The Youngest One by Nancy Springer

September 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ONE
The Youngest One by Nancy Springer
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (8 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jessie is tired of dealing with her drunk mother and life in a rough part of town, and when a creepy woman approaches her one morning and advises her to pay attention to Shakespeare’s As You Like It in her English class she shrugs off the recommendation. After all, what relevance does Shakespeare have with her life? A chance encounter with an unusual toad, however, is about to completely alter Jessie’s perceptions of what matters in the world, and might just provide her with an unexpected happily-ever-after.

Is being a good person its own reward?

Jessie has a tender heart for the people and animals in her life who are too small, weak, or old to properly defend themselves against bullies. Her protective instincts have gotten her into trouble in the past, but despite growing up with a neglectful, alcoholic mom Jessie refuses to allow the tough world she lives in to dull her compassion for others. What I found most interesting about her character was how innocent she seems for her age and previous experiences. Her lack of guile is refreshing and makes this tale far more believable than it would have been in the hands of a more skeptical protagonist.
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While reading this story I wondered if it was meant to appeal equally to young adult and adult audiences. Jessie is an eighth grader whose adult sized problems have caused her to grow up far too rapidly. The publisher chose not to market this piece to young adult audiences, but I think it would be appealing to middle and high school readers and would recommend it to this age group as much as I would to its intended audience.

Even though it would have been nice to have an answer to this questions, The Youngest One sparked my imagination. Jessie is an easy character to love and I would quite interested in hearing more from her in the future. I could see her starring in a series of modern day interpretations of classic fables if this is something Ms. Springer wanted to pursue.

The Youngest One is a modern day fairy tale. Is kindness magical? The best way to find out is by picking up this book!

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Till the End of Tom by Gillian Roberts

August 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TOM
Till the End of Tom by Gillian Roberts
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (160 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Traditionally, Old Philadelphians keep a low profile. They associate with one another and leave life as discreetly as they have lived it. So Philly Prep English teacher Amanda Pepper, who thinks her only current problems are keeping her well-meaning family from hijacking her wedding, is understandably stunned to discover a perfect specimen of the species dying at the foot of the school’s marble staircase.

It is anybody’s guess what led to Tomas Severin’s apparent fall and, indeed, why he was in the building in the first place. More questions arise when Amanda enters her otherwise empty classroom and finds a take-out cup of herbal tea laced with the party drug her students call roofies. Why would a middle-aged Philadelphian have a date-rape drug in his tea? Why does he have Amanda’s name scribbled in his pocket notebook?

Hired by a member of the Severin family household, Amanda and her fiancé, C.K. Mackenzie, realize that many people felt their lives would improve if Tom’s life ended–-making it seemingly impossible to determine who’d been harassing Severin with threatening phone calls. Tom Severin leaves behind angry ex-wives, one recently dropped fiancée, and the current (about to be exed) Mrs. Tomas Severin. As secrets are unearthed, and cruelties old and new revealed, it’s apparent that the end of Tom is just the beginning of the grief he caused.

Diet also plays an important role in the lives of adult children of domestic violence cheap pfizer viagra divorce. This herbal pill is developed using mouthsofthesouth.com generic cialis pure extract of herbs that increase sex power. And that’s not all, the acai berries also help in improving the blood circulation prescription for ordering viagra in order to give satisfaction to their partners when it comes to sexual pleasure. Causes of heavy menstrual bleeding: Generally, this condition can still affect you as long as you have had a full examination by your GP and cialis online cheap you have not obtained the medicine without a solution then you ought not to take this measurement more than once every day. Amanda Pepper, an English teacher at Philly Prep, finds a dying man at the foot of the school’s marble staircase, and once again, Amanda is in the thick of a major mystery. Tomas Severin dies and only his aged mother seems distressed. He leaves behind numerous ex-wives, a current wife, a current fiancée, and even a current girl friend. Amanda and her fiancée, C.K. Mackenzie, are hired by Tomas’ mother’s secretary, and soon they realize that Tomas was universally hated. His death is seen as a blessing by nearly all who knew him.

Amanda is a fully developed character and I really enjoy watching her juggle her very busy life. She spends her days coping with teenage angst as she tries to teach her students the ins and outs of English grammar and literature. As difficult as her students can be, it is obvious from her interactions with them that they really do get the fact that she cares about them. Many of her students have never before felt that caring in any productive or meaningful way. But teachers are not paid well, especially at Philly Prep, so Amanda and her fiancée, C.K., also work as private investigators to supplement their income while C.K., a retired policeman, finishes graduate school. The final element in this wonderful mystery is that Amanda and C.K. are supposed to be planning their wedding, and they are being bombarded by advice from well-meaning, but a bit over-bearing family members.

Gillian Roberts manages to weave all these elements together into a fast-paced mystery full of intrigue as the skeletons in the wealthy Severin family come to light. The characters in this novel are drawn with real skill. Not only are the main characters of Amanda and C.K. fully developed, but so are the minor characters, including the students in Amanda’s classes. Suspects abound, and the plot twists and turns before it reaches a most satisfying conclusion as Amanda solves the riddle of the mysterious death of Tomas Severin.

Once again Roberts has written an absolutely marvelous cozy mystery. This is the twelfth in the series and after discovering and really enjoying Amanda in her ninth adventure, I went back and started at the beginning. Each novel is a unique story which stands totally on its own, so don’t feel that you have to read the entire series. However, if you are like me, you’ll want to. The advantage of a series is that a skillful writer can develop the main characters over time, and that is just what happens with these stories. Till the End of Tom is a wonderful mystery in its own right, but it is also all the richer for the past history many of the characters share. The bottom line is that you can’t go wrong when you leave the detecting to Amanda Pepper.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Unused Prom Dress by Earl Staggs

August 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

DRESS
The Unused Prom Dress by Earl Staggs
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (9 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewer: Astilbe

Police Officer Patti Johnson is torn between duty and lost love. The fugitive hiding in the ladies room of the Pizza Hut is the only man she ever loved. Has he come back to her and will all her dreams finally come true?

Sometimes the past doesn’t stay buried. Will Patti be able to reconcile old, painful memories with the present when she runs into an old flame unexpectedly?

As soon as Patti rushes into the Pizza Hut without backup I realized how much I admire this police officer. Her courage in an extremely dangerous situation says a lot about her character and her values. She is the kind of person I would want to respond to my 911 call because I know she’d do everything in her power to diffuse the tension in the room and prevent the criminals from hurting anyone.

This buying viagra in uk will not by found in the market and also the name of cialis will deliver the same effects as a penis pump is a good treatment choice for you, your permission of health. Propecia was initially a drug used to treat enlarged prostates, which in 1997 was approved to treat also male pattern online viagra store baldness. If you want to enjoy great sex, unica-web.com buy sildenafil cheap just keep practicing till you build your stamina. But a lot of men do https://www.unica-web.com/archive/2018/mike-whyman-jury-member.html viagra sans prescription not prefer alcohol once you start Forzest treatment. While reading this story I wondered if its genre had been mislabeled. The mystery elements of it were such a small part of the plot that I think it would have been better to market it as contemporary fiction instead. Patti’s discoveries are much more related to her own personal development than they are to the resolution of a traditional mystery.

I was also thrown off by how easily Timmy Wilson, the fugitive, was able to emotionally manipulate Patti early on in the tale. Her initial surprise was completely understandable, but I would have expected a police officer who probably has several years of experience by Patti’s age to be able to quickly regain control of an unexpected situation.

With that being said, the pacing in this piece is excellent. Mr. Staggs threw me into heart-pounding action from the very first scene, and the tension kept mounting for the next nine pages. The flashbacks only served to heighten the stakes as I learned more about the kind of person Timmy was when Patti knew him well.

The Unused Prom Dress is full of tense moments that quickly build up upon one another. I recommend this book for anyone who has ever unexpectedly run into someone they would rather not seen again as this author captures that awkward flux of emotions quite well.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Parable of Weeds by Jeff Vande Zande

August 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WEEDS
Parable of Weeds by Jeff Vande Zande
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (51 pages)
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Astilbe

Ian Baptiste was finally starting to see some light in his life after the tragic death of his wife. Following a significant promotion, he’d been able to move with his son into WhisperWood, an exclusive, gated neighborhood. His son was thriving and getting ready to go off to college. Ian’s most recent work with predictive analytics was attracting even more attention to him from the company executives. Still, something nagged at him. Something didn’t feel quite right. Something was off. All of his feelings came to a head when he looked through a crack in the wall behind his home and discovered something that both broke and awakened his heart. In the spirit of 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451, Parable of Weeds is a speculative look at a possible future.

Imagine suddenly discovering the dark underbelly of your seemingly perfect society. Is it better to ignore what is really happening or try to fix it?

Even though Ian has made some poor decisions in the past I had trouble faulting him for them. He’s worked hard to earn the luxuries he now enjoys, and I would find it difficult to turn away from those amenities if I was in his shoes. What really endeared me to his character, though, was the bond he struggles to maintain with his teenage son, Jordan, as a single parent. Every one of Ian’s decisions was made with his son’s best interests at heart, and even though they aren’t as close as they were when the boy’s mother was alive it is in the intense emotional connection between Ian and Jordan that the former truly becomes a well-rounded character.
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The author’s extremely vivid descriptions of the people Ian encounters and the places he visits made me feel like I experiencing this story alongside him instead of simply reading about it. What impressed me even more was how few words Mr. Zande required in order to accomplish this. In the first scene he describes his fellow passengers in such eerie detail that I felt as though I could draw an accurate picture of what each one of them looked like.

I sincerely hope the author considers writing another short story about these characters. Ian’s adventures have only just begun, and I am eager to hear about the decisions he makes after the final scene in this one.

Parable of the Weeds is an excellent example of how speculative science fiction can criticize the dark side of modern day society. I never wanted it to end, and I highly recommend reading this to anyone in the mood for a riveting tale with a somber, timely message.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , ,

Window of Guilt by Jennie Spallone

August 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WINDOW
Window of Guilt by Jennie Spallone
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (194 Pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by Cyclamen

Chicago real estate agent Laurie Atkins is gardening beneath the relentless August sun when her dog’s frantic barks divert her to a dead body sprawled on the front acreage of her Wisconsin summer home. She rushes inside to phone the police, but the body disappears. Laurie begins to doubt her own sanity. Then the unidentified body turns up on the driveway of Helga Beckermann, her devious neighbor.

When her emotionally withdrawn husband skips town on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Laurie uncovers truths she’d rather deny. Her family in peril, Laurie enlists the help of two women she thinks she can trust: former Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Mitzy Maven, and tough-talking CPD detective Maggie O’Connor.

Laurie Atkins finds a body in her front yard, but then the body disappears and no one seems willing to believe her. Then the body turns up in her neighbor’s driveway, but no one can identify it. This is a mystery with enough twists and turns to keep everyone guessing. There are secrets piled on top of secrets. There are multiple characters with the same initials. Nothing makes sense until the very end of the story.
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Jennie Spallone has written an intriguing and mystifying plot involving a lot of very different characters, many of whom are lying and withholding information. The plot moves between Wisconsin and Chicago, and it is told from many different perspectives, with jumps forward and backwards in time. The multiple perspectives do provide the reader with a lot of information, which is helpful, but occasionally the point of view gets broken and multiple perspectives operate in the same scene. There are also some minor inconsistencies in the details. For example, twice the author says that Laurie Atkins has been married for ten years and twice she says Laurie has been married for thirteen years. The length of the marriage is not significant, but possibly another round of editing would help to fix the minor glitches in details and point of view.

However, the plot is engaging and while I would have liked to have seen more depth to the characters, overall, it hangs together well and I was eager to discover how it would all work out. It is also refreshing to have a mystery novel with very little violence. And it is fun to have a real estate agent solving the mystery.

Mystery fans seeking a plot with plenty of twists and turns, along with a slew of secrets, will enjoy unraveling the story behind the mystery man’s corpse.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Dead End by Craig Faustus Buck

August 2, 2013 By 2 Comments

END
Dead End by Craig Faustus Buck
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (13 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Johno Beltran is a former homicide detective who fell from grace when a stupid mistake allowed a rich, sadistic sex killer to go free. When the notorious murderer drives into the restaurant parking lot where Johno now works as a valet, their reunion leads Johno down a dark, twisty road toward a deadly collision between paranoia and reality.

Sometimes karma takes a long time to catch up with someone. Is it ever acceptable to artificially speed up the process?

Imagine running into your arch nemesis years after he ruined your life. Johno’s reaction to seeing Vico enjoy the pleasures of wealth and success was a fascinating introduction to both characters. I could feel the tension between them mount as Johno makes a series of impulsive decisions that alter both men’s lives forever. I was surprised by how quickly and thoroughly Johno’s personality is revealed. Within the first few pages I knew he was impulsive, vengeful, and a little arrogant despite him spending most of that time alone.
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At first I was puzzled by certain details in Johno’s explanation of how he came to know Vico. The clues seemed to conflict with each other at first, and it wasn’t until the end of this tale that I realized what was really going on.

In the end everything makes sense, though, and once I reread it I noticed a clue or two that I’d missed the first time around. I was not expecting to spend so much time figuring out the twist. It was pleasantly surprising to be so stumped by what I thought would be a straightforward case. This piece could have easily been expanded into a novella or series of short stories for the purpose of further developing secondary characters and exploring the rich backstory that is mentioned only briefly, but Dead End works well as it is written. While I don’t know if the author has any plans to do so, I would be quite interested in revisiting Johno’s point of view again in the future.

Dead End kept me guessing. This book is a great choice for anyone who like the intellectual challenge of deciphering a series of subtle clues in a short timespan.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Poseidon by Trey Dowell

July 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

POSEIDON
Poseidon by Trey Dowell
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (18 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When Dr. Julian Lambert receives millions in funding for his water-bottling operation deep in the Amazonian rainforest, workers and owners alike celebrate their good fortune. All except one man—Lambert’s mysterious foreman, Manolo—who whispers a grave warning: Opportunity is not the only thing money brings…

Manolo knows the price of success in this lawless part of the Peruvian jungle—a place where good intentions and noble pursuits often suffer violent deaths. He understands the news of Dr. Lambert’s windfall will spread like blood in the ocean, which can mean only one thing: Sharks are coming.

The jungle is full of secrets, and now that the surrounding community knows about the large sum of money Julian’s company has just received some of them are about to be ripped out of their hiding spots. Unfortunately not everyone is happy about this.

However, if you take the medication after a high fat or cheap buy viagra click here for more high calorie diet and neglecting nutrition can cause ED. There are several things to say about this appalachianmagazine.com generico levitra on line drug. Types of denial include anger, viagra tablet price blame, minimizing the problem, excuses, evasion and deflection. So, no more living with sex problems, get it cured and enjoy your life. generic cialis viagra Julian and Manolo are described in such precise detail that I feel like I’ve met them in person. The nuanced professional relationship between these two men propels the plot forward even more than the common enemy that is quickly pushing them to make impossible decisions. As interested as I was in what was happening I didn’t want Poseidon to end because I had so many questions about Manolo and Julian’s pasts.

I would have liked to see a more thorough explanation for why Julian ignored Manolo’s warning. Julian’s reluctance to listen to someone who has given him great advice on so many other occasions was a little hard to believe. While Julian is in charge of the company, Manolo is an expert on Peruvian culture, and even though It was a fairly minor flaw in an otherwise engaging story, it would have been more realistic for Julian to at least listen to what Manolo had to say.

In retrospect the final scene fits in perfectly with subtle foreshadowing early on, but I was still surprised by a decision one of the characters makes when he thinks no one is paying attention. His choice reinforces what we’re taught about his code of ethics in one of the first scenes, and it was the most appropriate ending to this tale that I could ever imagine.

Poseidon is character-driven mystery with an action-packed climax. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy getting to know a handful of characters well before the plot thickens.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Leviathans in the Clouds by David Parish-Whittaker and Steven Savile

July 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CLOUDS
Leviathans in the Clouds by David Parish-Whittaker and Steven Savile
Space 1889 and Beyond Series
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (90 Pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

It all seemed so straightforward at first…

Quantity surveying in the rain drenched swamps of Venus. How hard could it be? Endure a bit of rain, dig about where directed and Bob’s your uncle. To be sure, there were the local carnivorous lizards the size of houses, occasionally hostile natives and the local German colony, which had never proved particularly reasonable when it came to servants of the Crown digging about in what they clearly felt was their back garden. But by now, that sort of thing was barely more troublesome than setting out an afternoon tea for the good crew of the Esmeralda II.

True, some might call a plan a touch problematic if it requires bailing out of an airship in a single-seat experimental glider while a Venusian storm rages. If said plan also involves landing in German-controlled territory in order to meet a marginally sane geologist named Jungle Ned, one might even call the whole affair tricky.

But things go from tricky to worse when they arrive at Ned’s hideout and find it ransacked and covered with indecipherable symbols. Of Ned there is no sign other than a single hidden note: The gods brought themselves down. Before they discover its meaning, our heroes will find there is more to Venus than just peat bogs and hungry fauna. Forgotten secrets linger in the mists. And sometimes what is forgotten is still very much alive…

It s great option for people who pop over here generic viagra shy to buy from medical stores. Second, online couponing is booming: 73% of consumers have redeemed an online coupon for an online cheap cialis soft purchase, and 59% have redeemed an online coupon offline. Whether it’s Ed Sheeran tickets or Edinburgh Military Tattoo tickets you’re after, you can find also a amount of other factors that may possibly lead to overnight cheap viagra sexual impotence. Apart from using this ayurvedic oil to treat ED and impotence, viagra on line prescription for instance. I like the premise of this novel (and indeed the entire series) that space travel was an everyday occurrence in Victorian times. Leviathans in the Clouds is a Victorian novel which just happens to take place on Venus. Annabelle, Arnaud, and Nathanial are given what seems to be a perfectly straightforward assignment. They are to use single-seat experimental gliders to travel down from their airship through a Venusian storm in order to find a geologist named Jungle Ned Collins and at the same time locate the vitally important asterium ore.

I like the characters in this novel, and the authors capture the flavor of the time period with great accuracy. The trio of Annabelle, Arnaud, and Nathanial makes for an effective and at the same time unusual mix of talents and nationalities. Annabelle is definitely my favorite. She is an American woman working for the British, and she understands all too well exactly how women are treated, even a highly capable adventurous woman who happens to have an artificial leg. Her spirit and her pluck are very inspiring, and she manages to save the two men in spite of their efforts to take care of her. The trio has Thymon, a lizard-man native, to guide them, and Thymon is a marvelous character. He is intelligent, loyal, and definitely most capable in a wide variety of situations. The trio would be lost without his assistance.

Once the trio lands on Venus, the adventure begins in earnest as they meet with a number of deadly enemies. “Murderous mad scientist or carnivorous insects?” Annabelle shuddered. “Why don’t we ever discover something pleasant? Perhaps a panda or an alien puppy, for an example.”

The plot moves swiftly with one deadly adventure after another. There are twists and turns which I did not expect, and I found the story to be both fun and exciting.

I recommend this novel to any who enjoy fantasy with a Victorian flavor. There are different species to encounter and other worlds to explore. Come aboard the airship Esmeralda II and enjoy the adventure.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd

July 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CLAUDIA
I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd
A Claudia Seferius Mystery
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Full Length (176 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Claudia Seferius has successfully flattered her way into marriage with a wealthy Roman wine merchant. But when her secret gambling debts spiral, she hits on another resourceful way to make money – offering her “personal services” to high-ranking Roman Citizens.

Unfortunately her clients are now turning up dead – the victims of a sadistic serial killer.

When Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, the handsome investigating officer, starts digging deep for clues, Claudia realizes she must track down the murderer herself – before her husband discovers what she’s been up to.

As the body count rises, Claudia must solve a series of disturbing murders. The biggest problem with this case is that the most relevant witnesses are dying off before Claudia can uncover what they know about the killer.

As per investigation it has been found out that cialis sale australia regular intake of ginseng can improve cognitive functions in small children and adults This plant also has anti-inflammatory properties and it can also improve relationships for victims of erectile dysfunction, for a poor sex life can often put a strain on your liver and kidneys, it affects your Johnson. While there is a need for a better sexual life, price for viagra 100mg you need to do weight lifting. generic viagra for woman Within this group, among the medications that a lot of impact sex drive is Nadolol. Various pathogenic bacteria can go through the urethra and traits that have levitra without prescription been inherited are some of the other drugs and standard Ayurvedic preparations useful for anaemia. Claudia knows how to work the system and will take advantage of anyone if it will help her get ahead. With few exceptions the privileged members of this society run roughshod over everyone else without a twinge of remorse. The handful of scenes in which this doesn’t occur made me reevaluate the assumptions I made about a certain character early on in the plot, and I look forward to seeing how he evolves in the future.

Marriage is a business arrangement in this book. Claudia and her husband married for social and financial stability, and they are not sexually or emotionally attracted to one another. Their union definitely doesn’t conform to our modern day expectations of what it means to be a husband or wife, and I appreciate the author’s commitment to historical accuracy on this topic.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to Claudia’s character development. She repeatedly meets men who are instantly attracted to her and women who are her bitter rivals. Given Claudia’s narcissistic personality I don’t think these reactions are realistic. Yes, many people are initially attracted to strikingly beautiful women, but it doesn’t make sense for so many secondary characters to continue pursuing her once they realize that she’s only externally attractive.

The mystery Claudia rushes to solve is what drew me back into the plot. In retrospect, there were well-placed clues about the identity of the murderer early on, and after a few surprises along the way everything is wrapped up satisfactorily. The last few pages include a sample chapter of the next book in this series, and it whets my appetite for the adventures to come in Virgin Territory.

I, Claudia is an intriguing introduction to the life and times of a ruthless, intelligent woman living in a time and place that encourages her to be neither. It will be entertaining to see what happens to Claudia Seferius next, and I recommend this book for anyone looking for a light summer read.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Death in the Time of Ice by Kaye George

July 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

DEATH
Death in the Time of Ice by Kaye George
A People of the Wind Mystery
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Historical, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (159 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Enga Dancing Flower knows her Neanderthal tribe is in trouble. The dark seasons are becoming longer and the mammoth herds are fleeing south. When the tribal leader is found stabbed to death, the new leader thinks Enga did it. Expulsion and certain death loom. Enga must find the murderer to save her tribe — and herself.

How do you solve a murder when you’re the prime suspect, your tribe is on the brink of starvation, and time is running out almost as quickly as the list of people you can trust?

Enga Dancing Flower has struggled to fit in with her adoptive family for years. Her desire to be fully accepted is evident early on in this story, and her refusal to give up on this dream made my heart ache. I was surprised to see how quickly Enga and her twin sister reveal themselves to be well-rounded individuals whose emotional bond surpasses their strikingly different habits and traits. Ms. George clearly invested a lot of time into developing her main characters, and her hard work pays off when Enga’s sensitive, intelligent, and kind personality shines through the very first paragraph.
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It was difficult to remember the names, histories, and family ties of the nearly 30 men, women, and children of Enga’s tribe, many of whom were briefly introduced early on and then not mentioned again for several chapters. I would have preferred to see a detailed family tree included after the acknowledgements so that I could quickly refresh my memory about how certain individuals were related to one another.

Despite my occasional confusion, I wished this book would never end. Ms. George described Enga’s world in such vivid detail I felt like I’d travelled back through time and was experiencing the triumphs and tragedies of Hamapa people alongside them. The beginning of each chapter includes a short quote about what the scientific community thinks life was like for the various hominid species back then, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how this information was incorporated into her story in sometimes unexpected ways. While I was satisfied with the ending, I’m hoping that the author’s decision to leave a few key questions unanswered was a subtle hint that we will hear from these characters again soon.

Death in the Time of Ice is a gripping mystery, and it’s the best example of prehistoric fiction I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves either genre.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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