance and 401K from his wife's death. DeVonte lures Lisa to the island to kill her as well. Both Sharon and Lisa survive the attacks and return home safely. The book ends with DeVonte on a cruise for Hawaii looking for his next victim.
I feel this book would have been much better if it just focused on the story of Sharon and DeVonte. The story of the old artist murderer was not that interesting or believable. I feel like the author just tried to do too much and did not do either story justice.
One story that takes place within the novel involved a series of arms which were found in the woods. There seems to be little to link the arms because they are found in a period of over 20 years. Two of the arms have materials linked to artists under their fingernails (one had paint and the other contained chemicals used to develop film). Marti and her partner Vik began asking questions in the artist community. They discovered a local artist named Lucy Carlisle stole art from other people and tried to pass it off as her own. When the artists came back to claim their work, Lucy killed them. The home she lived in was being sold to the government. The part being sold contained the shed that she had buried the bodies under. Once Lucy knew she was caught she shot herself.
In the other part of the story, Marti's best friend, Sharon gets herself in a lot of trouble. Sharon was born to a twelve year old named Rayveena. Rayveena entertained a lot of men during Sharon's childhood. She contracted AIDS and was dying. Sharon could not deal with her mother's illness. Sharon was dating a man named DeVonte. She had sent her daughter, Lisa to live with Marti because she did not want to introduce her daughter to DeVonte yet. Sharon and DeVonte decide to elope and take a honeymoon in his condo in the Bahamas. Sharon does not realize that DeVonte has killed several other women for their money. DeVonte did not realize Sharon had a daughter and therefore would have to split the life insurance and 401K from his wife's death. DeVonte lures Lisa to the island to kill her as well. Both Sharon and Lisa survive the attacks and return home safely. The book ends with DeVonte on a cruise for Hawaii looking for his next victim.
I feel this book would have been much better if it just focused on the story of Sharon and DeVonte. The story of the old artist murderer was not that interesting or believable. I feel like the author just tried to do too much and did not do either story justice.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Body of Christopher Creed by: Carol Plum-Ucci 2000 YALSA and Other Young Adult Mystery Genre Top Choices
This book was rather strange. A young man disappears and turns the town upside down. The only clue anyone has to what happened to Christopher Creed is a cryptic letter he wrote to the principal. In his letter he describes how he does not get along with others and he lists some people he wishes he was more like. Creed says he has no other choice but to disappear.
One of the boys mentioned in the letter, Torey Adams, starts viewing things differently after the letter. Torey was a very popular boy who seemed to have it all; he played sports, had friends and a lovely girlfriend. Torey becomes annoyed when everyone else in the school seems to make a joke out of the disappearance of Creed. Torey even beats himself up for hitting Creed when they were in the 6th grade. Torey becomes interested in the whys, hows and wheres of this mysterious vanishing.
Creed's mother is a pretty scary lady. She was a former naval officer. She is determined that a boon (short for the underprivileged kids who live in the boondocks) named Bo killed her son. Bo pushed Creed off the bleachers the year before and broke his leg. Bo and his girlfriend Ali find a copy of the letter sent from Creed to the principal and save it to a disk. When the letter is found in Bo's locker it makes him look even more guilty.
Torey is determined to find out what happened to Creed. He and Ali used to be friend but have since drifted apart. She gained a bad reputation after her parents split up. It was also social suicide to date a boon. Ali lived next door to Creed and was determined that Creed's mother killed her son. Each night she went into Creed's room looking for something. Ali reveals to Torey that Creed kept a diary. They come up with a plan to get the diary out of the house. Once Torey decides to participate his life will never be the same. Torey goes to a local park and call the Creed house. He tells the mother he has information about Christopher and to bring lots of money. When the Creeds leave the house Bo tries to break in but doesn't make it inside. Luckily Christopher's brother sees Bo and gives him the diary.
Ali, Torey and Bo were all taken into the police station. A neighbor saw them standing outside the Creed home. Through all of this Torey realizes that Bo is not a bad guy and he feels guilty for judging the boons all this time. Torey begins distancing from the people he thought were his friends.
When they read the diary, they discover Christopher had a girlfriend. Torey and Ali paid her a visit to see if she might now were Creed was. After meeting the girlfriend they discover Creed made up most of the relationship. It was as if he created his own world in his diary. the girl's aunt was a psychic. She told Torey he would find Creed's body when he was alone in the woods.
Torey goes in the woods behind his house where he used to play as a child. There was an old Indian burial ground back there. He find a treasure map that Creed had created years before. In the darkness Torey is very frightened of what he may find. He tips over one of the rocks and breaks his leg. In doing this he discovers an underground cave containing bodies. Some of them were bodies of Indians but Torey notices one that is not. Right before his eyes the body starts disintegrated and there is a horrible smell.
Torey thinks he has found the body of Creed but it was really was Bob Haines. His son had disappeared years before and the people in the town thought Bob was responsible. He went to the cave and committed suicide. Torey spent several months getting treatment in a mental institution. He transferred schools but he never gave up on finding Creed. He created a website dedicated to Creed. Torey also wrote out the story of what happened. He thought Creed moved away and maybe had assumed a combination of names from the boys he wished to be like. Torey searched for names based on those listed in the note. Torey would email the story to the people and wait for a response. Torey never gave up his opinion that Creed was still alive.
This book has several good messages to use with teens. Several lives were ruined in the book by people spreading rumors. The community thought Bob Haines killed his son and made his life so terrible that he committed suicide. Mrs. Creed thought Bo killed her son and was hell bent on ruining his life. Torey's friends thought he had something to do with Creed's disappearance so he transferred schools. Eventhough many of things said were not true, people chose to believe them. People do not want to live their lives with a dark cloud of suspicion following them.
One of the boys mentioned in the letter, Torey Adams, starts viewing things differently after the letter. Torey was a very popular boy who seemed to have it all; he played sports, had friends and a lovely girlfriend. Torey becomes annoyed when everyone else in the school seems to make a joke out of the disappearance of Creed. Torey even beats himself up for hitting Creed when they were in the 6th grade. Torey becomes interested in the whys, hows and wheres of this mysterious vanishing.
Creed's mother is a pretty scary lady. She was a former naval officer. She is determined that a boon (short for the underprivileged kids who live in the boondocks) named Bo killed her son. Bo pushed Creed off the bleachers the year before and broke his leg. Bo and his girlfriend Ali find a copy of the letter sent from Creed to the principal and save it to a disk. When the letter is found in Bo's locker it makes him look even more guilty.
Torey is determined to find out what happened to Creed. He and Ali used to be friend but have since drifted apart. She gained a bad reputation after her parents split up. It was also social suicide to date a boon. Ali lived next door to Creed and was determined that Creed's mother killed her son. Each night she went into Creed's room looking for something. Ali reveals to Torey that Creed kept a diary. They come up with a plan to get the diary out of the house. Once Torey decides to participate his life will never be the same. Torey goes to a local park and call the Creed house. He tells the mother he has information about Christopher and to bring lots of money. When the Creeds leave the house Bo tries to break in but doesn't make it inside. Luckily Christopher's brother sees Bo and gives him the diary.
Ali, Torey and Bo were all taken into the police station. A neighbor saw them standing outside the Creed home. Through all of this Torey realizes that Bo is not a bad guy and he feels guilty for judging the boons all this time. Torey begins distancing from the people he thought were his friends.
When they read the diary, they discover Christopher had a girlfriend. Torey and Ali paid her a visit to see if she might now were Creed was. After meeting the girlfriend they discover Creed made up most of the relationship. It was as if he created his own world in his diary. the girl's aunt was a psychic. She told Torey he would find Creed's body when he was alone in the woods.
Torey goes in the woods behind his house where he used to play as a child. There was an old Indian burial ground back there. He find a treasure map that Creed had created years before. In the darkness Torey is very frightened of what he may find. He tips over one of the rocks and breaks his leg. In doing this he discovers an underground cave containing bodies. Some of them were bodies of Indians but Torey notices one that is not. Right before his eyes the body starts disintegrated and there is a horrible smell.
Torey thinks he has found the body of Creed but it was really was Bob Haines. His son had disappeared years before and the people in the town thought Bob was responsible. He went to the cave and committed suicide. Torey spent several months getting treatment in a mental institution. He transferred schools but he never gave up on finding Creed. He created a website dedicated to Creed. Torey also wrote out the story of what happened. He thought Creed moved away and maybe had assumed a combination of names from the boys he wished to be like. Torey searched for names based on those listed in the note. Torey would email the story to the people and wait for a response. Torey never gave up his opinion that Creed was still alive.
This book has several good messages to use with teens. Several lives were ruined in the book by people spreading rumors. The community thought Bob Haines killed his son and made his life so terrible that he committed suicide. Mrs. Creed thought Bo killed her son and was hell bent on ruining his life. Torey's friends thought he had something to do with Creed's disappearance so he transferred schools. Eventhough many of things said were not true, people chose to believe them. People do not want to live their lives with a dark cloud of suspicion following them.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Peach Cobbler Murder by: Joanne Fluke 2005 Culinary (with Recipes)
This book is a Hannah Swensen Mystery. Hannah owns a bakery in a small town in Minnesota. She is in danger of losing her bakery when two southern sisters, Vanessa and Shawna Lee, open a bakery right across the street. The two sisters spent a lot of money to decorate the shop. Hannah tries to convince herself that once the new wears off, her customers will return. Hannah's pastries are indeed better than the new shop. It was later discovered that the new bakery's signature southern peach cobbler was made and frozen by another company!
I liked the character of Hannah. She was a plump lady with unruly hair. She was dating two men in town. Norman was a dentist and was the kind of man Hannah should marry. He is thoughtful and loyal. But Hannah is drawn to the sexy sheriff's deputy named Mike. It appears that Mike is also dating Hannah's competitor Shawna Lee. This is enough for Hannah to wish her dead and when this happens it is only natural for people to wonder if she did it (especially since Hannah was the one who discovered the body). Lucky for Hannah she was at the wedding of her partner in the bakery when the murder occurred. The one thing I did not like about Hannah's character was that she was a grammar snob. Hannah was always correcting her younger sister named Andrea. Andrea was helping her sister investigate the murder of her rival. I just thought it was mean how Hannah was also hinting at her superiority.
Hannah's mother was dating a pseudo Englishman. The girls never really liked Winthrop and they later find it was for good reason. When Hannah started investigating the death of Shawna Lee she kept running into dead ends. Andrea mistakes Vanessa for her dead sister and gives Hannah an idea. What if someone wanted to kill Vanessa and accidentally killed her sister. Another lucky break in the case is when her mother discovered a picture of Winthrop and Vanessa in Winthrop's underwear drawer. When they began investigating, Hannah discovered Winthrop was really named Bobby Joe Peters. He and Vanessa were partners in crime (literally). Vanessa had romanced and then killed a wealthy older man back in Macon, Georgia. She was supposed to share the fortune left to her in the will but she got greedy. Bobby/Winthrop had escaped from prison. Both of these criminals could not turn the other in because they could report the other's crime.
Bobby had went to kill Vanessa and killed Shawna Lee instead. Both Vanessa and Bobby/Winthrop went to jail for their crimes. As the story is ending both Mike and Norman propose to Hannah. She tells them both she has to think about it and the story ends.
All in all I liked the book and I would probably read more of them. It included humor and gave the reader clues to see if we could discover who the murderer was. I also liked that Hannah used her brain rather than her looks to get answers. I found it unlikely that she was solving crimes the police could not figure out, but I guess stranger things have happened.
I liked the character of Hannah. She was a plump lady with unruly hair. She was dating two men in town. Norman was a dentist and was the kind of man Hannah should marry. He is thoughtful and loyal. But Hannah is drawn to the sexy sheriff's deputy named Mike. It appears that Mike is also dating Hannah's competitor Shawna Lee. This is enough for Hannah to wish her dead and when this happens it is only natural for people to wonder if she did it (especially since Hannah was the one who discovered the body). Lucky for Hannah she was at the wedding of her partner in the bakery when the murder occurred. The one thing I did not like about Hannah's character was that she was a grammar snob. Hannah was always correcting her younger sister named Andrea. Andrea was helping her sister investigate the murder of her rival. I just thought it was mean how Hannah was also hinting at her superiority.
Hannah's mother was dating a pseudo Englishman. The girls never really liked Winthrop and they later find it was for good reason. When Hannah started investigating the death of Shawna Lee she kept running into dead ends. Andrea mistakes Vanessa for her dead sister and gives Hannah an idea. What if someone wanted to kill Vanessa and accidentally killed her sister. Another lucky break in the case is when her mother discovered a picture of Winthrop and Vanessa in Winthrop's underwear drawer. When they began investigating, Hannah discovered Winthrop was really named Bobby Joe Peters. He and Vanessa were partners in crime (literally). Vanessa had romanced and then killed a wealthy older man back in Macon, Georgia. She was supposed to share the fortune left to her in the will but she got greedy. Bobby/Winthrop had escaped from prison. Both of these criminals could not turn the other in because they could report the other's crime.
Bobby had went to kill Vanessa and killed Shawna Lee instead. Both Vanessa and Bobby/Winthrop went to jail for their crimes. As the story is ending both Mike and Norman propose to Hannah. She tells them both she has to think about it and the story ends.
All in all I liked the book and I would probably read more of them. It included humor and gave the reader clues to see if we could discover who the murderer was. I also liked that Hannah used her brain rather than her looks to get answers. I found it unlikely that she was solving crimes the police could not figure out, but I guess stranger things have happened.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Nate the Great Talks Turkey by: Majorie Weiman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat 2006 Youthful Sleuths
Nate is watching the news and realizes there is a turkey terrorizing the town! His neighbor, Claude comes by Nate's house and asks him to help him find this turkey. Claude was walking and eating popcorn. He dropped some popcorn and the turkey began following Claude to eat the popcorn. Claude wanted to be friends with the turkey. Nate did not want the case but his dog, Sludge, did. Claude and Sludge left to find the turkey.
Nate stayed home and enjoyed the quiet of not taking the case. He gets a call from his cousin Olivia Sharp. From the description she is a wealthy young lady (she has a driver, housekeeper, a private jet, and a limo to ride around in). She is a detective in San Francisco. She is bored and loves birds, so she decides to visit Nate and help with the case.
Claude gives Sludge a feather to get the scent of the turkey. They find a turkey but it is not the one on the news. It was some one's pet who got out of their fence. There are two turkeys loose! Olivia ends up catching the other turkey. She goes to the pet store and buys over a $1000 worth of turkey food!
The message of this book is cute. Olivia was concerned about the bird and his safety. They allowed Claude to believe he had found the missing bird. Claude was always losing things and the other characters wanted him to feel good about finding the missing bird!
Nate stayed home and enjoyed the quiet of not taking the case. He gets a call from his cousin Olivia Sharp. From the description she is a wealthy young lady (she has a driver, housekeeper, a private jet, and a limo to ride around in). She is a detective in San Francisco. She is bored and loves birds, so she decides to visit Nate and help with the case.
Claude gives Sludge a feather to get the scent of the turkey. They find a turkey but it is not the one on the news. It was some one's pet who got out of their fence. There are two turkeys loose! Olivia ends up catching the other turkey. She goes to the pet store and buys over a $1000 worth of turkey food!
The message of this book is cute. Olivia was concerned about the bird and his safety. They allowed Claude to believe he had found the missing bird. Claude was always losing things and the other characters wanted him to feel good about finding the missing bird!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Christmas Mourning by: Margaret Maron Holidays
I was interested to read this book because it was centered around Christmas and the North Carolina native Maron based the story in her home state.
This book centers around Judge Deborah Knott and her husband Deputy Dwight Bryant. In the story a popular young girl, Mallory Johnson, is killed in a car accident. When the blood test comes back and reveals there was alcohol in her system her father is determined to find out what really happened. The author reveal some issues in the family. Mallory has a stepbrother named Charlie who feels she has been pampered her whole life. There is some suspicion Mallory's father killed Charlie's father to gain the love of their mother (however this is never proven). Mallory is also not the perfect young woman many believed. She tore apart several of her friends' relationships and gained some enemies.
In the end we find that her death was an accident. Two local troublemakers were spotlighting deer (shining light in their eyes to paralyze them so they can be shot). They turned their spotlight on Mallory's car. She was in a fight with her brother on the phone and lost control of the vehicle. Mallory's father discovered some trash left on the side of the road by the boys. He drove to their house and shot both of the boys. Deborah and Dwight work together to solve this puzzle. When authorities go to arrest Malcolm Johnson, he asks to clean up before being taken to the station. He goes into the bathroom and slits his own throat.
This book is part of a series but you don't have to read the other books to follow the story, however; there were some parts of the book I feel I would have understood more if I had read the other books. I liked the phrases incorporated into the story that represent North Carolina. The story wrapped up but there was a little twist that left the storyline open for the next book...
This book centers around Judge Deborah Knott and her husband Deputy Dwight Bryant. In the story a popular young girl, Mallory Johnson, is killed in a car accident. When the blood test comes back and reveals there was alcohol in her system her father is determined to find out what really happened. The author reveal some issues in the family. Mallory has a stepbrother named Charlie who feels she has been pampered her whole life. There is some suspicion Mallory's father killed Charlie's father to gain the love of their mother (however this is never proven). Mallory is also not the perfect young woman many believed. She tore apart several of her friends' relationships and gained some enemies.
In the end we find that her death was an accident. Two local troublemakers were spotlighting deer (shining light in their eyes to paralyze them so they can be shot). They turned their spotlight on Mallory's car. She was in a fight with her brother on the phone and lost control of the vehicle. Mallory's father discovered some trash left on the side of the road by the boys. He drove to their house and shot both of the boys. Deborah and Dwight work together to solve this puzzle. When authorities go to arrest Malcolm Johnson, he asks to clean up before being taken to the station. He goes into the bathroom and slits his own throat.
This book is part of a series but you don't have to read the other books to follow the story, however; there were some parts of the book I feel I would have understood more if I had read the other books. I liked the phrases incorporated into the story that represent North Carolina. The story wrapped up but there was a little twist that left the storyline open for the next book...
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The Trap by: Joan Lowery Nixon 2002 For the Younger Set (Chapter Books) and Popular YA Mystery Series
Julie is upset when her parents told her she is spending the summer with her great aunt and uncle. Julie was mad because what she wants was not taken into consideration. Throughout the book Julie was frustrated with everyone in her family telling her what to do.
Glenda and Gabe live on a ranch that is more like a retirement community that happens to have randomly roaming cows. Julie has to stay with her aunt and uncle because Gabe fell down the steps leading down from his observatory.
Some strange events left Julie playing detective with the help of her best friend, Robin, who loved to read mysteries. Two men mysteriously fell to their deaths. One man fell from his balcony into the ravine below and another fell and hit is head on the edge of his stone fireplace. Gabe was lucky enough to survive and Julie is determined to protect him.
Several of the residents begin missing valuables. Most brush off the missing items because they thought they had just misplaced them. The items started showing up at local flea markets and thrift stores. It became obvious there was a thief on the ranch. Julie tried to make a connection between the murders and the thefts.
Julie looked around the ranch to see who would have access to the homes and the motive to steal. She is convinced the thief is a man named Damien. He worked at the pool and had been in the homes when he tried to sell memberships to people on the ranch. Damien also had a juvenile criminal record for theft. Julie took her concerns to the sheriff but was dismissed as a nosy girl. Julie did not know that the secretary at the sheriff's office was Damien's aunt. Myrtle used the screen name PDQ to warn Julie to drop her snooping. Eventually she realized Damien was not the thief.
The thief ended up being someone most of the residents trusted (isn't this usually the case). Millie Lee was the cleaning lady for most of the families. She had keys to the houses and she was careful to not steal items from the houses she was supposed to be working at on that particular day. The two men who were killed caught her trying to steal from their homes. Millie Lee was convinced Gabe had seen her leaving one of the houses through his telescope so she tried unsuccessful to kill him. When she realized Julie had discovered her crimes, she came to kill her. Julie managed to blind Millie with bright lights and trip her. Julie ended up saving her family despite not wanting to spend the summer on the ranch.
Glenda and Gabe live on a ranch that is more like a retirement community that happens to have randomly roaming cows. Julie has to stay with her aunt and uncle because Gabe fell down the steps leading down from his observatory.
Some strange events left Julie playing detective with the help of her best friend, Robin, who loved to read mysteries. Two men mysteriously fell to their deaths. One man fell from his balcony into the ravine below and another fell and hit is head on the edge of his stone fireplace. Gabe was lucky enough to survive and Julie is determined to protect him.
Several of the residents begin missing valuables. Most brush off the missing items because they thought they had just misplaced them. The items started showing up at local flea markets and thrift stores. It became obvious there was a thief on the ranch. Julie tried to make a connection between the murders and the thefts.
Julie looked around the ranch to see who would have access to the homes and the motive to steal. She is convinced the thief is a man named Damien. He worked at the pool and had been in the homes when he tried to sell memberships to people on the ranch. Damien also had a juvenile criminal record for theft. Julie took her concerns to the sheriff but was dismissed as a nosy girl. Julie did not know that the secretary at the sheriff's office was Damien's aunt. Myrtle used the screen name PDQ to warn Julie to drop her snooping. Eventually she realized Damien was not the thief.
The thief ended up being someone most of the residents trusted (isn't this usually the case). Millie Lee was the cleaning lady for most of the families. She had keys to the houses and she was careful to not steal items from the houses she was supposed to be working at on that particular day. The two men who were killed caught her trying to steal from their homes. Millie Lee was convinced Gabe had seen her leaving one of the houses through his telescope so she tried unsuccessful to kill him. When she realized Julie had discovered her crimes, she came to kill her. Julie managed to blind Millie with bright lights and trip her. Julie ended up saving her family despite not wanting to spend the summer on the ranch.
The Ninth Nugget: A to Z Mysteries by: Ron Roy 2001 For the Younger Set (Chapter Books) and Popular YA Mystery Series
Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose are visiting a dude ranch in Bozeman, Montana. The kids were given this trip by a friend after they helped find his lost lottery ticket. The Wheats own the ranch (Ma, Pa and their son Jud). The ranch had a cook named LuLu and hired hand named Thumbs. A few other people were visiting the ranch named Ed, Fionna and the newlyweds Seth and Bonnie Clyde.
The guests went panning for gold and Josh found a piece as big as a potato. He put the gold in the Wheat's safe until he can take into town to be appraised. The guests decided to go horseback riding. When getting on the horse Ed sprained his ankle and Fionna helped him back to his room. When coming back from their ride, the guests heard the dinner bell ringing. They found LuLu, Ed and Fionna gagged and bound. Josh's nugget was also missing.
Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose set out to find the thief. While everyone is playing cards after supper, the kids searched their rooms for clues. They noticed Ed coming back to his room. He pulled off the bandage on his ankle and was walking fine. He was packing up his belongings and the kids spotted the nugget. Ed had tied up the others and handcuffed himself to his bed. He was a magician and had a set with him.
Ma and Pa were thankful for the kids for getting to the bottom of how this happened. Josh decided not to sell his piece of gold but to give it to the Wheats. The ranch had been struggling and Josh wanted the gold to help them stay open.
This mystery is for younger readers but it also had some red herrings to throw readers off. In my library we have the set of these books and the students really like to read them.
The guests went panning for gold and Josh found a piece as big as a potato. He put the gold in the Wheat's safe until he can take into town to be appraised. The guests decided to go horseback riding. When getting on the horse Ed sprained his ankle and Fionna helped him back to his room. When coming back from their ride, the guests heard the dinner bell ringing. They found LuLu, Ed and Fionna gagged and bound. Josh's nugget was also missing.
Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose set out to find the thief. While everyone is playing cards after supper, the kids searched their rooms for clues. They noticed Ed coming back to his room. He pulled off the bandage on his ankle and was walking fine. He was packing up his belongings and the kids spotted the nugget. Ed had tied up the others and handcuffed himself to his bed. He was a magician and had a set with him.
Ma and Pa were thankful for the kids for getting to the bottom of how this happened. Josh decided not to sell his piece of gold but to give it to the Wheats. The ranch had been struggling and Josh wanted the gold to help them stay open.
This mystery is for younger readers but it also had some red herrings to throw readers off. In my library we have the set of these books and the students really like to read them.
The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin by: Margaret Wise Brown 2003 Picture and Easy Books for the Younger Set--Halloween, Ghost Stories, and Other Spooky Works
This story is about a pumpkin as it grows and all it hopes to be. When he grows up he wants to scare the field mice out of the field like the scarecrow. He wanted a ferocious face like the scarecrow but he stayed smooth. Then the weather starts to cool. The scarecrow is busy scaring the birds away because the sky is full of them. The first frost came and the pumpkin turned the color of the sun! Three children came by the pumpkin and took him home. They cleaned the pumpkin and began to carve him.. They gave him eyes, a nose in the shape of a witch's hat and a mouth with zigzag teeth. The pumpkin was proud of what he had become. He was certain to scare the field mouse now. And he did!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Lovely Bones : Mystery-Suspense, Psychological-Suspense, Psychopathic Killers
This book came highly recommended from a friend from college and after reading it, I know why! It is unbelievable to think there could be a killer in our own neighborhood. The attack was told is such a matter of fact way that it made it even more horrible to readers.
Susie Salmon was just coming home from school one day when her neighbor Mr. Harvey wanted to show her something. Susie thought he was strange but her curiosity led her to a cave/whole in the ground Mr. Harvey dug. She was raped and killed.
I think the main issue I had with this book was the portrayal of heaven. Every one's heaven was different and the fact that Susie was sad in her heaven. I felt it was torture for her to watch what was happening on earth. I felt so sorry for Susie's father. He knew Mr. Harvey killed her but could not prove it. The people in the town began to consider him crazy. I imagine the violent murder of your child would have that affect! I did like when Susie saw all of the victims of Mr. Harvey in heaven. It was as though they had all joined forces again evil. I imagine the hardest part of all was watching everyone else grow up and move on with their lives...something Susie could never do.
Everyone in town seemed to think Ray had something to do with her murder because he was different. I thought the sexual description of his mother was a little strange. I also found it unbelievable that Susie made a connection with Ruth. The two weren't really friends but Ruth knew when Susie was there. The death also brought Ruth and Ray together. People often react oddly when there is a tragedy. Mrs. Salmon began an affair with the detective named Len, who worked the murder case. Mrs. Salmon and her mother even came to an understanding of one another.
In the end, Mr. Harvey is killed by an icicle....Susie's idea of the perfect murder weapon. I felt like Susie got closure by knowing he was dead and you can't help but wonder if she helped cause his death because of the weapon used.
Susie Salmon was just coming home from school one day when her neighbor Mr. Harvey wanted to show her something. Susie thought he was strange but her curiosity led her to a cave/whole in the ground Mr. Harvey dug. She was raped and killed.
I think the main issue I had with this book was the portrayal of heaven. Every one's heaven was different and the fact that Susie was sad in her heaven. I felt it was torture for her to watch what was happening on earth. I felt so sorry for Susie's father. He knew Mr. Harvey killed her but could not prove it. The people in the town began to consider him crazy. I imagine the violent murder of your child would have that affect! I did like when Susie saw all of the victims of Mr. Harvey in heaven. It was as though they had all joined forces again evil. I imagine the hardest part of all was watching everyone else grow up and move on with their lives...something Susie could never do.
Everyone in town seemed to think Ray had something to do with her murder because he was different. I thought the sexual description of his mother was a little strange. I also found it unbelievable that Susie made a connection with Ruth. The two weren't really friends but Ruth knew when Susie was there. The death also brought Ruth and Ray together. People often react oddly when there is a tragedy. Mrs. Salmon began an affair with the detective named Len, who worked the murder case. Mrs. Salmon and her mother even came to an understanding of one another.
In the end, Mr. Harvey is killed by an icicle....Susie's idea of the perfect murder weapon. I felt like Susie got closure by knowing he was dead and you can't help but wonder if she helped cause his death because of the weapon used.
But I Trusted You and Other True Cases: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol. 14 by: Ann Rule 2009 True Crime and Women as Murderers
This book contains a brief study of several crimes committed in the Washington state and Oregon area. In the first story a woman named Teresa (she had several last names she went by) lured in a man named Chuck Leonard. She believed he was wealthy and on paper it appeared that way. He had a lovely home in a wealthy neighborhood along the shore of Lake Goodwin. The two had a long distance relationship before eventually marrying. The troubles started very early. At their wedding reception, Teresa forced one of Chuck's ex-girlfriends to leave (despite the fact that they only dated briefly and remained friends). Chuck's friends and family stated that Teresa isolated Chuck from them. Teresa becomes pregnant and despite their issues they are both excited about being parents. Soon both became distant and had affairs. Eventually the two split but were never officially divorced. Teresa became involved with a former lover who lived in Hawaii. Nick Callas was an extremely wealthy man. Teresa concocts a crazy plan to make him leave his wife and marry her. Unable to have more children, Teresa tries to find a surrogate (she thought if she could give Nick a child of his own he would leave his wife). She even tells her daughter, Morgan, that they were moving to Hawaii and she was going to wear flowers in her hair during the wedding. Teresa soon realizes that Chuck will not allow her to take his daughter that far away from him. She dresses in all black and sneaks into her former home and kills her husband. Teresa hides the clothes and murder weapon at a friend's house. She may have gotten away with murder if not for the fact her friend turned her in. Teresa goes on the run, tries to commit suicide twice, and gets plastic surgery. Eventually she is caught and goes to prison.
The next story seems to be the strangest. Jody and Loren Edwards spend years building their dream boat. They are going to take a three year trip with their two children and one their friends. When off the coast of Tahiti someone hears a distress signal coming from the Spellbound. When rescuers boarded the ship they did not find what they expected. Kerry (the daughter) had suffered a severe head injury, Gary (the son) had a broken wrist, the parents were missing and the only one unharmed was Lori (the friend). There are two different stories about what happened to Kerry. She said she was injured at the same time as her father. She said that she was injured by an out of control boom along with her father. Her brother stated that she fell from her bunk and hit her head. Their father died from injuries from the boom swinging and their mother shot herself after the death of their father. They decided to throw the bodies overboard due to the heat. They had no idea how far from land they were and did not want the bodies to start smelling. They story seemed odd and it was never discovered for sure what happened to the Edwards family.
In the next story Dusty Millroy stabs his mother to death. Before her death, Lorraine had told family members and neighbors she was afraid of her son. A once normal child, became paranoid and strange after years of LSD use. Lorraine did not show up for work and the neighbors saw Dusty driving his mother's van (which she never let him do). After the authorities were called they found a strange scene. There was blood everywhere....in the kitchen and all in the van. Dusty came up with some strange stories. He said he had suffered a nosebleed in the kitchen. He said he thought his mother had killed a chicken in the living room. Finally Dusty admitted to stabbing his mother to death and dumping her body along the road.
Franklin Monohan was found dead along the side of the road. His body was discovered after the snow bank he was placed in melted. It seemed there was little motive for his death. The well dressed man did not meet the typical description of those found tossed by the roadside. No one would have guessed that he lead a secret life. He was involved in the "swinging" community. This fact made the investigation more difficult because people were not eager to talk about their sordid sexual activities. This was too early for DNA testing so investigators followed the trial of charges made on Monohan's credit card. It led them to Don Majors. Majors had lured men in by using pictures of his ex-wife and promising sexual deeds (his ex-wife was unaware of this fact). A young man (the son of one of Major's girlfriends) came forward to explain what happened to Monohan. He was in the car the night Major's shot and then dumped the body of Monohan. He did not want to live the rest of his life in fear of what Majors would do to him and his mother.
The next story seems to be the strangest. Jody and Loren Edwards spend years building their dream boat. They are going to take a three year trip with their two children and one their friends. When off the coast of Tahiti someone hears a distress signal coming from the Spellbound. When rescuers boarded the ship they did not find what they expected. Kerry (the daughter) had suffered a severe head injury, Gary (the son) had a broken wrist, the parents were missing and the only one unharmed was Lori (the friend). There are two different stories about what happened to Kerry. She said she was injured at the same time as her father. She said that she was injured by an out of control boom along with her father. Her brother stated that she fell from her bunk and hit her head. Their father died from injuries from the boom swinging and their mother shot herself after the death of their father. They decided to throw the bodies overboard due to the heat. They had no idea how far from land they were and did not want the bodies to start smelling. They story seemed odd and it was never discovered for sure what happened to the Edwards family.
In the next story Dusty Millroy stabs his mother to death. Before her death, Lorraine had told family members and neighbors she was afraid of her son. A once normal child, became paranoid and strange after years of LSD use. Lorraine did not show up for work and the neighbors saw Dusty driving his mother's van (which she never let him do). After the authorities were called they found a strange scene. There was blood everywhere....in the kitchen and all in the van. Dusty came up with some strange stories. He said he had suffered a nosebleed in the kitchen. He said he thought his mother had killed a chicken in the living room. Finally Dusty admitted to stabbing his mother to death and dumping her body along the road.
Franklin Monohan was found dead along the side of the road. His body was discovered after the snow bank he was placed in melted. It seemed there was little motive for his death. The well dressed man did not meet the typical description of those found tossed by the roadside. No one would have guessed that he lead a secret life. He was involved in the "swinging" community. This fact made the investigation more difficult because people were not eager to talk about their sordid sexual activities. This was too early for DNA testing so investigators followed the trial of charges made on Monohan's credit card. It led them to Don Majors. Majors had lured men in by using pictures of his ex-wife and promising sexual deeds (his ex-wife was unaware of this fact). A young man (the son of one of Major's girlfriends) came forward to explain what happened to Monohan. He was in the car the night Major's shot and then dumped the body of Monohan. He did not want to live the rest of his life in fear of what Majors would do to him and his mother.
No two murderers are alike. As observers we wonder what set them off. This is very true of the next story. The spree of crimes was short lived with just three days of activities. The crimes occurred in a park in Seattle, Washington. Penny DeLeo left early one morning to go for a run in the park. She left a note for her son saying that if he awoke before she got back to fix some breakfast and she would return soon. When she had not returned all day the authorities were called. The next morning her body would be found in the park. Even as they were roping off the crime scene another woman can screaming through the park claiming someone tried to attack her. The woman gave a description of her attacker. And later another woman would come forward and say she was attacked the day before Penny DeLeo. There attacker turned out to be fifteen year old Lee Dubois. On the surface it seemed unlikely this young man would attack. His mother had a degree in educational psychology and his stepfather was on engineer for Boeing. It turned out Lee's past was not as pleasant and there had been violence between his mother and biological father. Lee was sentenced to life in prison for brutally stabbing Penny DeLeo and his attempted attacks on the two other women.
I grew up in small town where it was not uncommon to see young people walking around town. This was true of Enumclaw, Washington as well. Two teenagers, Camilla and Keith, took a walk one afternoon that would change their lives forever. Reverend Thomas Tweedie and Robert McCleod were driving down Scatter Creek Road when a bleeding young woman appeared from the bushes. The young woman jumped in the car and moments later they heard a gun shot. The girl was screaming that the men had to help her friend. The girl told the men a madman was beating her friend with a shovel. It all started when Jerry Ross stopped and asked the teens if they wanted a ride. They were forced into the car when Ross pulled a gun. When Camilla was begging him to let them go he shot her in the leg. He drove them to a deserted stretch of land. Ross forced the teens to remove all their clothing and have sex. They refused and Keith moved in front of Camilla to protect her. Ross began striking Keith with a shovel. Camilla was able to escape but she was unable to save Keith. Ross died in 2006 while in prison. It is believed he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder from his time as a Marine in Vietnam.
The final tale in the book will make you wonder how many chances a criminal deserves. The story starts with a family camping for Labor Day weekend and then disappearing into thin air. Richard and Belinda Cowden took their 5 year old son and 5 month old daughter camping near their home. They had made plans to eat dinner with Belinda's mother the following Sunday evening. When they did not show up for dinner she knew something was wrong. Their remains would be found months later. Richard's remains were tied to a tree while the rest of his family was stuffed into a nearby cave. Detectives would discovered the family was believed to be killed by Dwain Little. Little had been convicted of murdering a female neighbor at the age of 16. He was the youngest person to ever be in prison in Washington. Dwain later attacks a co-worker. He almost cut off her hand and foot. He also stabbed her in the skull. The woman was pregnant and luckily did not lose the baby. Dwain was in and out of jail but some how was always released. The Cowden family will never know for sure what happened to their relatives but based on circumstantial evidence it seems Little did commit the crime. Little had learned to play the system and mask the animal that simmered just below the surface.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Gone for Good by: Harlan Coben 2002 Mystery-Suspense, Psychological-Suspense, Psychopathic Killers
Can you imagine your brother being accused of sleeping with and then murdering your first love? Will Klein is still trying to come to terms with what happened 11 years ago. His brother was accused of this horrific crime and then goes on the run. Many members of the family believe Ken died the night of the attack because a lot his blood was found at the scene of the crime. The family is just trying to move on with their lives when Will's mother makes a shocking statement on her deathbed. She tells Will his brother is still alive. Will goes on a dangerous hunt for answers.
The chapters in the book are written by different locations so the reader gains a little piece of the puzzle at a time. At times this seemed confusing and hard to follow. Even as I am trying to reflect on the book I am having a hard time with where to begin.
Will was very much in love with a woman he thought was named Shelia. One day Shelia disappears. Will later finds out that she has been killed and that she had dated his brother. Will begins to question their whole relationship. Was it all just a sham? When Will attends the funeral he discovers this Shelia is not the woman he was in a relationship with. So why was she using her name?
Ken had gotten involved in some pretty bad stuff before he disappeared. Two men he grew up with (McGuane and the Ghost) were like mobsters. McGuane was very successful and the Ghost was a hit man used around the world. It was believed that Ken had come home to hide from the two.
Will joins forces with his murdered ex-girlfriend's younger sister, Katy. They wanted to find out what really happened to Julie. In the process they are both almost killed by the Ghost. I will admit this story had me confused but I thought Ken was innocent.
In the end....Will's girlfriend Shelia and switched identities with another woman to avoid her abusive husband but when people started looking for the real Shelia she had to go into hiding. You are lead to believe that the Ghost was the real killer but in the end he ending up being the bad guy who does the right thing. Ken did kill Julie and this was an even bigger blow because she was pregnant with Will's baby but he did not know it at the time (the Ghost tells him at the end of the book). In the end Ken's story did not hold up and Will realized he was lying. Ken does not run this time and is captured by the police. The Ghost turns in information about McGuane to have him charged with murder and it does not say it but he insinuates that he killed Shelia's abusive ex-husband so they won't have to look over their shoulders. In the end we find out that the Ghost truly loved Julie and wanted her daughter to be able to have a safe and happy life. He may have killed a few people to make this happen. Like I said, he was a bad guy trying to do the right thing....even if his methods were wrong.
The chapters in the book are written by different locations so the reader gains a little piece of the puzzle at a time. At times this seemed confusing and hard to follow. Even as I am trying to reflect on the book I am having a hard time with where to begin.
Will was very much in love with a woman he thought was named Shelia. One day Shelia disappears. Will later finds out that she has been killed and that she had dated his brother. Will begins to question their whole relationship. Was it all just a sham? When Will attends the funeral he discovers this Shelia is not the woman he was in a relationship with. So why was she using her name?
Ken had gotten involved in some pretty bad stuff before he disappeared. Two men he grew up with (McGuane and the Ghost) were like mobsters. McGuane was very successful and the Ghost was a hit man used around the world. It was believed that Ken had come home to hide from the two.
Will joins forces with his murdered ex-girlfriend's younger sister, Katy. They wanted to find out what really happened to Julie. In the process they are both almost killed by the Ghost. I will admit this story had me confused but I thought Ken was innocent.
In the end....Will's girlfriend Shelia and switched identities with another woman to avoid her abusive husband but when people started looking for the real Shelia she had to go into hiding. You are lead to believe that the Ghost was the real killer but in the end he ending up being the bad guy who does the right thing. Ken did kill Julie and this was an even bigger blow because she was pregnant with Will's baby but he did not know it at the time (the Ghost tells him at the end of the book). In the end Ken's story did not hold up and Will realized he was lying. Ken does not run this time and is captured by the police. The Ghost turns in information about McGuane to have him charged with murder and it does not say it but he insinuates that he killed Shelia's abusive ex-husband so they won't have to look over their shoulders. In the end we find out that the Ghost truly loved Julie and wanted her daughter to be able to have a safe and happy life. He may have killed a few people to make this happen. Like I said, he was a bad guy trying to do the right thing....even if his methods were wrong.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Dovey Coe by: Frances O'Roark Dowell 2000 North Carolina and Appalachian Writers
I really love the character of Dovey Coe. She is a sassy young lady who speaks her mind. The story opens up and the reader finds out that Dovey is accused of killing Parnell Caraway. Parnell's father was the richest man around. Parnell and his sister, Paris, were two of the meanest kids around. Parnell was smitten with Dovey's sister Caroline. Caroline and Dovey were very different. Carolina was a beauty who seemed fragile. She used her looks to sometimes get what she wanted. Dovey also had a brother, Amos. Amos did not speak or hear but he used other ways to communicate. He and Dovey roamed the area gathering rocks, animals and plants. Eventhough Amos is older than Dovey she often assumes the role of his protector.
Parnell and Dovey had hated each other from the beginning. Parnell looked down on other people and he treated Amos poorly. Dovey could not believe Caroline was even entertaining him. One night while visiting for dinner, Parnell made what he thought was a joke but it made Caroline made. He made the assumption that she would not go to college like her original plan but stay in Indian Creek and become his wife. Parnell said why would Caroline want to become a teacher. He had never seen her pick up a book and he wasn't sure she could even read!
Caroline decided after Parnell's comment that she wanted a big going away party but she did not tell him what exactly the party was for. The Coe family spent days preparing for the party and invited all the neighbors. Parnell surprised everyone when he proposed to Caroline at the party. She rejected him in front of all the people at the party. Parnell was hell bent on revenge!
Dovey's parents had gone to take Caroline to school so she and Amos were staying with their grandparents. Dovey had gone back to their house to get clothes for church when Paris Caraway came driving up to the house. Paris said that one of Amos' dogs had tried to bite Parnell and he had the dog at his family's store. Dovey went to the store to retrieve the dog. Parnell began to scold Dovey for her smart mouth. He went to throw a brick at the dog and Dovey cut his arm with her pocket knife. Parnell pulled back his fist to hit Dovey. When she came to Dovey had a terrible headache and Parnell was dead. Dovey had no clue what happened but she was accused of murder.
Dovey goes on trial for the murder. She had her doubts about her young lawyer, Mr. Harding. It was not hard to find people in the town who knew Dovey's hatred for Parnell or who had heard her say mean things about him. Parnell was killed when he was hit over the head with a metal soda canister. Dovey was found innocent when she proved that she could not lift the canister over her head much less throw it at anyone. In the end Dovey realized that Amos had killed Parnell. He came back to the shop and found Dovey lying on the ground. He was afraid Parnell would kill her and did what he had to in order to protect Dovey.
Parnell and Dovey had hated each other from the beginning. Parnell looked down on other people and he treated Amos poorly. Dovey could not believe Caroline was even entertaining him. One night while visiting for dinner, Parnell made what he thought was a joke but it made Caroline made. He made the assumption that she would not go to college like her original plan but stay in Indian Creek and become his wife. Parnell said why would Caroline want to become a teacher. He had never seen her pick up a book and he wasn't sure she could even read!
Caroline decided after Parnell's comment that she wanted a big going away party but she did not tell him what exactly the party was for. The Coe family spent days preparing for the party and invited all the neighbors. Parnell surprised everyone when he proposed to Caroline at the party. She rejected him in front of all the people at the party. Parnell was hell bent on revenge!
Dovey's parents had gone to take Caroline to school so she and Amos were staying with their grandparents. Dovey had gone back to their house to get clothes for church when Paris Caraway came driving up to the house. Paris said that one of Amos' dogs had tried to bite Parnell and he had the dog at his family's store. Dovey went to the store to retrieve the dog. Parnell began to scold Dovey for her smart mouth. He went to throw a brick at the dog and Dovey cut his arm with her pocket knife. Parnell pulled back his fist to hit Dovey. When she came to Dovey had a terrible headache and Parnell was dead. Dovey had no clue what happened but she was accused of murder.
Dovey goes on trial for the murder. She had her doubts about her young lawyer, Mr. Harding. It was not hard to find people in the town who knew Dovey's hatred for Parnell or who had heard her say mean things about him. Parnell was killed when he was hit over the head with a metal soda canister. Dovey was found innocent when she proved that she could not lift the canister over her head much less throw it at anyone. In the end Dovey realized that Amos had killed Parnell. He came back to the shop and found Dovey lying on the ground. He was afraid Parnell would kill her and did what he had to in order to protect Dovey.
No Place Like Home by: Mary Higgins Clark 2005 Romance Mystery Writers
I had never read any Mary Higgins Clark before but I noticed in going to the public library that she has written many books and after reading No Place Like Home I can understand why she is so widely published and read. This book had me guessing up until the very end.
In this book you find that Celia Nolan has a dark past. Her birth name was Liza Barton. Liza's father died in a horse riding accident and her mother later remarries a man named Ted Cartwright. Liza never warms up to Cartwright and when the marriage began to crumble he blamed Liza. One night Liza awakens to hear her mother and Ted fighting. Liza remembers how afraid of Cartwright her mother had seemed lately. Liza goes to where she knows her mother has a gun hidden. When she enters the room Ted is grabbing her mother. Liza demands he release her mother. Ted shoves Liza's mother toward her and the gun goes off accidentally killing her. Ted then starts toward Liza and she opens fire on him. She does not kill her stepfather but the events of this night will forever change the life of this ten year old girl.
During the trial Ted tries to portray Liza as a cold blooded killer who knew what she was doing. One of the neighbors, Marcella Williams supports Ted's portrayal in court. Eventually the shooting will be ruled an accident and Liza is adopted by some distant relatives and changes her name to Celia.
Celia marries Laurence Foster and has a son named Jack. Her husband becomes ill and makes Celia promise to never tell about her past because of what it would do to their child. Later she remarries a cousin of her late husband, Alex Nolan.
Alex has a surprise for Celia's birthday. They were looking to buy a larger home. Unknown to Celia Alex purchases the home in which she accidentally killed her mother as a child. When they get to the new house someone has splashed red paint all over the house and had written LITTLE LIZZIE'S PLACE BEWARE! They had also carved a skill and crossbones on the front door with Liza Barton's initials in the eyes of the skulls. All this is too much for Celia and she collapses. The next morning she finds a picture of Liza and her parents taped up in the barn. It becomes clear someone is trying to send her message. Has someone discovered who she really is?
The real estate agent who sold the home to Alex, Georgette Grove was not entirely truthful in the home's past and is afraid of losing the sale. She offers to show Celia some more homes in the area and fore go her commission. When Celia goes out to a lovely farm house to meet Georgette she finds her dead in the house. The murder weapon is laying in a stain of red paint. The same red paint which was used to vandalize the house. Celia freaks out and leaves and goes straight home before calling the police. This makes her look suspicious to the police because she got back home very quickly. Either she is lying about what time she found the body or she knew where she was going. It becomes clear to Celia that someone is trying to set her up.
She goes on a mission to clear herself of these murders and the death of her mother. She begins digging into the past. She found out that her mother had dated Ted Cartwright before her father and they had even been engaged. The author leads you to believe that Ted is behind the deaths. Eventually it is discovered a local yard/maintenance man named Charley Hatch vandalized the house. He got paint on his shoes and paints and this is discovered by a detective on the case. Before he can be questioned Charley is found dead. Celia just happened to be passing through the area around the time of the death further making her look guilty.
Celia starts taking riding lessons from the same man who gave her father riding lessons so many years before. She begins asking questions about the accident in which her father died. She offers to pay Zach Willet $1,000,000 for the truth. He tells Celia that Ted Cartwright had been on the trail the day her father died. Her father was afraid of horses and very little control of his horse. Cartwright fired a gun and spooked the horse. The horse and Will Barton went tumbling down the cliff to their death. Willet said he had proof of all of this. Celia made an appointment to meet with him later that evening. When she went to meet him, Willet was dead in his car.
While Celia is doing all this research to clear her name, a reporter has discovered her true identity. She takes this information to Jeffrey MacKingsley the prosecutor for the county. Normally the prosecutor does not work with the media but her promised the reporter if she would hold the story until he tied up some lose ends, she would have the full story. It turns out MacKingsley also believed Celia was innocent...both now and as a child.
Celia awakens to someone calling her Liza and telling her to drink something. The killer turns out to be her husband Alex. He is working with his girlfriend Robin, who working for the real estate agent who sold Alex the house. It turns out Alex was mad that his cousin left all his money to Celia and Jack. He worked with Robin to set up Celia. He wanted to make it look she was emotionally unstable. Alex placed Celia and Jack in a running car in the garage and waited for the fumes to kill them. They managed to survive. Celia/Liza's name is cleared. Ted Cartwright goes to jail for the death of her father. Robin and Alex both go to jail for their crimes. Celia ends up staying the house which haunted her before she knew the truth. She ended up marrying Jeffrey MacKingsley....
In this book you find that Celia Nolan has a dark past. Her birth name was Liza Barton. Liza's father died in a horse riding accident and her mother later remarries a man named Ted Cartwright. Liza never warms up to Cartwright and when the marriage began to crumble he blamed Liza. One night Liza awakens to hear her mother and Ted fighting. Liza remembers how afraid of Cartwright her mother had seemed lately. Liza goes to where she knows her mother has a gun hidden. When she enters the room Ted is grabbing her mother. Liza demands he release her mother. Ted shoves Liza's mother toward her and the gun goes off accidentally killing her. Ted then starts toward Liza and she opens fire on him. She does not kill her stepfather but the events of this night will forever change the life of this ten year old girl.
During the trial Ted tries to portray Liza as a cold blooded killer who knew what she was doing. One of the neighbors, Marcella Williams supports Ted's portrayal in court. Eventually the shooting will be ruled an accident and Liza is adopted by some distant relatives and changes her name to Celia.
Celia marries Laurence Foster and has a son named Jack. Her husband becomes ill and makes Celia promise to never tell about her past because of what it would do to their child. Later she remarries a cousin of her late husband, Alex Nolan.
Alex has a surprise for Celia's birthday. They were looking to buy a larger home. Unknown to Celia Alex purchases the home in which she accidentally killed her mother as a child. When they get to the new house someone has splashed red paint all over the house and had written LITTLE LIZZIE'S PLACE BEWARE! They had also carved a skill and crossbones on the front door with Liza Barton's initials in the eyes of the skulls. All this is too much for Celia and she collapses. The next morning she finds a picture of Liza and her parents taped up in the barn. It becomes clear someone is trying to send her message. Has someone discovered who she really is?
The real estate agent who sold the home to Alex, Georgette Grove was not entirely truthful in the home's past and is afraid of losing the sale. She offers to show Celia some more homes in the area and fore go her commission. When Celia goes out to a lovely farm house to meet Georgette she finds her dead in the house. The murder weapon is laying in a stain of red paint. The same red paint which was used to vandalize the house. Celia freaks out and leaves and goes straight home before calling the police. This makes her look suspicious to the police because she got back home very quickly. Either she is lying about what time she found the body or she knew where she was going. It becomes clear to Celia that someone is trying to set her up.
She goes on a mission to clear herself of these murders and the death of her mother. She begins digging into the past. She found out that her mother had dated Ted Cartwright before her father and they had even been engaged. The author leads you to believe that Ted is behind the deaths. Eventually it is discovered a local yard/maintenance man named Charley Hatch vandalized the house. He got paint on his shoes and paints and this is discovered by a detective on the case. Before he can be questioned Charley is found dead. Celia just happened to be passing through the area around the time of the death further making her look guilty.
Celia starts taking riding lessons from the same man who gave her father riding lessons so many years before. She begins asking questions about the accident in which her father died. She offers to pay Zach Willet $1,000,000 for the truth. He tells Celia that Ted Cartwright had been on the trail the day her father died. Her father was afraid of horses and very little control of his horse. Cartwright fired a gun and spooked the horse. The horse and Will Barton went tumbling down the cliff to their death. Willet said he had proof of all of this. Celia made an appointment to meet with him later that evening. When she went to meet him, Willet was dead in his car.
While Celia is doing all this research to clear her name, a reporter has discovered her true identity. She takes this information to Jeffrey MacKingsley the prosecutor for the county. Normally the prosecutor does not work with the media but her promised the reporter if she would hold the story until he tied up some lose ends, she would have the full story. It turns out MacKingsley also believed Celia was innocent...both now and as a child.
Celia awakens to someone calling her Liza and telling her to drink something. The killer turns out to be her husband Alex. He is working with his girlfriend Robin, who working for the real estate agent who sold Alex the house. It turns out Alex was mad that his cousin left all his money to Celia and Jack. He worked with Robin to set up Celia. He wanted to make it look she was emotionally unstable. Alex placed Celia and Jack in a running car in the garage and waited for the fumes to kill them. They managed to survive. Celia/Liza's name is cleared. Ted Cartwright goes to jail for the death of her father. Robin and Alex both go to jail for their crimes. Celia ends up staying the house which haunted her before she knew the truth. She ended up marrying Jeffrey MacKingsley....
The Mistress of Murder Hill by: Sylvia Shepherd 2001 True Crime and Women as Murderers
I HATED THIS BOOK! I felt that is was a very interesting story but the book was poorly written. I will give Shepard credit for all the research that had to have gone into writing the book. I wish the book had been more organized. In some parts the book skipped around and repeated itself (I read about how the bodies were cut up at least 5 times!). I wish the book had started at the beginning of Belle's crimes and went through to the fire and the investigation.
I found it interesting how many people fell victim to Belle. She was not described as a particularly attractive woman yet these men were flocking from all over the country. I guess they were more interested in the farm than Belle. She also seemed very cunning in her letters to these men. One thing I did find interesting were the stories of the men who had narrowly avoided becoming one of Belle's victims. Especially the man who woke up to find Belle standing above him with a candle in hand.
There were a couple of parts that I found difficult to believe but I had to remind myself that this indeed was a true story. Based on the book it was speculated by several people that Belle had something to do with both of her husband's murders (I mean really being hit the face from a falling meat grinder!) but nothing was ever done about it. I understand that forensics was pretty much non-existent and it was difficult to prove the cause of death. I also found it strange that Belle had all these children who were known not to be hers. Why did people keep giving Belle their children? Also these men kept disappearing from the farm and nothing was done about it. Did people not think it was strange that these men left all their possessions?
The book seemed to be quotes from newspapers and interviews from people that were not really connected. I felt the connections were often forced in the book. I was also irritated by all the suspected victims that were mentioned. I know they could not tell for certain who some of the bodies were but at the same time it seemed that the author mentioned 1,000 potential victims. In the end the thing that bothered me the most was the lack of answers. I wanted to know what happened to Belle and if that was indeed her body in the fire (which I do not believe it was because it was too small). I wanted to know Lamphere's true involvement in the events. When a book ends I like to have answers and that was not the case with this book.
I found it interesting how many people fell victim to Belle. She was not described as a particularly attractive woman yet these men were flocking from all over the country. I guess they were more interested in the farm than Belle. She also seemed very cunning in her letters to these men. One thing I did find interesting were the stories of the men who had narrowly avoided becoming one of Belle's victims. Especially the man who woke up to find Belle standing above him with a candle in hand.
There were a couple of parts that I found difficult to believe but I had to remind myself that this indeed was a true story. Based on the book it was speculated by several people that Belle had something to do with both of her husband's murders (I mean really being hit the face from a falling meat grinder!) but nothing was ever done about it. I understand that forensics was pretty much non-existent and it was difficult to prove the cause of death. I also found it strange that Belle had all these children who were known not to be hers. Why did people keep giving Belle their children? Also these men kept disappearing from the farm and nothing was done about it. Did people not think it was strange that these men left all their possessions?
The book seemed to be quotes from newspapers and interviews from people that were not really connected. I felt the connections were often forced in the book. I was also irritated by all the suspected victims that were mentioned. I know they could not tell for certain who some of the bodies were but at the same time it seemed that the author mentioned 1,000 potential victims. In the end the thing that bothered me the most was the lack of answers. I wanted to know what happened to Belle and if that was indeed her body in the fire (which I do not believe it was because it was too small). I wanted to know Lamphere's true involvement in the events. When a book ends I like to have answers and that was not the case with this book.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
"A" Is for Alibi by: Sue Grafton 2001 Women Detectives and More Ethnic Sleuths
This mystery follows the female private detective Kinsey Millhone. I enjoyed reading a mystery with a female main character (even though I figured out who the killer was pretty early on). Kinsey is a straight talking, no frills character. When trying to get information from one detective he said, “I thought you would be more of a flirt.” I liked that Kinsey did not use the fact that she was a female to get what she wants.
Kinsey is hired by Nikki Fife after she is released from prison. Nikki was incarcerated for the murder of her husband. Her adulterating husband, Lawrence, was poisoned when some of his medication was tainted with oleander. The trial portrayed Nikki as a scorned wife and proved she had motive. Now free, she was determined to clear her name.
Kinsey begins to visit the assortment of women who were involved with Lawrence at some point in time. She soon realizes that Lawrence is a cruel man that a number of women would want to kill. Someone planted a letter to make it seem like Lawrence was involved in a girl who handled his law firm’s accounts. In the end this girl was killed just a matter of days after Lawrence because she knew too much.
Kinsey met with Lawrence’s partner at the law firm, Charlie Scorsoni to learn more about the case. Kinsey and Scorsoni soon became romantically involved. Kinsey breaks the cardinal rule and this is when I became suspicious. Lawrence was killed by his ex-wife, who was extremely angry when he left her for the younger Nikki. But Scorsoni saw Lawrence’s death as an opportunity to get rid of his accountant lover who knew too much. He poisons her in the same way Lawrence was killed. Scorsoni also killed the ex-wife by hitting her with a car while she was on her morning run in an effort to keep her from talking. Kinsey tries to see if there was any damage to Scorsoni’s car and finds herself in a dangerous position. Kinsey begins running along the edge of the beach and trying to get away from the murderer. She eventually hides in a trash can but he discovered her hiding place. Scorsoni tries to attack Kinsey with a knife but she shoots him before he has the chance.
Kinsey is hired by Nikki Fife after she is released from prison. Nikki was incarcerated for the murder of her husband. Her adulterating husband, Lawrence, was poisoned when some of his medication was tainted with oleander. The trial portrayed Nikki as a scorned wife and proved she had motive. Now free, she was determined to clear her name.
Kinsey begins to visit the assortment of women who were involved with Lawrence at some point in time. She soon realizes that Lawrence is a cruel man that a number of women would want to kill. Someone planted a letter to make it seem like Lawrence was involved in a girl who handled his law firm’s accounts. In the end this girl was killed just a matter of days after Lawrence because she knew too much.
Kinsey met with Lawrence’s partner at the law firm, Charlie Scorsoni to learn more about the case. Kinsey and Scorsoni soon became romantically involved. Kinsey breaks the cardinal rule and this is when I became suspicious. Lawrence was killed by his ex-wife, who was extremely angry when he left her for the younger Nikki. But Scorsoni saw Lawrence’s death as an opportunity to get rid of his accountant lover who knew too much. He poisons her in the same way Lawrence was killed. Scorsoni also killed the ex-wife by hitting her with a car while she was on her morning run in an effort to keep her from talking. Kinsey tries to see if there was any damage to Scorsoni’s car and finds herself in a dangerous position. Kinsey begins running along the edge of the beach and trying to get away from the murderer. She eventually hides in a trash can but he discovered her hiding place. Scorsoni tries to attack Kinsey with a knife but she shoots him before he has the chance.
Wadmalaw by: Bart Bare 2011 Southern Ghosts and Haunted Places
So the thing that I loved about this book is that the characters spoke a lot like me! I am a sucker for drawn out vowels and sweet tea (spiked tea at that)! I loved the descriptions of the South and the traditions represented. One example of this is when Bambi and Liv were visiting with Mrs. Sweet. Liv had to step back and realize there was a certain protocol to be followed. I LOVED the character of Mrs. Sweet. Every family should be so lucky as to have a matriarch to teach and love the younger generations. The way she told stories reminded me of my own grandmother.
I found the slave/owner angle interesting as well. I have often wondered about these large plantations found in the South. I was curious about if there were indeed ghosts or strange incidents resulting from years of oppression being inflicted upon the slaves who worked there. I am not normally a big fan of flashbacks but I felt finding out a little at a time was a good thing in this case. Mrs. Sweet is slowly filling in the blanks (this is a good thing because the whole story is way too unbelievable to get at one time). I liked learning about the history of the house. It was nice to see Alexander Maxton die after all the hurt he caused to his family and the slaves he owned. I would like to have seen a little more suffering but that is just me!
Now there were some things that I had a hard time believing as well. First of all...how many people do you know are going to walk around their own home carrying guns and living like prisoners? I found it very unrealistic that Liv and Autis would be sitting ducks waiting for the panther to strike again or the ghosts in the pub to strike. It seemed like they waited for months after coming up with a plan to take action. If I were them I would have acted immediately if not sooner or leave the place all together! I feel like the last 50 pages or so just drug on. I get it...you have a lot of ghosts around your house and they are mad. What are you going to do about it? To me it would have been more powerful if they focused on one ghost. It was unbelievable that they were fighting a flock of ghosts.
Another issue I had was the character of Autis. I felt like the author tried too hard to make Autis perfect. He fought for his country and was protector of his wife and friends. The men in the community admired him for cutting the head off the panther and the women all wanted to sleep with him. It was inappropriate for Bambi to sexually harass him throughout the book and proposition his wife for one night with him. If a woman constantly talked about how much she wanted my husband, our friendship would be short lived! Autis had to forgive Liv for having an affair with a ghost (how is that even possible and why did she keep going into the basement if here husband were all he was made out to be).
Another issue I had was the fact that why did Camille and Mongo have to be brother and sister. This really took away from the undying love aspect for me. Nothing is romantic about incest. I also thought trying to make the connection between Liv and Mrs. Sweet was a bit messy.
I feel like in theory this story was a good idea but the author went overboard on the details. If you are writing a ghost story focus on one ghost. If Bambi is going to have dark past just let one horrific thing happen to her (how many times can she be taken advantage of sexually?). How many times do we have to kill this panther? Why does Autis have to be so perfect? The author could have focused his efforts a little more because I found myself just wishing the book was over in the end.
I found the slave/owner angle interesting as well. I have often wondered about these large plantations found in the South. I was curious about if there were indeed ghosts or strange incidents resulting from years of oppression being inflicted upon the slaves who worked there. I am not normally a big fan of flashbacks but I felt finding out a little at a time was a good thing in this case. Mrs. Sweet is slowly filling in the blanks (this is a good thing because the whole story is way too unbelievable to get at one time). I liked learning about the history of the house. It was nice to see Alexander Maxton die after all the hurt he caused to his family and the slaves he owned. I would like to have seen a little more suffering but that is just me!
Now there were some things that I had a hard time believing as well. First of all...how many people do you know are going to walk around their own home carrying guns and living like prisoners? I found it very unrealistic that Liv and Autis would be sitting ducks waiting for the panther to strike again or the ghosts in the pub to strike. It seemed like they waited for months after coming up with a plan to take action. If I were them I would have acted immediately if not sooner or leave the place all together! I feel like the last 50 pages or so just drug on. I get it...you have a lot of ghosts around your house and they are mad. What are you going to do about it? To me it would have been more powerful if they focused on one ghost. It was unbelievable that they were fighting a flock of ghosts.
Another issue I had was the character of Autis. I felt like the author tried too hard to make Autis perfect. He fought for his country and was protector of his wife and friends. The men in the community admired him for cutting the head off the panther and the women all wanted to sleep with him. It was inappropriate for Bambi to sexually harass him throughout the book and proposition his wife for one night with him. If a woman constantly talked about how much she wanted my husband, our friendship would be short lived! Autis had to forgive Liv for having an affair with a ghost (how is that even possible and why did she keep going into the basement if here husband were all he was made out to be).
Another issue I had was the fact that why did Camille and Mongo have to be brother and sister. This really took away from the undying love aspect for me. Nothing is romantic about incest. I also thought trying to make the connection between Liv and Mrs. Sweet was a bit messy.
I feel like in theory this story was a good idea but the author went overboard on the details. If you are writing a ghost story focus on one ghost. If Bambi is going to have dark past just let one horrific thing happen to her (how many times can she be taken advantage of sexually?). How many times do we have to kill this panther? Why does Autis have to be so perfect? The author could have focused his efforts a little more because I found myself just wishing the book was over in the end.
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by: Helen Grant 2010 Technothrillers, Haunted Places, Ghost Stories, the Supernatural and Miscellany
Flipping back and forth to the dictionary was very distracting for me as a reader. I understand the purpose of having the German words to help get a feel for the culture, but I found it difficult to follow.
How many ghosts, witches and fire burning men can really be found in one small German town? I felt so bad for Pia after the death of her grandmother (can we say scarred for life after watching my grandmother melt). Children can be mean and this point was proved by the way Pia's peers treated her after the death of her grandmother. I can't imagine being know as the girl whose grandmother spontaneously combusted. One good thing did result from Pia being ignored by her former friends; she became friends with StinkStefan. Stefan had his issues as a character but he stood by Pia when no one else would even speak to her.
Frau Kressel played an interesting role in the book as well. She was used by the author to fill the reader in on information (or rather lead us away from who the real killer is). She reminds me of people who start pointing fingers at others without having any proof (the leader of the lynch mob). We all know people who love nothing more than to gossip!
I cannot imagine how the people in the town felt at the disappearance of several young girls. Much like Pia's mother, I would have been upset. I would be afraid to let my children out of my sight. In the end this was too much stress for Pia's family and her parents split up.
The brothers Herr Duster and Herr Schiller added an interesting twist. Throughout the story Pia and Stefan visited Herr Schiller. They looked up to him and he told them all about the town's history. Herr Duster on the other hand was believed to be the one responsible for the disappearance of the young girls (thanks to Frau Kessel spreading her lies). It must have been devastating in the end for the kids to find out the man they looked up was really the killer (in the case of Pia, he tried to kill her as well).
In the end Pia said that she doesn't think about her time in Germany much and I find that unlikely! I am much more of a realistic reader so I had to really let my imagination roam on this novel. In the end things had come full circle with the Herr Duster wanted to be called Hans.
How many ghosts, witches and fire burning men can really be found in one small German town? I felt so bad for Pia after the death of her grandmother (can we say scarred for life after watching my grandmother melt). Children can be mean and this point was proved by the way Pia's peers treated her after the death of her grandmother. I can't imagine being know as the girl whose grandmother spontaneously combusted. One good thing did result from Pia being ignored by her former friends; she became friends with StinkStefan. Stefan had his issues as a character but he stood by Pia when no one else would even speak to her.
Frau Kressel played an interesting role in the book as well. She was used by the author to fill the reader in on information (or rather lead us away from who the real killer is). She reminds me of people who start pointing fingers at others without having any proof (the leader of the lynch mob). We all know people who love nothing more than to gossip!
I cannot imagine how the people in the town felt at the disappearance of several young girls. Much like Pia's mother, I would have been upset. I would be afraid to let my children out of my sight. In the end this was too much stress for Pia's family and her parents split up.
The brothers Herr Duster and Herr Schiller added an interesting twist. Throughout the story Pia and Stefan visited Herr Schiller. They looked up to him and he told them all about the town's history. Herr Duster on the other hand was believed to be the one responsible for the disappearance of the young girls (thanks to Frau Kessel spreading her lies). It must have been devastating in the end for the kids to find out the man they looked up was really the killer (in the case of Pia, he tried to kill her as well).
In the end Pia said that she doesn't think about her time in Germany much and I find that unlikely! I am much more of a realistic reader so I had to really let my imagination roam on this novel. In the end things had come full circle with the Herr Duster wanted to be called Hans.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Other Side of Dark by: Sarah Smith 2010 Technothrillers, Haunted Places, Ghost Stories, the Supernatural and Miscellany
I found this book especially creepy! I think one reason this book bothered my are the ghosts in the book. Since I was a child I have been very afraid of ghosts and I had to keep reminding myself that this was just fiction. Poor Katie has the "gift" of seeing ghosts. I could not imagine leaving my apartment every day and seeing my father hanging out (literally) outside my apartment. Katie was a seemingly normal girl before the death of her mother; before she lost it. Katie is not sure at first if she is really seeing ghosts or if they are hallucinations.
Katie finds someone who understands her and wants to help. Law is a intelligent young man who once had a crush on Katie. The two start a friendship that will help them both. Law encourages Katie to express what she sees through her drawings. Law is forbidden by his parents to see Katie after her drawings turn dark. One part of the book that was eerie was when Katie visited Law's house she could see his grandmother his father's office.
I have to be honest....Law's parents drove me crazy. His mother was hell bent on saving the old historical home despite it's jaded past and his father was obsessed with reparations. Law's father in particular angered me. He refused to call his son by his birth name and forced his son to give a speech based on what he thought was correct not what Law believed. I thought his dad was a hypocrite because he wanted equality for African Americans yet he refused to let his son be who he was or date who he wanted. If I had to read about reparations one more time I would have put this book down!
Katie befriends George after meeting him while walking near Pinebank. George is the handicapped grandson of Thomas Handasyd Perkins (the builder of Pinebank). It is believed that George holds the key to the treasure buried someone in the ruins of Pinebank. In the end Katie escapes death and discovers that Pinebank contains an station from the underground railroad and saves Pinebank.
All in all the book had some good aspects but some parts seemed to drag on. I felt some parts were redundant. I did feel like teens could relate to the part about Katie and Law fighting to be who they were and date who they wanted. My biggest issue with the book was that Katie wanted to see her mother more than anything yet that was the one person she could not see. I spent the whole book wishing she could just see her!
Katie finds someone who understands her and wants to help. Law is a intelligent young man who once had a crush on Katie. The two start a friendship that will help them both. Law encourages Katie to express what she sees through her drawings. Law is forbidden by his parents to see Katie after her drawings turn dark. One part of the book that was eerie was when Katie visited Law's house she could see his grandmother his father's office.
I have to be honest....Law's parents drove me crazy. His mother was hell bent on saving the old historical home despite it's jaded past and his father was obsessed with reparations. Law's father in particular angered me. He refused to call his son by his birth name and forced his son to give a speech based on what he thought was correct not what Law believed. I thought his dad was a hypocrite because he wanted equality for African Americans yet he refused to let his son be who he was or date who he wanted. If I had to read about reparations one more time I would have put this book down!
Katie befriends George after meeting him while walking near Pinebank. George is the handicapped grandson of Thomas Handasyd Perkins (the builder of Pinebank). It is believed that George holds the key to the treasure buried someone in the ruins of Pinebank. In the end Katie escapes death and discovers that Pinebank contains an station from the underground railroad and saves Pinebank.
All in all the book had some good aspects but some parts seemed to drag on. I felt some parts were redundant. I did feel like teens could relate to the part about Katie and Law fighting to be who they were and date who they wanted. My biggest issue with the book was that Katie wanted to see her mother more than anything yet that was the one person she could not see. I spent the whole book wishing she could just see her!
School Days by: Robert Parker 2005 Police Detectives, Private Detectives, Police Procedurals, and the New Detective Novel
This book follows a private detective named Spenser. A concerned Grandmother enters his office with a scrapbook about her grandson's alleged crime. Lily Ellsworth is convinced of her grandson's innocence despite his l
confession and the rest of the world being ready to lock him up and throw away the key. Jared Clark is accused of entering the school with his peer (Dell Grant) and opening fire on staff and students. Seven people were killed in the attack. Jared disappears after the shootings and is later ratted out by Dell for his involvement in the shooting.
The thing I really liked about this novel is the way Spenser approached the investigation. He never went into the situation thinking Jared was innocent but rather he wanted to know the why. He is stonewalled from the time he begins the investigation. This rich, rural community simply wants to sweep this incident under the rug so that everyone can "move on." Spenser is forced to visit local student hangouts to gather information from students after he is banned from the school where the shootings occurred.
As he investigates he realizes how the local police botched the situation and more people died as a result. The police did not have the experience to handle the situation and rather than rushing in to stop the situation they waited for the state police to arrive. The local police chief threatens Spenser if he continues his investigation and at one point he even pulled his gun and tried to shoot the private detective.
Spenser discovered a local bodybuilder named Animal used his brother (a gang member) to get guns for the two teenage students and even teaches them how to shoot. Spenser gets into several altercations with Animal and eventually he kills him. Animal uses the body of his dead girlfriend to lure Spenser into a local park and opens fire on the private eye. Spenser kills Animal in self-defense.
Spenser tries visiting Jared Clark in jail to see if he can understand why he committed this crime. After some digging Spenser discovers that Jared was having an affair with his school psychiatrist. The president of the private school discovers incriminating photographs in Jared's locker and begins blackmailing the psychiatrist. He forces her to sleep with him and end her relationship with Jared. She declares her love for Jared despite the age difference.
In the end we discover that Jared went into the school to kill the president but he was not there. The other student is the one who opened fire. It could not be proven that Jared actually shot anyone. He will go to jail for his involvement but the reader is left feeling sorry for Jared.
confession and the rest of the world being ready to lock him up and throw away the key. Jared Clark is accused of entering the school with his peer (Dell Grant) and opening fire on staff and students. Seven people were killed in the attack. Jared disappears after the shootings and is later ratted out by Dell for his involvement in the shooting.
The thing I really liked about this novel is the way Spenser approached the investigation. He never went into the situation thinking Jared was innocent but rather he wanted to know the why. He is stonewalled from the time he begins the investigation. This rich, rural community simply wants to sweep this incident under the rug so that everyone can "move on." Spenser is forced to visit local student hangouts to gather information from students after he is banned from the school where the shootings occurred.
As he investigates he realizes how the local police botched the situation and more people died as a result. The police did not have the experience to handle the situation and rather than rushing in to stop the situation they waited for the state police to arrive. The local police chief threatens Spenser if he continues his investigation and at one point he even pulled his gun and tried to shoot the private detective.
Spenser discovered a local bodybuilder named Animal used his brother (a gang member) to get guns for the two teenage students and even teaches them how to shoot. Spenser gets into several altercations with Animal and eventually he kills him. Animal uses the body of his dead girlfriend to lure Spenser into a local park and opens fire on the private eye. Spenser kills Animal in self-defense.
Spenser tries visiting Jared Clark in jail to see if he can understand why he committed this crime. After some digging Spenser discovers that Jared was having an affair with his school psychiatrist. The president of the private school discovers incriminating photographs in Jared's locker and begins blackmailing the psychiatrist. He forces her to sleep with him and end her relationship with Jared. She declares her love for Jared despite the age difference.
In the end we discover that Jared went into the school to kill the president but he was not there. The other student is the one who opened fire. It could not be proven that Jared actually shot anyone. He will go to jail for his involvement but the reader is left feeling sorry for Jared.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Blue Ghost by: Marion Dane Bauer 2005 Picture and Easy Books for the Younger Set--Halloween, Ghost Stories, and Other Spooky Works
The main character Liz goes with her grandmother to the family lake house for the last time. Liz's grandmother is getting older and says it is too far to travel to the cabin. The cabin was build by Liz's great great great grandfather and her family was born and raised there.
One night Liz sees a mysterious blue woman in her room going through the wall to the original part of the house. Liz then begins to hear voices through the walls. At one point she closes her eyes and walks through the wall and back into time. Liz's great great grandmother (the original Elizabeth - all the women in her family share the name and have variations of their own) believes Liz is her guardian angel.
Liz doesn't say anything to her grandmother about the voices or the blue woman. Her grandmother is sad about selling the family home and losing the connection between the home and her relatives.
One night Liz sees the blue woman again and follows her through the wall. She finds Elizabeth holding her sick brother Matthew. He is suffering from the croup and can barely breathe. Elizabeth is afraid he will die if Liz (her guardian angel) does not help save him. Liz is not sure what to do and the blue woman (who turns out to be Elizabeth's mother) leads her to a trunk in the room. After opening it, Liz finds a book of remedies written by Elizabeth's deceased mother. Elizabeth cannot read and relies on Liz to tell her how to save Matthew. The book says to boil water and build a tent around it to help the sick person breathe. While in the tent Liz assures Elizabeth she can learn to read. Together they save Matthew.
Liz wakes up in her own bed the next morning. She begins asking her grandmother about what happened to Elizabeth and finds out not only did she learn to read but she also became a doctor. Liz shows her grandmother where the key to the trunk is and her grandmother wants to know how she knows. She tells Liz that she used hear voices in the cabin. The book ends with Liz telling her grandmother the story of the blue woman.
One night Liz sees a mysterious blue woman in her room going through the wall to the original part of the house. Liz then begins to hear voices through the walls. At one point she closes her eyes and walks through the wall and back into time. Liz's great great grandmother (the original Elizabeth - all the women in her family share the name and have variations of their own) believes Liz is her guardian angel.
Liz doesn't say anything to her grandmother about the voices or the blue woman. Her grandmother is sad about selling the family home and losing the connection between the home and her relatives.
One night Liz sees the blue woman again and follows her through the wall. She finds Elizabeth holding her sick brother Matthew. He is suffering from the croup and can barely breathe. Elizabeth is afraid he will die if Liz (her guardian angel) does not help save him. Liz is not sure what to do and the blue woman (who turns out to be Elizabeth's mother) leads her to a trunk in the room. After opening it, Liz finds a book of remedies written by Elizabeth's deceased mother. Elizabeth cannot read and relies on Liz to tell her how to save Matthew. The book says to boil water and build a tent around it to help the sick person breathe. While in the tent Liz assures Elizabeth she can learn to read. Together they save Matthew.
Liz wakes up in her own bed the next morning. She begins asking her grandmother about what happened to Elizabeth and finds out not only did she learn to read but she also became a doctor. Liz shows her grandmother where the key to the trunk is and her grandmother wants to know how she knows. She tells Liz that she used hear voices in the cabin. The book ends with Liz telling her grandmother the story of the blue woman.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Closed for the Season by: Mary Downing Hahn 2009 Youthful Sleuths
Logan is forced to leave Richmond when his dad gets a job as an art teacher in Bealesville, Virginia. Logan meets his talkative and often annoying neighbor Arthur. Arthur reveals the murderous past of the house Logan and his family moved into. The previous owner was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Myrtle Donaldson had been falsely accused of embezzling from the Magic Forest. The authorities believed the murderer broke into the home looking for the money.
The boys begin to search for clues about the death of Mrs. Donaldson and end up putting themselves in danger. Logan is annoyed by Arthur at first, but later realizes their friendship is special. The boys find a note written to Mrs. Donaldson's daughter containing a clue was to the location of the money and the identity of her killer. The boys take the letter to Violet (the daughter) but she doesn't remember the location of the game she and her mother used to play. Violet is dealing with a violent ex-husband who takes the letter from her and threatens to take her children.
A detective posing as a reporter comes to town to investigate the embezzlement and murder in this small town. Nina realizes the boys are interfering with her investigation and tries unsuccessfully to keep the boys apart. The boys are determined to find the killer and to clear Mrs. Donaldson's name of any wrongdoing.
Aside from the murder mystery the book deals with an issue most teens could relate to. Logan is trying to find his way in the new town. Everyone considers Arthur weird and they encourage Logan to stay away. At one point Logan's mother forbids him to see Arthur and tries to force him to make friends with the popular boys in town. Logan realizes quickly that these boys are not his friends and that they hate "kids like him." He struggles to accept that he may not be an athlete or be the most popular but at least he does have one friend.
The night before Magic Forest is to be destroyed the boys make a plan to meet Violet after work and go to the amusement park to find the briefcase believed to contain the embezzled money that was hidden by Mrs. Donaldson. When the boys get to Violet's work all they find is her battered son. He tells the boys his father has Violet. The boys rush to the park and follow the clues to find the briefcase. The twist in the plot is that the embezzler is Mr. Disilvio (an upstanding citizen who donates money to the library and sponsors a soccer team). He was using Violet and her abusive ex-husband to find his money. As he is about to make a run with the money Nina shows up and reveals her true identity. The police swarm the park and capture Mr. Disilvio and the abusive Silas.
In the end Logan and Arthur are allowed to continue their friendship and even form a sort of truce with Violet's son, Danny (who used to beat up Arthur frequently). The boys are heroes in the town!
The boys begin to search for clues about the death of Mrs. Donaldson and end up putting themselves in danger. Logan is annoyed by Arthur at first, but later realizes their friendship is special. The boys find a note written to Mrs. Donaldson's daughter containing a clue was to the location of the money and the identity of her killer. The boys take the letter to Violet (the daughter) but she doesn't remember the location of the game she and her mother used to play. Violet is dealing with a violent ex-husband who takes the letter from her and threatens to take her children.
A detective posing as a reporter comes to town to investigate the embezzlement and murder in this small town. Nina realizes the boys are interfering with her investigation and tries unsuccessfully to keep the boys apart. The boys are determined to find the killer and to clear Mrs. Donaldson's name of any wrongdoing.
Aside from the murder mystery the book deals with an issue most teens could relate to. Logan is trying to find his way in the new town. Everyone considers Arthur weird and they encourage Logan to stay away. At one point Logan's mother forbids him to see Arthur and tries to force him to make friends with the popular boys in town. Logan realizes quickly that these boys are not his friends and that they hate "kids like him." He struggles to accept that he may not be an athlete or be the most popular but at least he does have one friend.
The night before Magic Forest is to be destroyed the boys make a plan to meet Violet after work and go to the amusement park to find the briefcase believed to contain the embezzled money that was hidden by Mrs. Donaldson. When the boys get to Violet's work all they find is her battered son. He tells the boys his father has Violet. The boys rush to the park and follow the clues to find the briefcase. The twist in the plot is that the embezzler is Mr. Disilvio (an upstanding citizen who donates money to the library and sponsors a soccer team). He was using Violet and her abusive ex-husband to find his money. As he is about to make a run with the money Nina shows up and reveals her true identity. The police swarm the park and capture Mr. Disilvio and the abusive Silas.
In the end Logan and Arthur are allowed to continue their friendship and even form a sort of truce with Violet's son, Danny (who used to beat up Arthur frequently). The boys are heroes in the town!
The Lock Artist by: Steve Hamilton 2010 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners and Nominees
I was hooked immediately by this book. I am a "character" person and I had to know what happened to Michael as a child and why he stopped talking. I found the transitions abrupt when I began reading the book, because you would get interested in one particular part of Michael's life and then the author would change to another time period.
You are taken on a journey to discover how young Michael becomes a boxman and ends up in prison. I thought his silence would bother me as a read the book but I feel like I actually got to know him better as a character due to his silence. We learned about Michael through his internal thoughts (not just the junk people say because they think it is what people want to hear). Having said that, there were moments in which I was yelling at him to just speak already! I felt sorry for him as a child because he was treated like a science experiments. Many of the doctors he encountered just wanted a quick fix or to just throw a diagnosis at him. Uncle Lito took Michael in after the incident with his parents. He tried the best he could with Michael, but the liquor store owner knew very little about how to deal with his nephew. I think he was a little frightened of Michael after the robbery of the store. Uncle Lito realizes that Michael's reaction to the robbery was anything but normal.
I found the process of Michael learning to crack locks interesting. As someone who loves puzzles, I can appreciate the thrill of the challenge. The author had done some research on the topic but did not include so much information that someone could read the book and learn how to crack safes.
When Amelia enters Michael's life I am truly happy for him. It seems that he has finally connected for the first time with another human being. The whole situation of him breaking into her house night after night was probably not the wisest, but he was an infatuated teenage boy. After finishing the book I wondered how his life would have been different if he had not met Amelia or if he thought it was all worth it in the end. Mr. Marsh uses Michael for child labor and threatens him repeatedly and in the end Michael was the one who saved him. Michael loved Amelia so much that he was willing to commit crimes to keep her safe. He almost is killed by an overzealous security guard and ultimately ends up in prison because of the path set by Amelia's father.
When we find out what happened to Michael as a child it is horrific. This may sound horrible, but the event had to be so traumatic or readers would have been critical. The fact that he did not drown in the safe was a little unbelievable and the symbolism of him later cracking safes was a bit of a stretch.
In the end Michael was unable to stay away from Amelia even after having somewhat of a "family" in California. The team was efficient and a little dysfunctional but they offered Michael companionship. The fact that Michael survived the mutiny in this group was a bit farfetched as well.
I was left wondering what would happen to Michael and Amelia after he gets out of jail and what his first words to Amelia will be...
You are taken on a journey to discover how young Michael becomes a boxman and ends up in prison. I thought his silence would bother me as a read the book but I feel like I actually got to know him better as a character due to his silence. We learned about Michael through his internal thoughts (not just the junk people say because they think it is what people want to hear). Having said that, there were moments in which I was yelling at him to just speak already! I felt sorry for him as a child because he was treated like a science experiments. Many of the doctors he encountered just wanted a quick fix or to just throw a diagnosis at him. Uncle Lito took Michael in after the incident with his parents. He tried the best he could with Michael, but the liquor store owner knew very little about how to deal with his nephew. I think he was a little frightened of Michael after the robbery of the store. Uncle Lito realizes that Michael's reaction to the robbery was anything but normal.
I found the process of Michael learning to crack locks interesting. As someone who loves puzzles, I can appreciate the thrill of the challenge. The author had done some research on the topic but did not include so much information that someone could read the book and learn how to crack safes.
When Amelia enters Michael's life I am truly happy for him. It seems that he has finally connected for the first time with another human being. The whole situation of him breaking into her house night after night was probably not the wisest, but he was an infatuated teenage boy. After finishing the book I wondered how his life would have been different if he had not met Amelia or if he thought it was all worth it in the end. Mr. Marsh uses Michael for child labor and threatens him repeatedly and in the end Michael was the one who saved him. Michael loved Amelia so much that he was willing to commit crimes to keep her safe. He almost is killed by an overzealous security guard and ultimately ends up in prison because of the path set by Amelia's father.
When we find out what happened to Michael as a child it is horrific. This may sound horrible, but the event had to be so traumatic or readers would have been critical. The fact that he did not drown in the safe was a little unbelievable and the symbolism of him later cracking safes was a bit of a stretch.
In the end Michael was unable to stay away from Amelia even after having somewhat of a "family" in California. The team was efficient and a little dysfunctional but they offered Michael companionship. The fact that Michael survived the mutiny in this group was a bit farfetched as well.
I was left wondering what would happen to Michael and Amelia after he gets out of jail and what his first words to Amelia will be...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Interrogation of Gabriel James by: Charlie Price 2010 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners and Nominees
This mystery opened in a traditional way...we are at a funeral left wondering how things had gotten to this point. A double murder! Normally I am not a fan of the flashback and yet the first two novels I read were both in this format.
The first thing I found interesting was how there was not an adult present while the police are questioning Gabriel (which I thought was a big NO-NO) but since CSI and all of these other cops shows I guess we all feel like we are experts on the criminal justice system. I liked being able to hear the internal dialog of Gabriel during the questioning. He thinks the detectives are trying to trap him or when he winces because he thinks he has said too much.
At times I felt like this book had a little too much going on. Gabriel gets caught in a lie about going away with his girlfriend and she breaks up with him, there are people selling drugs in the town, pets are going missing, a mysterious fire is set, Gabriel is stalking a girl from school, a Native American student joins Gabriel's school and faces discrimination. At times I felt my head was reeling trying to keep straight all of these connections. As Gabriel talks with the police we see some of these connections being made either through what he tells us or these weird conversations the police have in front of him in which they reveal way too much information.
As a character I was on the fence about Gabriel. He was noisy to a fault but then he would do something redeeming like help Durm (which gets him hurt). He was a typical teenager in the sense that he could not think through his actions and determine the consequences. He did want to help some of the other characters in the book but I think much of his actions were to just satisfy his own curiosity.
The whole Raelene situation was beyond creepy. He thinks she likes him but cannot deal with the rejection of her ignoring him. Gabriel watches she and her brother walk around naked in their house. And perhaps the most disturbing part was finding out that his Mom was a swinger who lived on a commune and isn't sure who Gabriel's father is. Gabriel may be the child of the town crazy who used to run the commune and he could have been stalking his half-sister. Then you were left wondering if there was something going on between Gabriel's mom and the detective. I can appreciate the element of surprise but I felt at the end the author was just trying to link things (whether it was believable or not). I had to reread the end to make sure I did not miss anything.
Overall the book kept me reading because I had to know how all this craziness was related (perhaps I am a little like Gabriel) but in the end I thought it was confusing and grasping at straws to make it all work. As we have been reading books and articles I feel that the author made things so far fetched that it made it difficult for the reader to buy into the story.
The first thing I found interesting was how there was not an adult present while the police are questioning Gabriel (which I thought was a big NO-NO) but since CSI and all of these other cops shows I guess we all feel like we are experts on the criminal justice system. I liked being able to hear the internal dialog of Gabriel during the questioning. He thinks the detectives are trying to trap him or when he winces because he thinks he has said too much.
At times I felt like this book had a little too much going on. Gabriel gets caught in a lie about going away with his girlfriend and she breaks up with him, there are people selling drugs in the town, pets are going missing, a mysterious fire is set, Gabriel is stalking a girl from school, a Native American student joins Gabriel's school and faces discrimination. At times I felt my head was reeling trying to keep straight all of these connections. As Gabriel talks with the police we see some of these connections being made either through what he tells us or these weird conversations the police have in front of him in which they reveal way too much information.
As a character I was on the fence about Gabriel. He was noisy to a fault but then he would do something redeeming like help Durm (which gets him hurt). He was a typical teenager in the sense that he could not think through his actions and determine the consequences. He did want to help some of the other characters in the book but I think much of his actions were to just satisfy his own curiosity.
The whole Raelene situation was beyond creepy. He thinks she likes him but cannot deal with the rejection of her ignoring him. Gabriel watches she and her brother walk around naked in their house. And perhaps the most disturbing part was finding out that his Mom was a swinger who lived on a commune and isn't sure who Gabriel's father is. Gabriel may be the child of the town crazy who used to run the commune and he could have been stalking his half-sister. Then you were left wondering if there was something going on between Gabriel's mom and the detective. I can appreciate the element of surprise but I felt at the end the author was just trying to link things (whether it was believable or not). I had to reread the end to make sure I did not miss anything.
Overall the book kept me reading because I had to know how all this craziness was related (perhaps I am a little like Gabriel) but in the end I thought it was confusing and grasping at straws to make it all work. As we have been reading books and articles I feel that the author made things so far fetched that it made it difficult for the reader to buy into the story.
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