Mini Reviews

I've been reading up a storm, but don't seem to have the time or brain power to write up full reviews for all of these books. So mini reviews! Short and sweet.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I really liked it. I enjoyed Bitterblue finding her footing in the world, even if this wasn't the most inventive of the three books. I enjoyed her romance, the court intrigue, the secret (or as it turns out not so secret) ventures into her city. What I could have done without was the crew from beyond the mountains coming to visit. It felt rushed and unnecessary. Sure they discovered the world, but for my tastes it would have been better to end on a different note. Like maybe they show up on the last page or something, but we're not privy to what happens next. For how long it took Bitterblue to figure everything out, this last part felt rushed and crammed in. Regardless, I read it very quickly and enjoyed it quite a bit.
[Purchased  Book]

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Another one I had been dying to get my hands on. It was fantastic, but perhaps not as fantastic as Shipbreaker. And I only think that because I didn't connect to the characters quite as much as I did with those in Shipbreaker. That's not to say I didn't like them. Mahlia was pretty fantastic. I thought it was awesome to have a disabled main character and have her be capable, smart, and kick ass. We need more of that. I also loved having Tool as a main character, but I still didn't learn as much about him as I wanted to. I mean he is so crafty and such a rich character I wanted to get into his mind and really dig around. I am pretty much amazed at Bacigalupi's writing. It is stellar. I thought he did a fantastic job showing how useless violence is and how it can spiral downwards out of control until even children are forced to fight and no one even knows what they're fighting for anymore - only that they can't imagine any other way of life.
[Library Copy]

Double by Jenny Valentine

This was probably my least favorite of the three, which disappointed me because I've loved all her previous books. The ending was just too far fetched. And there was too much of "I'm a fake, they're going to find me out, oh no!" Without enough character development to back it up. And that ending. Mmmm. Did not work for me. I won't spoil it for you, but meh.
[ARC found on 4th floor]

The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece by Michael D. Beil

After 3 books, Sophie Jeanette St. Pierre still holds a place in my heart as one of my favorite 12-year-old narrators. Author Michael D. Beil's 3rd Red Blazer Girls novel brings back the New York girls for another adventure in after-school sleuthing. Previously they solved logic and math puzzles to find a missing ring and a twice-stolen violin.

Father Julian enlists the Red Blazer Girls Detective Agency (Sophie, Becca, Margaret & Leigh Ann) to help him determine the age of a painting. He asks the girls to sort through a box of old family photos to find images of the painting in hopes of being able to date it. See, if the picture is older than 1961 then it's an original Pommeroy. If it's later, it's a fake.

Add to this sub-plots about a couple of young movie stars and a dog with strange behavior, Sophie's rocky relationship with classmate Livvy, and Sophie's very own mystery of mysterious packages arriving at her house for her. A pot of dirt? Huh?

Beil returns with the clever chapter titles ("So, who wins in a fight between a crocodile and a unicorn?" and "In which I set loose an army of killer ants on Livvy. Okay, not really, but a girl can fantasize, can't she?"), vocabulary words, puns, and literature references. The girls are reading short stories about conflict and irony in their English class. One in particular is "The Interlopers" by Saki. How's that for light middle grade reading? And don't worry, he's also brought back the Charles Dickens references. Speaking of references, the movie filming is called "No Reflections" which is based on a best-selling teen paranormal romance. Ha! And the shady art dealers? The Svindahls. Double ha! Everything is a puzzle to figure out.

Sure there are many convenient plot developments and many times someone just happens to see someone or something, etc.  I also marvel at the girls schedules: homework, school, swim practice, band practice, solving mysteries. This book took a little bit more time to engross me, but once the mystery kicked into full gear it was another exciting ride to the finish. This time the reader is shown 4 photographs and the answer to the mystery is solved by figuring out the clues that link them together. I loved flipping back to those pictures each time an "Ah ha!" moment came up.

These are fun, fun books. I eagerly await the next one.

Red Blazer Girls on Facebook with links to articles about the author and series.

Red Blazer Girls #3 - coming soon!

I am a fan of Michael D. Beil's fun, contemporary Red Blazer Girls mystery books. If there is a young reader about age 10+, these 3 books would make a super summer read. First there was The Ring of Rocamadour and then there was the Vanishing Violin. Next month we get...

The Mistaken Masterpiece!

And they are on Facebook, but they, like, need more friends!

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

Will Halpin has decided to leave his deaf school and attend the local high school. It is a hard transition, but when one of his classmates is killed during a field trip to a coal mine, he and his friends may be the only possibility of finding the killer.

I loved this book! Will's voice is funny and refreshing. I do love a smart protagonist with loads of wit and sarcasm! And while Devon is definitely dorky, he is also both believable and charming. Berk even makes the school bullies more than just one-dimensional characters.

As for the mystery, it's quite entertaining. I didn't figure it out too quickly and it is realistic and well-paced. Will and Devon end up uncovering several mysteries while just trying to solve this one!

Love the references to Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Sherlock Holmes. They were tastifully used and not overbearing. The use of technology was also well-done.

I had heard about some of the deaf community issues that were brought up in the story, but it was nice to have those fleshed out a little and described by a character I really liked and understood. I brushed up on some sign language,too. Kind of made me want to learn more...

My one complaint is the cover. Seriously, no teen I know is going to want to pick this up on their own. Which is unfortunate, since they would likely enjoy it. Wish the designers would really think about these things.

As for read-alikes, definitely reminded me of Slob, King Dork and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. So, if you liked those, check this one out!

The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin by Michael Beil

I've been busy reading for our Mock Newbery and Mock Printz, but I had to take a break from the heavy reading (I'm looking at you Ship Breaker and Finnikin of the Rock) to have some fun.

I loved the debut Ring of Racamadour. Once again Sophie shines as our narrator and the friendship among the four 7th grade girls warms my heart.

This story contains not one, not two, but three mysteries! It begins right on the heels of the first book and there's a nice summary via a newspaper article to catch new readers up to speed.

A few convenient lucky breaks, but all in all a romp of a contemporary mystery. Sharpen your pencils and get ready for some puzzle solving fun with the girls. (Even the book design is fun!)

Read the first chapter and download the teacher's guide at Random House.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet can sense dead bodies. Not any dead body, only those that have been murdered. They give off echoes, colors, sounds, and other sensations. Those that are responsible give off corresponding echoes.

She can also sense dead animals. She can barely stand to be around her cat (which, to me, begs the question, why does she keep it?!) I must say I had something of a problem with this, only because I don’t think that animals hunting and killing other animals ever constitutes murder (in my notes I went on at length, be thankful I spared you). So anyway, I decided to go with Violet being able to sense violent endings. Ahhh, yes. Much better.

Enter a serial killer, who is killing young ladies in her town. Girls she’s known and grown up with. Violet feels compelled to seek him out using her special skill set. When is this ever a good idea? Oh, that’s right – never! Violet soon finds herself in increasing danger.

There was some really great suspense in this book. Interspersed with Violet’s narrative are chapters written from the killer’s point of view and they are flat out creepy. We see how he picks his victims, how he traps them, but thankfully not what happens after – which would have been too much. Leaving that to the imagination makes it even creepier in my mind. There were some great plot twists in here too that were unexpected.

All in all though, this book was not for me. Violet has a special power, but still needs to be rescued by the various males in her life. Part of this I understand, yes, she has a special power, but she hasn’t really explored it and this whole serial killer situation thing is totally new. So it isn’t like she’s a super hero or anything. But still, Jay was a little too protective for my taste. I found him stifling. I wanted to tell him to back off. And there was that little matter of a sexual assault that happened on a date Violet has with a school friend. It wasn’t spoken of in those terms and that is exactly the problem I had with it. Or I could be overreacting. It just seemed like it was a serious thing.

***SPOILERS***

Do killers really ever burst into a detailed explanations, doing everything but tapping their fingers together like Mr. Burns and letting off evil laughter (muahahahahaha) before they are going to kill you? Do they? I mean, I guess it’s possible. It just doesn’t seem realistic. It seems like a way for an author to info-dump on the reader. I would have preferred Violet to learn of the ins-and-outs of the methods from her uncle after the fact. Oh and the fact that he dressed up in camo complete with camo face paint to chase her through the woods was just too much for me. I kept thinking of the episode of Arrested development when Tobias followed Lindsay on her date with the homeless dude dressed up in blue-man makeup all the while blending into walls and vending machines. I do not blame this on the author in any way – this is the type of thing my brain just does. It makes it hard for me to take things seriously. I had a similar problem when reading The Road when they were eating babies. So, yes, very much a personal problem.

***end of spoilers***

So my conclusion? The romance is steamy and the suspense will keep you turning the pages. I think teen girls will like it.

===========================
Book Source: Library Copy

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

I have a policy of not reading cover flaps of books. I don’t read them because, all too often they give away salient plot points. Not all the time, but often enough that I’m irritated to the point of ignoring them completely. This was one of the cases where the cover flap had some pretty pertinent information that wasn’t exactly spoilerish, but told about aspects of the story that completely came out of left field for me when I was reading the book. I don’t know which is better – knowing beforehand or thinking the book you’re reading did a complete 180 and turned into another story. Not that I minded the 180, it was totally enjoyable, I just wonder if I would have read the first half differently had I known it was coming.

Anyhoo onto the story - Will Halpin is deaf. He is also sick of all the drama at his deaf school (as in he’s sick of having to prove he’s deaf enough and picking sides) and starts the new school year at a mainstream school. He’s understandably a little worried about how he’ll do. There won’t be any interpreters or closed captioning system for him, which is probably ok due to his superior lip reading skills. But he’s also thinking that it might be hard for him to fit in with his fellow students, with the difficulty of communicating. Lucky for him there is someone who knows some rudimentary sign language.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed Will’s voice (even though I could have done without some of the self-depreciating fat comments). He was funny, he was insightful, his voice was really fresh. I especially enjoyed how the author included both a family mystery and a wider mystery (that was the 180 people – I had no idea there was a mystery in this book!). I think most readers will be relatively sure at who did the crime, but the author did an awesome job at throwing just enough doubt into the mix that other people look like potential suspects as well. I was impressed. I also enjoyed the insights into deaf culture.

I could have done without Will writing sometimes inane information about his schoolmates into his notebook. I liked his nicknames (Jimmy Porkrinds for his bus driver cracked me UP), but the little notes seemed over the top and unnecessary and the sort of thing one would save for a stay-at-home-in-the-hidey-hole type of journal instead of one you carry with you. Small complaints for a really fun first novel.

===================
Book Source: Library Copy

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

Cody is not much of a student, but is a hell of a football player. At least he was until a knee injury takes him out of playing in his Junior Year. His girlfriend, Clea, left town at the beginning of the school year to attend an exclusive boarding school. In his opinion, there’s nothing left to stay in school for and so he drops out, gets a job, just plain gets on with it. Then he hears Clea is missing. Without a second thought he jumps in his car and takes off to find her involving himself in a high stakes game that he might not make it out of alive.

Our hero Cody is pretty average. A working class kid who loves football who has secretly harbored hopes that he’d make it to the NFL. He’d never share these dreams with anyone of course. Certainly not with his father, a semi-violent drunk who’s goal in life seems to be to make sure Cody doesn’t set his dreams too high. Although part of this, as strange as it seems, probably stemmed from a misplaced desire to protect his son from a broken heart.

I really liked the juxtaposition of Cody, a regular working class kid against the very privileged kids at the boarding school. I liked that no one was a stock character, that everyone was nuanced. In fact, the author made it a point to show that no one is who you think they’ll be. Certainly not Cody, a dropout who is nowhere near as dumb as he thinks he is.

The suspense was great. I really enjoyed how Cody put together the pieces and how I suspected each person in turn. Cody wasn’t sure who to trust and the reader isn’t either. It makes for really thrilling page-turning reading. I love it when I come across a well written book for older teen boys.

Deadly Little Secret (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Camelia drops her favorite hoop earring and while she’s bending to pick it up, a car comes out of nowhere at top speed and almost runs her over! Luckily a mysterious stranger on a motorcycle swoops in and pushes her out of the way just in the nick of time. He is gorgeous (of course). After ascertaining she’ll be ok, he touches her stomach, stares at her intensely, and then runs away.

Three months later hunky mystery boy begins attending Camelia’s school. He is followed by rumors of his dark and murderous past (he apparently offed his last girlfriend by pushing her off a cliff!?!). Camelia wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and strikes up a friendship. Immediately she begins to get threatening letters, messages written upon her bedroom mirror, and pictures of her begin to show up in her mailbox.

Honestly, I almost have no words. Its not that it was absolutely terrible, it wasn’t. There was even some great suspense and the author threw suspicion on several characters to good effect. I thought I knew who the stalker was (I was sure it wasn’t Ben. If this is "A Touch Novel" surely we need to keep our “toucher” in the picture so to speak…)

What bothered me most (and there were a few things that bothered me), however unfair this is to the author, was Camelia’s wise cracking best friend named Kimmie. A Kimmie that was startlingly, shockingly, frighteningly similar to the Kimmy Gibbler of Full House fame. This is the image I had in my mind the entire book. And seriously ya’ll it was disturbing.

There were other things that were strange about this book, but honestly Steph at Reviewer X does such a bang up hilarious job of reviewing it, I should have just kept my mouth shut! Her review is not to be missed.

Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

Sequel to Kiss Me Kill Me.

As soon as it was possible to, I got my hot little hands on a copy of this book. And this one starts right where the other one left off. Scarlett and Taylor still investigating the death of Dan who died after a kiss from Scarlett.

Plum, Scartlett’s nemesis of sorts, and her main suspect enters into the book early on in a rather unforgettable scene Taylor and Scarlett see her in a club table dancing.

“Her skinny legs flash up and down, and when she does that
squatting move again, which makes all the boys whoop, I’m pretty sure that everyone in front of her is definitely, as promised, seeing her knickers. I don’t get why it’s sexy to look like you’re about to go to the loo – even her face is all twisted up like she’s constipated – but clearly there’s a lot about being sexy I’m just not aware of, because it’s going down fantastically with the crowd.”

I think that, in a nutshell, is why I like Scarlett so much. She’s sarcastic, self-depreciating, resourceful, and witty. Taylor, one of my favorite characters from the first book remains great in this one. Sure, there isn’t any more shimmying up of drainpipes, but there are lots of athletic endeavors that are almost as impressive.

This one was much more standard teen detective fare than the first one, with more repetition about clues and suspects than I really wanted and perhaps with a few too many coincidences. Don’t get me wrong, it was still an incredibly fast, enjoyable read, it just was more standard crime solving whereas the first was more normal girl gets pulled into unusual situation. I also liked the introduction of new suspects and how everyone seemed as though they could be the guilty party.

I do wonder if we will see more adventures of Scarlett and Taylor in the future. Will they be pulled into other mysteries since this one is concluded? Or will the author move onto other projects?

And one final comment, what is up with that cover? The first book was so eye catching and this one is so…meh…what happened?

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Daisy is the only "norm" in a family filled with paranormal powers. Her mom is psychic, one sister telekinetic, and the other can read minds. So naturally, when her mom starts working on a new case involving a dead teenage girl, it is not Daisy she recruits to help her. Not only does this irritate the fire out of Daisy, but it also prompts her to begin investigating on her own.

Dead is the New Black is a really fun new paranormal mystery series set in the town of Nightshade. The town name alone clues you in that this is anything but a normal place to live.

"I faced [name removed to prevent spoilers] and squared my shoulders. She wasn't going to get away with this, not without a fight anyway. She was a soul-sucking vampire and I was a sixteen-year-old cheerleader, but I was damned if she was going to suck the life out of all my friends. High school was hard enough."

Daisy is a really likable heroine. Her strained relationship with her ex-best friend alone makes it a worthwhile read. Add in a cute boy, funny writing, and the paranormal murder and you've got a winner. This book is also so clean it squeaks. But the writing is strong enough that it will appeal to older girls as well as younger. Which is quite a feat in itself. I laughed out loud more than once and will definitely read the sequels.

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo

The Big Splash explores the ugly criminal underbelly of a middle school in America. It is hard-boiled fiction set in Junior High and it is so much fun! The fraudulent forged hall passes, the water gun attacks, the enforcers! It’s all there!

Our hero is Matt, the detective hired to find out who put Nikki Fingers in the “outs” (or in other words the untouchably unpopular crowd). Our cast includes Vinny, the mastermind and boss of the Franklin Middle School crime family. Kevin, Matt’s former best friend, before he accepted a position of second commander in Vinny’s operation and turned into a snake. Liz, Kevin’s younger sister (a love interest for Matt). Nikki, the former enforcer who left the organization only to be betrayed and her younger sister Jenny, a wide-eyed innocent intent on finding out who “popped” Nikki.

Truly, it has all the set ups of a classic gangster movie. Betrayals, crooked officials, love triangles, good girls gone bad (and not in a gross sense), revenge, and a bit of redemption. The writing is over the top with metaphors and similes out the wazoo, but it works. It is very funny and fast paced.

“He promised me money and power. I wouldn’t have to work my way through the ranks; I could start out at the top, helping him mold and shape his organization. I felt like a diabetic at an ice cream buffet: I was tempted, but I knew it wouldn’t be very good for me.”

This is a fantastic book for older elementary, younger middle school boys.

I, Q Book One: Independence Hall by Roland Smith

Q, short for Quest and his new step-sister Angela have been packed up and put on a bus to tag along on their newly married parent’s music tour. They aren’t sure about the close quarters, or to be honest, each other, since they barely had time to get to know each other before their parents’ married. Besides the potentially awkward tour, Q is seriously worried that he’ll never feel full again since his new step-father only serves vegetarian meals. This, of course, turns out to be the least of his worries.

Angela’s deceased mother – the one that Q has been instructed not to ask about – turns out to have been a secret service agent. One who was killed by terrorists. At least that was what Angela and her father were told. Turns out there was more to the story, much more and Q and Angela get pulled into figuring out what happened.

There were some really fun characters introduced, especially Boone, the roadie who is so much more than just a roadie. A roadie that inexplicably hasn’t aged a day since the decades he last toured with Q’s mom (I sense a mystery that will be developed in later books…Area 51 anyone? Just a thought!).

This is a pretty great novel aimed at upper elementary and junior high aged readers. It is straightforward, occasionally a little stilted and obvious in its setting up the plot with things being told instead of insinuated and intuited by the reader. Regardless, the plot advances quickly and the reader is pulled into the intrigue of Angela’s mother’s supposed death.

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery by Susan Juby

What an amazing title! If I hadn’t already read and enjoyed Susan Juby, the title alone would get me to pick up the book.

Our protagonist and detective hero is Sherman Mack, a self proclaimed scholar of girls. That doesn’t actually translate into any dates, but he still loves them anyway. His friends have helpfully suggested that he is actually a scholar of stalking, but he doesn’t agree with that one bit.

Sherman has just begun 9^th grade at Harewood High School. At Harewood, girls can be Defiled. If that sounds awful, well, rest assured it really is. When a girl is defiled she becomes invisible, but only after she is basically tried and convicted by a mob of her peers, her reputation dragged through the mud, and finally never spoken to again. No one will even speak her name. Unsurprisingly, most of the girls drop out or switch schools to escape. No one knows how the girls are chosen to be defiled – whether it is one person or a nefarious committee of students. But it is serious, serious stuff.

Enter Sherman. He is worried a girl he likes is a candidate for defilement and has launched an investigation. One might think from this description that this book would be on the serious side, but it is actually very humorous. Sherman is a rather silly and immature (in fact he seemed much younger than a 9^th grader – at times I would have placed him in elementary school – my only complaint with the book). This is mostly played for laughs.

For me, the best part of the book came from Sherman’s descriptions of his family life.

“Hello, sweet ‘ums,” she’ll say, and follow that up with a bunch of baby talk. Sometimes I worry that my mother may be trying to make me gay. It’s not just the baby talk. It’s our entire living environment. My mother is into glitter. This is very damaging for a developing male.

His mother had him when she was 16 and this formed a breach between her and her parents that has never been repaired. Her parents routinely send over fruit baskets with vitamins hidden in the bottom for Sherman. He appreciates these gestures more than he lets his mother know. Especially since she never cooks anything other than toast.

After several setbacks, including a rather embarrassing photo of him dressed up in a popular kid’s mother’s clothing, Sherman does manage to crack the case. And it is a surprising and satisfying ending (part of which a close reader may have already deducted).

A very fun read that will most appeal to readers in Junior High.

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

Ted loves the London Eye, a large observation wheel composed of glass and steel capsules that allow you to see for 25 miles in any direction on a clear day. It is his absolute favorite thing to do in London where he lives with his parents and his older sister Kat. So when his Aunt and cousin come to visit, he is pleased that Salim wishes to go for a ride. Once there, a man rushes up to them and offers them a ride ticket that he no longer wishes to use. What to do? It would save loads of time, the queue is long, and the wait even longer. They decide Salim will take the ticket and ride the London Eye by himself. They watch him get on board, but 30 minutes later when his capsule lands, Salim doesn’t disembark. Where did he go? How does someone disappear from a sealed glass pod? The mystery begins.

Ted’s brain, as he so often reminds us, runs on a different operating system. In short, he has Aspergers Syndrome. As such, he doesn’t recognize emotions, can’t decipher social complexities, thinks extremely literally, doesn’t like to be touched, and has a specialized area of interest - the weather. Ted narrates the story and I found his voice to be very convincing. He laughs when others laugh even when he doesn’t understand what is funny so that he can fit in, he smiles when others smile so that they will like him and be his friend. He is a boy who recognizes his social limitations and wants to overcome them even if he can’t decode what the proper reaction would be. It is an often lonely and alienated life, which is buffered by a loving, if often exasperated family. Dowd’s writing really encapsulates what one imagines life with Aspergers would be like.

I suppose it is inevitable that Ted should be compared to Christopher from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The two books did strike me as similar in tone and both play the disconnect between they view the world and the way those without the syndrome for laughs. Both feature a mystery that the protagonist doggedly solves. The London Eye Mystery is much lighter as one could expect for a book aimed at younger readers. There is much that is different, their family situations, their level of symptoms, etc. (as in it has been too long since I read Curious and can’t remember what else is different).

The mystery itself is solid. Ted offers a range of possible, although not always very plausible reasons for Salim’s disappearance. One by one, along with his sister Kat, the theories are either supported or discarded. It interested me that Dowd didn’t shy away from more serious topics, even though she didn’t often delve into them. For instance, when Ted doesn’t understand why someone would want to kidnap Salim because Aunt Gloria is not rich (in his mind people are kidnapped for ransom alone), Kat mentions that another reason would be for sex. This is mentioned, the seriousness noted, but not dwelled upon (thankfully Salim has not been kidnapped at all let alone for sex). I thought this was very masterfully handled. Dowd recognized the ugly underbelly of humanity, but didn’t let it bog down her rather lighthearted mystery. As such, it turned out that the mystery was more realistic and less of a crazy romp than I expected it to be when I picked up the book.

This book strikes me as something that would work on a variety of levels for readers of different ages. The older the reader, the more they will understand and appreciate the humor in the story. A worthwhile read. And one that convinced me if I ever make it to London, I will absolutely have to take a ride on the London Eye.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Win and Chris have been best friends since elementary school. After high school they set out for an epic cross country bike trip (bike as in bicycle, as in powered by your own energy type bicycle, as in my legs hurt just thinking about it bicycle). They plan, they save, they mark out their route, and they set off right after graduation. They knew it would be big, life changing big, but Chris never expected how much would actually change. After he must stop because of a flat tire, Chris is deserted by Win who keeps riding. Not only a total jerkwad maneuver, but also one that immediately precedes his disappearance. Now Chris is at school and there is an investigator breathing down his neck. An investigator that thinks Chris might have had something to do with Win’s disappearance.

Shift alternates between present day and the bike trip. It is an extremely effective way to tell this story. It builds suspense, it gives us greater insight into both of the boy’s psyches, it builds the story inch by inch, and it allows us to fully experience the before and after.

As Chris retells the story of his road trip he has the advantage of time passing so that he can fully reflect on the experience, words spoken, glances given and tie events together to expose hidden motives in a way that slowly builds the reader’s understanding of what really went on.

As mysteries go it is a fairly quiet one. It is not a violently charged story. It is more about how pressures in our life can lead us down certain paths. It is about decisions, responsibility, and friendship. It is a story that will inspire its readers to take risks and go on an epic journey of their own.

Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks

It was supposed to be one last get together before everyone moved on to college. It was supposed to be about reminiscing. It was supposed to be fun. It wasn't.

Probably because the five “friends” aren’t actually friends anymore. So they get together, get drunk, get stoned, and start to get on each other’s nerves. Then they split up and once they’re seperated things begin to fall apart. People argue, people go missing, act suspiciously, lie, and are never seen again. Everyone is a suspect.

The main protagonist, Pete, attempts to figure out what has actually happened. Not an easy task when no one is willing to share what they know. This is where Kevin Brooks’ writing really excells. He slowly reveals hints, secrets, little tidbits of information so that you’re sitting on the edge of your seat and are unable to put the book down. This is how a thriller is supposed to be.

I will admit though that the book is a big book. Maybe more of a tome. Don't let that scare you off. Once you start reading, once you know that events, terrible violent events, are just moments away (and that isn’t more than a few chapters in), I promise you will not be able to put the book down. At least I couldn’t. The bad guys are wonderfully menacing. The writing is dark, atmospheric, hinting of mysteries that can’t entirely be explained. And the ending is sort of typical Kevin Brooks, resolved, but no happy little bow - there are definitely things left to speculate about. Which is sure to frustrate some readers. I, however, am of the school that I don’t want to be talked down to. I don’t want every minutia of mystery explained to me because the author thinks I’m too stupid to figure it out myself. Kevin Brooks never dumbs it down. Just another reason to love him.

****SPOILERS****

I especially liked the friendship between Pete and Raymond. I liked the weirdness of Raymond and how he had a black rabbit that he thought talked to him. And I loved how his disappearance is never really explained. Did he run off? Was he murdered? Was it the man with the moustache or was that just the drugs making Pete hallucinate? Was it a travelling carnie serial killer? And how much did I love being able to write that? Did Black Rabbit really talk to Raymond and then Pete? Or was Raymond just projecting his wants and desires onto the rabbit because he couldn’t express them any other way? Who mutilated his rabbit? All questions that are left unanswered.

****End of Spoilers****

Other Reviews:

Chicklish

Bookwitch

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Two minutes after Dan kisses Scarlett he drops dead. No one knows how or why he died. The only thing Scarlett can be sure of is she wants to clear her reputation as the girl with the "Kiss of Death." Because, most importantly, if it’s true she’ll never get to kiss anyone ever again.

That introduction sort of made it sound like a lighthearted chick lit romp, which this book most certainly isn’t. Not that it’s some dark dreary crime novel either. Scarlett is a heroine who has compromised her integrity in order to join the popular clique only to have it come back and bite her in the butt. Big time. She recognizes this fact, accepts her responsibility, and is ready to move on. Only she can’t because she’s sent to Girl School Siberia, aka the private school her grandmother runs outside of London. She’s sarcastic without being bitter, resourceful, athletic because of her years training in gymnastics, and has an uncanny ability to decode social situations. I liked her. A lot.

There’s lots of foreshadowing. In fact it begins right on the first page. It added atmosphere and suspense to the story right from the get go. In fact, this book is nothing but suspenseful. It builds and builds and starting about half way through you start getting little drops of information that just make you thirst for more. Finally, in the last few pages you get a lot of answers (which are mega satisfying), but lots of open-ended threads remain (which makes you want to have the sequel immediately and will probably irritate you – or least it did a lot of reviewers - although for some reason I wasn’t too bothered by it). In fact, I think readers will be running to the library and demanding the next installment.

I really liked a couple of secondary characters. Taylor, Scarlett’s new friend at school was probably my favorite. She’s big, she’s strong, she can shimmy up a drainpipe. What’s not to like? I also enjoyed Plum, the leader of the popular girl mafia at Scarlett’s old school. She’s glossy, demanding, and is just this side of pure evil. She made a good nemesis.

Lots of girls are going to be drawn to it on the strength of the cover alone. Although if you look closely you’ll see the boy has a few sparse whiskers on his chin which are super funny in that teenage boy way of just being so proud that you’re able to grow facial hair it doesn’t matter in the least whether or not it actually looks good.

Good mystery. I am really looking forward to the sequel.

Jack: Secret Histories by F. Paul Wilson

Jack is 14 the summer he and his friends find the body in the woods. A body that has been there for two years and was ritualistically murdered. The more Jack and his friends look into things, the weirder they get. Not only does it seem to involve a mysterious society that has their Lodge in town, but there also seems to be unexplained incidents that lead back to a secret history that people are attempting to cover up at all costs.

This is a prequel of sorts to the Repairman Jack series. A prequel that is in the form of a YA novel. I haven't read any of the adult series, although I have heard good things about them, which is what led me to pick up the book.

The story centers around Jack, a loner of sorts who is very perceptive and has a knack for "fixing" situations. Weezy (aka Louise) who is a conspiracy nut and who is also the champion of the secret history of the world theory. Finally, there is Eddie, Weezy's brother who mainly shows up to annoy us by saying stupid things like "stupidacious" or "awesomacious." It takes place in the early eighties and the novel is peppered with references to video games, television shows, etc. Some of the references were cute, like when Jack's dad is explaining his new computer and how he opted to only buy 48K of ram because he couldn't imagine ever needing 64Ks. Others are more intrusive like when they need to find out something and they wish there was an interactive television that could search all the libraries at once...you know...because its the eighties...and there isn't any internet...bleh.

Its a good mystery, I read it pretty much all in one day. The pace is fast, i liked the secret history, and there were some neat supernatural elements that presumably will be expanded upon in the sequels. Occasionally I felt like the author dumbed down his writing too much. It reads really young like an upper elementary lower middle school book, but the ritualistic killing is bizarrely mature (I'm not even going to go there, it was disturbing).

I wonder how I would have felt if I had read any of the adult books before reading this. I would think it would be fun to see how a beloved character got his start in the "fixing" business. I can't help but wonder which characters are in the adult novels. Weezy must be. His brother (nemesis?) Tom probably would be. I'm definitely intrigued. I'll probably pick one up. There's a whole bunch of them!

Other Reviews: Reading Rants

Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine

Lucas is fifteen yeas old. His dad has been missing since he was ten. No one actually knows what happened to him. They found his abandoned car, but no dad. No one seems to care all that much anymore except for Lucas. He really wants to figure it out. Did his dad die? Or is he a cold-hearted jerk who abandoned his family? He doesn’t have much to go on until the fateful day he steps into the minicab office and spots Violet. After he meets her, everything starts to come into focus.

“Before then I’d never thought what it was actually like to be an old person. I’d just weave in and out of them on the pavement, and smirk with my friends at their funny hair and high-waisted trousers and the way they make paying for something at the checkout last for ages just to have someone to talk to. One minute the thought never crossed my mind, the next I was really and truly concerned about what it was like to be old and stuck in London, where everyone moved faster than you and even the simplest thing could end up taking all day. It was her. I know it was. It was my old lady, the dead one in the urn.”

So yah, Violet is dead. Lucas finds her in the minicab office and conspires with his grandmother to get her off the shelf so he can take her home. Clearly Lucas is not your ordinary teenage boy.

This book was absolutely hilarious and the writing was superb. The way that Lucas describes people, it is nothing short of wonderful. The book is a bit of a mystery, with Lucas slowly discovering what his dad was really like – there are clues littered throughout from belongings, to clues hidden in his grandfather’s Alzheimer stricken memory, but also is very much a coming of age story. The plot is actually quite intricate with interesting coincidences bringing increasing amounts of information to light.

And the ending…oh the ending. It was so fulfilling.

Run out and read this book!