A woman dies at a party at a country resort, the solution obvious. But she was actually murdered, and a guest must solve the crime or never leave. Because the same day repeats each day, and each day the guest is in the body of someone else. He has seven chances to get it right.… Read the rest
A man observes the comings and goings of a 1920s party host who is both his neighbor and a paramour of his cousin.
It is weird to go back and read this book some 35 years after high-school. I remember thinking it was this glamourous world of parties and high society, where people really did act differently from the common folk.… Read the rest
This is a self-help guide to reducing your stress levels by choosing to care only about those things that are important to you.
I found this a very odd book to read. In almost every chapter, I found myself disagreeing with his evidence and examples, often thinking they proved the opposite of what he was trying to use them to prove, yet at the same time agreeing with some of the premises.… Read the rest
Almost three separate stories together — an opening reset of who is on which team, separate adventures for Kendra and Seth, and then a merged final battle.
Seth’s story is almost readable now, although I still feel most of the time it could have simply been one kid’s story, not separate ones for Kendra and Seth.… Read the rest
A wife of a polygamist starts to wonder about his other two wives and seeks them out, only to find a potentially dark secret.
The original premise was unusual and intriguing, and the writer’s use of an unreliable narrator is creative.
The original premise is interesting enough for you to want to find out about a three-wife relationship, where all three wives are kept separate.… Read the rest
A detective was framed for rape, temporarily jailed, kicked off the police force and is working as a private investigator looking at a potential case of corrupt cops who tried to commit murder.
Mosley always creates compelling characters (like Easy Rawlins) and Joe King Oliver is no exception.… Read the rest
Two stories converge, one of faux Kendra and one of a Dragon sanctuary.
The story of Kendra and a duplicate is interesting, but a bit slow for most of it. But once the Dragon sanctuary is involved, it takes off again.
Seth is being stupid again and it is really starting to take away from the story.… Read the rest
Darkness has come to Fablehaven, with many creatures being turned from light to dark.
There are almost three stories working at once, which adds to the complexity – Seth running around being annoying and self-centred in the Preserve; Kendra going to another Preserve on a quest; and a giant battle at the end that seems almost Lord-of-the-Rings-like.… Read the rest
Kendra and Seth start to receive their training from three experts in how to protect the Preserve.
The three experts and their specializations are pretty cool, all with slightly different skills and personalities. And the finale seems like a solid “Indiana Jones” challenge.
The book is a lot slower than the first, and while Seth isn’t quite as annoying, the ending reads almost like a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (series of chambers, different puzzles) and the main protagonist, Kendra, is relatively an observer for most of it while others do the heavy lifting.… Read the rest
Kendra and her brother Seth protect a magical preserve against dark forces.
Like most stories of youth being exposed to magic for the first time, there is a healthy skepticism like they’re being punked. What differed in this one is that the initial intro is one mostly of light and wonder, not darkness and fear.… Read the rest
A fictionalized “true” story of the author observing a brilliant detective attempting to solve the murder of a woman who went in to plan her funeral and was murdered the same day.
The premise of the story of the woman planning her funeral and then being murdered was a great Agatha Christie-style plot, more so than Sherlock Holmes.… Read the rest
The year is 1942, and Jack Delaney is working as a writer for the local radio station where weird things happen, like actors going missing and potential German spies hiding in plain sight.
The story starts off confused, and a hint of someone in trouble.… Read the rest
A blackout hits New Jersey and two kids try to figure out how it happened and how to fix it.
The level is middle-grade and moves along at an okay pace. The cause of the blackout comes down to computers, and the solution is relatively straightforward without seeming too simplistic.… Read the rest
A young girl who lives with her aunt and uncle is sent under mysterious circumstances to a resort hotel for Christmas break.
The story has a bit of a Harry Potter-esque feel to it at the start — things happening that seem magical, parents dead, not very nice relatives, and leaving on an adventure.… Read the rest
An orphan in the mid-1800s is diverted from the gallows to a school for girls, gets her high school education, and graduates to become an operative for a special investigating Agency of women run by the heads of the school.
The story has a very strong “Anne Perry” historical fiction feel to it, but without the constant discussion of Jane Austen-style society.… Read the rest
A woman witnesses an armed robbery at a truck stop, and as the FBI closes in on the robbers, they worry that the woman saw too much.
The story is told from the perspective of four groups — the woman who saw the robbers, Lisa; a journalist digging for the story, Jack; the robbers themselves; and the FBI agent hunting them, Frank.… Read the rest
After falling in love (book 1), and hiding in the past (book 2), Diana and Matthew return to the present to start a family and figure out what is in the Book of Life.
This third book recaptures some of the mystery from the first book and tackles head-on the issue of the lineage of demons, vampires and witches.… Read the rest
A witch and a vampire hide out in 1590 Europe while she learns to control her powers.
After timewalking from present day, Diana has to learn to live in Elizabethan England, adapt to the customs of the day, and attempt to blend in. Lots of historical figures pop in and out, friends of Matthew in the “School of Night”, and she feasts on the living history.… Read the rest
A witch who has ignored her powers feels them re-awaken in Oxford as she does research on alchemy and encounters a vampire interested in the same book.
The story is far removed from the world of young magicians or young love. Instead, we see a budding partnership, collaboration and even romance blossom between Dr.… Read the rest
Reacher wanders into a town and accidentally flames the fires of a turf war between the Albanian and Ukainian mobs.
The progression from what Reacher sees at the start to the war with the 2 mobs is awesome, and the almost slapstick element the way the mob interprets what’s happening reminded me of the Remo Williams series.… Read the rest
