Claire and Present Danger by Gillian Roberts

July 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CLAIRE
Claire and Present Danger by Gillian Roberts
An Amanda Pepper Mystery
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (156 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

In the City of Brotherly Love, nobody knows a thing about Emmie Cade, a young widow who “appeared from nowhere,” and in the blink of an eye was engaged to Leo Fairchild, a middle-aged bachelor with a fortune. However, as her marriage date approaches, Emmie’s mother-in-law to be, the ailing, autocratic Claire Fairchild, receives anonymous letters. They suggest, none too subtly, that there’s a great deal to learn about the mysterious young woman, none of it good, and much of it involving the violent deaths of the men in her life.

Enter Amanda Pepper who, after completing her day of teaching English at Philly Prep, now moonlights as a P.I. along with C.K. Mackenzie, former homicide detective, current graduate student at Penn. The two of them are hired by Mrs. Fairchild to find out who the charming but evasive Emmie Cade really is. At thirty-two, the young woman has changed her address and name more often than some women change nail polish—and deliberately or not, she’s provided no clues or access to her past.

For Amanda, becoming C.K. Mackenzie’s investigative partner is an exhilarating change from the politics and problems of the new school term, and a welcome distraction from the ordeal of meeting her own prospective in-laws. She’s determined to prove herself an able investigator by ferreting out Emmie Cade’s secrets, but almost immediately, instead of looking at events of the past, she’s forced to deal with the here and now—including murder.

Amanda Pepper is back again, and I am certainly glad. Claire and Present Danger is a wonderful cozy mystery written with wit, humor, wonderful characters, and a twisted and convoluted plot. Amanda Pepper teaches English at Philly Prep, and she also moonlights as a P.I. with her fiancée, C.K. Mackenzie. Amanda is a first rate teacher with a creative approach to teaching and a real understanding of her students. She is just learning how to be a P. I., as C.K., a former homicide detective turned graduate student, helps her to learn the profession.
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Gillian Roberts has developed both Amanda and C.K. into complex characters. They are people whom I really care about. Listening to Amanda’s interior monologue about what she should wear to meet C.K.’s parents, while she is also monitoring her classes is fascinating. When she gets caught up in a case, trying to do a background check, she begins to doubt herself. Robert’s humor and wit are clearly present as Amanda thinks, “Perhaps it was time to restrict myself to dangling participles and pronoun case. It was possible my mission on earth was not solving crimes, but disabusing people from saying, “He invited John and myself.” Or, “Between you and I.” Surely preserving the Mother Tongue was as important a public service as doing background checks. On the other hand, we needed additional income, and pronoun usage wasn’t going to generate it.”

The plot is well crafted and I am again impressed by how Amanda’s life as a teacher parallels her work on the case, as a crisis at school provides her with the insight she needs to solve the murder. There are plenty of suspects, and the twists and turns will keep readers guessing until the end.

The novel is filled with lovable characters who support Amanda. First and foremost is her fiancée C.K., who always finds time for her even as he is trying to study for his Ph.D. in criminology. Amanda’s sister, Beth, is instrumental in finding clues, even if she isn’t always aware of what she is doing. In this novel, we also meet C.K.’s parents whom I liked nearly as quickly as Amanda. The interaction between the two families, C.K.’s and Amanda’s is handle with great wit and tact.

Claire and Present Danger is the eleventh novel in this series. It stands alone as a wonderful cozy, and it is also enriched by the earlier novels as the characters grow and develop. If you are looking for a great cozy mystery with a plucky, if at times scattered, detective, then I can recommend not only this novel, but the entire series.

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

Who’s There? by Herschel Cozine

July 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

THERE
Who’s There? by Herschel Cozine
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (7 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Nurseryland’s best (and only) private eye has been involved in many cases surrounding nursery rhyme and fairy tale victims, but this is the most baffling of all.

How does one find a person who isn’t there? This is the daunting task that Nathaniel P. Osgood III faces when he reluctantly accepts the case.

Searching throughout Nurseryland, Osgood makes the discovery that the little man he is looking for has not been at many places. Unreliable witnesses who claim to have not seen the little man who wasn’t there all over town add to Osgood’s frustration. In desperation, Osgood resorts to deception to resolve the case to his client’s satisfaction.

How do you solve a case that doesn’t come with any substantial clues and is brought to your attention by an unreliable witness?
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Mr. Cozine stumped me from the beginning of this story. I couldn’t imagine how a private detective with limited resources planned to solve such an ill-defined mystery, but I was eager to find out! His newest client, Griswold McPhee, certainly doesn’t make the job easy for him, but I enjoyed watching Nathaniel pry a handful of clues out of his client before agreeing to take the case.

The ending of this piece felt rushed. I understood the point the author was trying to make, but it would have benefitted from another round of editing in order to further develop how Nathaniel came up with his solution. It was difficult to believe that a man who was as distraught as Mr. McPhee would accept the detective’s answer as it was written.

This is a plot-based series, and so far Nathaniel P. Osgood III has remained more or less the same person from one mystery to the next. Each adventure can be easily read as a standalone story, but the author’s playful sense of humour became more evident on my second trip to Nurseryland. I’m looking forward to visiting this world again so I can meet more of the surprising characters who live there.

Who’s There? is a creative take on a lesser-known nursery rhyme. It’s a good choice for anyone who loves these traditional rhymes and has always wondered what happens to the characters in them after they end.

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

Helen Hath No Fury by Gillian Roberts

July 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

HELEN
Helen Hath No Fury by Gillian Roberts
An Amanda Pepper Mystery
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (149 Pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

In the stately nineteenth-century homes on Philadelphia’s Delancey Street, the wilder passions scarcely ruffle the peace. Murder is unthinkable, particularly a murder involving an upscale book discussion group, of which schoolteacher Amanda Pepper is a devoted member. Nevertheless, on the day after a heated discussion of a fictional heroine’s suicide, book group member Helen Coulter falls to her death from her roof garden. Helen’s death is declared a suicide but Amanda is convinced otherwise. Why is this admirable woman dead? And if she was killed, who performed the heinous act? Amanda’s investigations will draw her into a zone of great danger, where Helen Coulter’s ice-hearted killer is once more ready to strike. . . .

Amanda Pepper really enjoys her book club. She is a high school English teacher, trying to instill a love of literature into the minds of the students at Philly Prep, who are frequently bored. Therefore, to be able have a book club where she can talk about books with others who feel passionately about them is a real treat. Gillian Roberts uses the book club almost like another character. Opening the novel at a book club meeting discussing Kate Chopin’s The Awakening allows Roberts to introduce nearly all the characters quickly and effectively, fleshing them out simply by showing how they discuss the novel. As Amanda notes: “Good books are like Rorschach tests. What each person finds on the page depends on what she’s brought along with her. I know very little about the daily lives of these women. I see most only once a month, but I feel as if I know more about their values and concerns, more of what matters to them and who they are, than I do about many of my longtime friends. All of that is via the books we read, the ideas that fill our monthly meetings.” It is this book club meeting that convinces Amanda that her friend Helen did not commit suicide.

The current level of erectile functioning, which initial diagnostic overnight generic cialis tests might be the most useful and what treatment should begin immediately for the respective condition. Erectile dysfunction http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/black-and-white-bunny/ prices cialis is the inability to maintain erection. Be buy cheapest viagra it an industrial or commercial, everybody requires precision and quality. Consumption get viagra overnight have a peek at this web-site of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and on the other hand cutting down on red meat and alcohol. Helen Hath No Fury is the tenth Amanda Pepper Mystery. I am one of those readers who loves to find a series that is well-written with characters I care about and plots that are fast paced and exciting. I have now read two novels in this series, and I can’t wait to read them all. Amanda Pepper is bright and witty. She obviously cares deeply for her students, and based on the lesson plans she shares in these novels, she is an excellent teacher. In addition, she is a seeker of truth and has the ability to piece together puzzles in order to find the answers to baffling cases. She lives with C.K. Mackenzie, a homicide detective, and a cat, Macavity. She has a mother who is always pushing her to get married. These characters are loveable, and to have a series where the reader gets to know them better each time is a real delight. That being said, the novels also stand alone perfectly. No prior knowledge is assumed. No prior cases are invoked.

In addition to memorable well-developed characters, there is a terrific mystery with many twists and turns. There is even a side story about a student, a mystery in its own right, which ends up giving Amanda the clues she needs to solve Helen’s murder. The pacing is excellent and the pages just turn themselves. And I love the play on words in the title. It sets the tone for the novel as a whole, and also demonstrates the value of words in Amanda’s life.

I can highly recommend Helen Hath No Fury to any lovers of the cozy mystery, written to the high standards of a classic mystery where the suspense turns on the characters and the plot. This is a novel, and indeed a series not to be missed.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Getting Back to Normal by Marilyn Levinson

July 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

NORMAL
Getting Back to Normal by Marilyn Levinson
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (103 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sixth-grader Vannie Taylor’s mom has just died. Her father, completely lost without his wife, brings Vannie and her younger brother to live in a dismal cottage on the estate where he manages craft fairs, dinners, and other events. When strange events start happening around the estate, Vannie decides to investigate, and soon discovers a ghost who wants her to help him make amends for something in his past. Vannie’s life is starting to get back to normal, but in a way she’s never imagined.

Death doesn’t have to be the end. Spirits who deeply regret terrible decisions they made in life have a slim chance of fixing their mistakes if they can find someone to give them a hand. The problem is that most of the living are either unaware of the dead or have no interest in helping them.

All it takes is one willing assistant, though. Will Vannie agree to help someone she barely knows? I puzzled over this question as the plot thickened. Once I figured out what she needed to do I wondered how reasonable it was for her to agree to it. Had I been in her shoes I don’t know if I would have been equally willing to make the same sacrifice.

Thus, an impotent male should be careful while choosing any of the buy viagra generic erectile dysfunction remedies as some may impose a serious threat to life. Some of tadalafil 40mg india such predisposing factors also include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors. This way, most viagra 100mg sales men experience harder erection within minutes and even erectile dysfunction patients have reported better erection strength within few weeks. By regularly performing certain exercises and practices we can actually increase the chi or oxygen pressure in the lungs that is pulmonary arterial hypertension. tadalafil 5mg tablets dig this The relationship between Vannie’s younger brother, Robby, and the feral cat he desperately wants to tame is a welcome relief from an otherwise serious storyline. His well-meaning but sometimes comedic attempts to make a pet out of a creature that has no concept of the term bring out the nurturing side of his older sister’s personality. While they occasionally annoy one another, it was nice to see such a warm bond between siblings in a young adult novel.

Vannie’s father, Roger, quickly moves on with his life after his wife’s death. Shortly after she dies he transitions his kids to a new home on the other side of town, and he soon introduces even more disruptive changes into their lives. His reasons for wanting to uproot his children weren’t clear to me until the final chapter, and I wish I had learned about them much earlier in the plot. Knowing this information right away would have helped me empathize with his point of view as I found it difficult to understand how a father could be so emotionally disengaged from his children. Throughout all of these adjustments in the Taylor family, Roger is a distant and short-tempered parent who leaves the practical aspects of running a household up to his preteen daughter. In certain ways Vannie acts more like an adult than her own father, and I didn’t think it was appropriate for her to assume so much responsibility at such a tender age.

With that being said, the paranormal scenes in this story that waver between lighthearted and disturbing conversations enhance the allure of Merrymount Gardens and everyone who lives there. The ghost Vannie meets has been trying to get help from the living for decades, and as soon as he realizes Vannie can see him he wastes no time in introducing himself. Eventually the ghost reveals something surprising about his personality that makes this book too frightening for readers under the age of 12. The twist adds unexpected depth to previous scenes, though, and transforms the plot into something well-suited for its intended audience.

I’d recommend Getting Back to Normal to anyone who loves the thrill of uncovering long dead secrets. This book is packed full of them, and I had a wonderful time discovering the truth with Vannie.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

We Don’t Know Why by Nancy Springer

July 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WHY
We Don’t Know Why by Nancy Springer
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (9 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

To a future girl, Mishell, who flies with the aid of anti-gravity wings, the death in a freak accident of a beloved older brother, Mykel, is hard to accept. Why had it happened? To Mykel, of all people? Why ?

Rebelliously going AWOL from her home spacecraft, cruising the sky of an earth-like planet, Mishell is worshipped by primitive people who believe she is an angel. After she rescues one of them, their faith in her is boundless, and she begins to understand the weight of the question, “Why?”

Why do bad things happen to good people? Does everything really happen for a reason?
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Arthur C. Clarke once said, “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Mishell certainly never expected a spontaneous joy ride to end with her being worshipped by the indigenous people of the planet her parents have been studying, but her flustered reaction to being elevated to a god-like status endeared me to this character. I get the impression that Kris, the teenage boy with whom she was sneaking around, would have approached this scenario much more cynically. As much as I hated to see Mishell in danger, I was relieved that the more innocent member of this duo was the one to make first contact with the primitive people who discover her after her accident.

This story has a conclusive ending, but as I was reading I wished Mishell’s adventures could be expanded into a novella. Mishell’s thoughts and feelings were so vividly described that I felt like I was travelling alongside her, and I never wanted her narrative to end. It would have satisfied my curiosity to learn what happens to Kris after his time in this tale ended. I can’t imagine how he would defend an unethical decision he makes in an early scene. While it wasn’t ultimately necessary to explore this subplot in great detail, it could be a provocative excuse for a sequel if Ms. Springer ever decides to write one.

We Don’t Know Why provides a fresh, intriguing approach to some of life’s oldest questions. This is a great choice for anyone who likes philosophical science fiction that uncovers two new questions each time it answers one.

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

Valentines by Barbara Metzger

July 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

VALENTINES
Valentines by Barbara Metzger
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Holiday, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (123 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

A trio of Regency love stories for Sweethearts’ Day!

BALD LIES

Audrina is desperate to ensure that Lord Blanford not only notices her beautiful cousin but marries her as well. However, Max’s head is beset by larger worries than matrimony–though he is curiously diverted by the antics of the flame-haired matchmaking minx. . . .

THE LAST VALENTINE

Exiled into obscurity by her odious father, Martine can only assume the romantic love notes on her doorstep are a mistake–intended for another. Who could it be? Only Cupid knows–as mischief and merriment mark the countdown to Valentine’s Day. . . .

LOVE AND TENDERNESS

Few blushing brides have their wedding night ruined by a ghost only they can see, but Senta’s hysterics send her groom running. Reconciling these stubborn newlyweds is no easy task–even for a handsome, oddly dressed apparition who calls himself the King . . . .

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“Bald Lies” is the first story in this charming anthology, and definitely my favorite. I fell in love with Audrina (Dree) and Max right away. Dree is a sweet woman trying to save her cousin, Carrie, from a loveless, arranged marriage. Dree is outspoken, and I had to shake my head at her obvious attempts to push Carrie on Max. While Dree had Carrie’s best interest at heart, it is very clear that Carrie preferred another young gentleman, and that Max has absolutely no interest in Carrie. However, Max did find himself increasingly preoccupied with Dree.

I loved watching Max and Dree get to know each other. Even though the story is very short, Ms. Metzger paces the budding relationship between Max and Dree perfectly. Their connection feels absolutely genuine, and I found myself smiling whenever they were together. One of the things I found most interesting about Max and Dree, is that they are both extremely self-conscious about certain aspects of their appearance. Their insecurities make them more realistic and certainly helped bring them to life in my mind. Both Max and Dree make very silly attempts at concealing what they view as their imperfections. Little did they know their actions put them on a collision course with a happy ending that had me laughing out loud.

Martine’s situation is dire in “The Last Valentine” . She’s been banished from her family home for a youthful indiscretion, yet it is apparent that Martine is a warm and caring young woman. She had my sympathy immediately. When love notes start appearing at her door, Martine is touched and for the first time in a long time, she begins to have some hope of happiness in her future. I enjoyed reading the love notes with Martine and watching her gradually come back to life.

Martine soon believes she has figured out the identity of her admirer. She seems so certain, that I completely followed her line of thinking and had little reason to doubt her conclusion. I began to think that the story was sweet, but predictable. However, Ms. Metzger threw in a hilarious twist at the very last moment that had my mouth dropping open in surprise. While I never could have pictured Martine’s happy ending, I believe that it is a much more fitting conclusion than the one I initially envisioned.

“Love and Tenderness” is definitely the oddest story in this collection. The ghost who ruins Senta’s wedding night has no memory of his past life, but remembers that he is a king. Like Senta, I assume that he is the spirit of some long dead royal. We were both completely wrong. Since he can’t remember his name, Senta calls him Sir Parcival. While Sir Parcival is entertaining and provides a small measure of help to Senta at pivotal moments in the story, I must admit that I found Sir Parcival’s appearances somewhat disruptive. I won’t spoil the story by revealing Sir Parcival’s true identity, but I will say that he definitely doesn’t belong in Senta’s world. Since Sir Parcival is so obviously out of place, I had a hard time settling in to Senta’s story.

Senta and her husband, Lee, are both very likable characters. However, they both strike me as rash individuals who need to learn to alternately listen and speak up at the appropriate times. The problems keeping them apart are generally not complicated and are of their own making. I found myself increasingly frustrated with them. If only they had taken a minute to listen to each other, they could have starting working as a team much sooner in the story. Despite this issue, I did enjoy reading about Senta, Lee, and Sir Parcival and his antics.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Valentines. Ms. Metzger certainly has a knack for crafting amusing stories with unexpected endings. I recommend Valentines to anyone who likes their historical romance with a generous dose of humor.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Booneville Retribution by S. Furlong-Bolliger

July 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

BOONEVILLE
Booneville Retribution by S. Furlong-Bolliger
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (8 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Larry’s a hardworking Vietnam vet who loves his country and is proud of his small town roots. He’s lived the better part of his life in Booneville, where Old Glory flies proudly over town square, and the Fourth of July is the biggest celebration of the year. Then, the closing of Halport Industries—the town’s economic lifeblood—devastates Booneville’s residents. Families are torn apart, small businesses dry up, and once lively neighborhoods become nothing but rows of abandoned houses. However, when the downturn of the economy threatens the town’s Fourth of July festival, Larry becomes determined to change things. Risking everything, he devises a plan to make the people forget about their problems and restore a sense of pride in their community and their country.

Booneville is slowly dying, and there’s nothing anyone can do to save it. Yet somehow Larry can’t bring himself to stop searching for way to pierce the hopelessness that blankets his community.

My first impression of Larry is that he is a man who saw terrible things during his tour of duty and he is now trying to heal those memories by living a quiet, predictable life. Even though we come from very different backgrounds he’s the sort of dependable, altruistic, civic-minded person I’d love to have as a next door neighbor.
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I would have preferred to see either more time spent developing Dawn’s character or for the author to cut her out of the plot altogether. Almost all of Dawn’s scenes involve her scolding her husband for how he spends their dwindling savings, and in light of these recurring arguments I had trouble connecting with her character or understanding why these two are still married.

It was difficult to determine when this story was supposed to take place. The technology, social customs, and traditional gender roles of this piece feel like they are from the 1960s, but Larry’s description of himself as an old man who once served in Vietnam made me think Booneville Retribution was intended to be contemporary. Someone Larry’s age is stereotypically less likely to use computers and cell phones on a daily basis than younger adults, and neither Larry nor his friends strike me as the type of folks who enjoy making big changes in their lives without having a good reason to do so. Despite my initial confusion, then, writing Larry this way stays true to everything else I learned about his character and personality during the course of this tale.

Booneville Retribution made me feel nostalgic for a town I’ve never visited. This book is a good choices for readers who grew up in rural communities or who have ever been curious what it’s like to live in that sort of environment.

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

Thorn in the Flesh by Anne Brooke

July 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

THORN
Thorn in the Flesh by Anne Brooke
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (149 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Kate Harris, a lecturer in her late thirties, is attacked in her home and left for dead. This terrible assault and the anonymous hate letters she starts to receive bring to light the past she’d prefer to leave behind, a past which includes the son she bore in her teenage years and whom she chose to give away.

What happens to Kate also affects the people she counts as friends and colleagues now. She has been in love with her best friend, Nicky, for a long time but Nicky is happily married with two young children and Kate is determined never to upset the lives of those she cares for.

However, when she makes the momentous decision to contact the father of her long-forgotten son, and then to trace her son as well, Kate inadvertently sets in motion a series of frightening events she seems to have no control over. Can she protect herself and those she loves from the menacing enemy who stalks them all?

How do you outsmart a villain who knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets?

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After the terror of the first scene the plot slows down for several chapters. I enjoyed the chance to learn more about the longstanding friendship between Kate and Nicky, her best friend. They clearly have known one another a long time, and their bond is so strong that even when they’re grouchy I felt the love and concern behind their complaints.

What I didn’t understand about this novel was why Kate refuses to tell the police about the anonymous threats she receives after she’s discharged from the hospital. At the very least they could have documented what was happening in case her tormentor decides to escalate the situation. Yes, sometimes the police don’t respond to these things appropriately, but I didn’t understand why a woman who had positive interactions with them in the past wouldn’t try a little harder to keep the authorities up-to-date.

With that being said, Kate Harris is a wonderfully nuanced protagonist. As I read this book, I felt like I was catching up with an old, dear friend whose choices occasionally frustrate me. At times I wished Kate was a real person so I could gently scold her for making such poor decisions in the past. A woman as intelligent and socially aware as her really ought to know better, but the strong character development and attention to detail made this book impossible to put down.

Thorn in the Flesh is a slow burning mystery woven into the ordinary lives of a close-knit group of friends. This is a great choice for readers who prefer to get to know characters well before the plot heats up. The payoff at the end is well worth the initial emotional investment!

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

Going Where the Wind Blows by Jan Christensen

July 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WIND
Going Where the Wind Blows by Jan Christensen
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Short Story (13 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Someone killed Bill, and whoever it was stole all the money.

Rita Mae came to San Francisco in the late 1800s with her man to find a better life, never mind the fact that said new life involved plans to rob a few banks. When Bill is murdered, Rita Mae starts turning tricks while she tries to find the killer and, even more importantly, the bankroll. When her new job results in her involvement in yet another murder, Rita Mae discovers her problems are only just beginning.

Sometimes a gal just can’t win.

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In a few short sentences, I formed a strong opinion about the type of person Rita Mae was and to what extent I believed her version of what happened to Bill. I wasn’t expecting to like her so much, but Rita Mae turned out to be my favourite character in this piece because of her refusal to judge others in the same ways they judged her for being a prostitute. The snippets of background information that leaked into certain scenes rounded out her character without slowing the plot down. We were given more than enough hints about Rita Mae’s early life to figure out why she made the decisions she did, but I still wished there could be more flashbacks to her childhood. She clearly had a memorable one, and while it wasn’t relevant to this story I found myself wanting to learn more about her life.

I figured out who the killer was early on in this tale, but the author whipped out a few plot twists at the last moment that made me gasp. In retrospect they make perfect sense, but it was delightful to be surprised in that manner just as I assumed the plot had revealed all of its juiciest secrets.

Going Where the Wind Blows is a tightly woven mystery that left me wishing for more. This is a great choice for anyone who prefers a subtle, intelligent approach to excavating clues and doesn’t mind being surprised by an unusual ending.

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

The Kidnapping of Aaron Greene by Terry Kay

June 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

9781611874860_SM
The Kidnapping of Aaron Greene by Terry Kay
Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing
Genre: Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (288 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Aaron Greene is a shy, stay-in-the-background young Jewish boy, the child of shy, stay-in-the-background parents. Only a year out of high school, he has a part-time job as a mailboy in a large Atlanta bank. One morning, on his way to work, he is kidnapped and the kidnappers demand a ransom of ten million dollars – not from his parents, but from the bank that employs him.

The bank rejects the demand.

And what begins as a curious crime – the abduction of an unknown, a nobody – soon ignites a national crusade for Aaron’s safe return, because everyone, in one way or another, understands what it is like to be a nobody.

For the kidnappers, the money has no meaning. The mastermind, Ewell Pender, is a wealthy eccentric, an elderly board member of the bank, yet also the man who organizes the campaign to raise Aaron’s ransom. His criminal associates are young nonconformists, dreamers and daredevils. Keeping Aaron in the luxury of the Pender mansion is, to them, a clever and teasing adventure. For Aaron, it is not life-threatening; it is life-changing.

Going for generic kinds of cost of sildenafil http://www.cerritosmedicalcenter.com/pid-6212 such drugs is quite low. With augmented amount of blood supplied to the penile soft tissues thus ensuring cheapest cialis hard and sensitive erection. Men who have used sildenafil tablets report on how quickly they were able to achieve an enough erection. cheap viagra usa Acoustic neuroma is also another cause of viagra for women price impotence may be a psychological problem. Caught in the mystery is a journalist who unwittingly is used as a pawn by the kidnappers to tell Aaron’s story, and also a detective who bends rules and follows his instinct as much as his training. For both, the kidnapping reveals a profound understanding of their own lives in the complex workings of the world around them.

Richly written, driven by baffling twists in plot, and featuring powerful portrayals of memorable characters, The Kidnapping of Aaron Greene goes beyond the elements of a classic crime. It is an experiment in human manipulation and behavior, and a riveting study of the passions and apathy historically exhibited by society.

If you were going to kidnap someone, would you kidnap a nobody, someone with no money, no resources? That’s what happens in The Kidnapping of Aaron Greene.  The reasons behind this unique kidnapping reveal a complex look at society and what drives it.

Terry Kay has written a page turning mystery with incredible twists and turns. We see the story unfold from multiple perspectives with a group of really engaging characters. A newsman’s voice is used on the kidnapper’s demand tapes, but Cody never said what is on the tapes. His phone was tapped and the tapes are spliced, but why was his voice chosen? Cody and his friend Detective Menotii work hard to unravel the mystery, but just as they appear to figure out something, the story takes another turn. There are wives and ex-wives. There are new loves and old. There is a pushy radio talk show host and a troubled bank. Nothing is at it seems on the surface. Aaron himself is kept “imprisoned,” but in the lap of luxury with access to a hot tub and sauna, a garden, great food, and videos, everything except freedom.

Kay has woven a masterfully imaginative plot that really rings true. His characters are very well-defined and for the most part likeable, so the reader really cares what happens to them. The mastermind behind the original kidnapping is a wealthy eccentric elderly man named Ewell Pender, and he demonstrates the ability to manipulate people to do what he feels is right. He also organizes a campaign to raise the ransom money, as this kidnapping is not about money. The truth behind the kidnapping is something that Kay’s readers must decide for themselves. I certainly had questions at the end that I wish had been answered more clearly, but the characters did end up in better places than those they occupied at the beginning of the novel. Furthermore, the main characters discovered life-changing understandings about themselves and their worlds.

I recommend this novel to any lovers of mysteries with unusual angles and plot twists. I look forward to reading more of Kay’s novels.

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