Book Review- James Patterson- The Big Bad Wolf

James Patterson- The Big Bad Wolf (Doubleday 2003) 3.75 Stars

As Alex Cross adjusts to being in the FBI, he must complete the training courses and adjust to their different way of dealing with cases. The kidnapping of a judge’s wife brings in the FBI and Alex Cross finds himself hunting a Russian gang leader named the Wolf. The Wolf is using small groups to kidnap women and sell them to his select buyers for the purposes of slavery/sex. Just as they think that they have got him he eludes their grasp time and time again. Catching the Wolf may be a bigger challenge then the FBI had first figured.

James Patterson’s Cross series seems to be stuck in a mould. The same situations keep happening in each book, making them more and more predictable as the series goes. For example his family will always get threatened at some point and the suspect will always elude capture/outsmart Cross several times throughout the book. I would love to give specific examples, but do not like spoilers in reviews, so I will refrain. I find myself predicting what will happen at certain points, although I must say I loved the ending, I did not see it coming. In this book we heard a little less about his family, enough so that it was tolerable. As usual his family life suffers greatly during a tough case, which is likely how it works for many officers of the law. I did like this villain. He was not near as creepy as some of the others. He was pretty much just feeding upon the deviant sexual predators to make money for himself. The Wolf was a very intelligent criminal who gave Cross a good run for his money, much better than the tiresome Mastermind, whose books I did not enjoy.

I recommend The Big Bad Wolf to fans of Patterson and his Cross series.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Franklin W. Dixon- The Hardy Boys: Competitive Edge

Franklin W. Dixon- The Hardy Boys: Competitive Edge (Archway Paperback 1996) 3 Stars

During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta Frank and Joe will be volunteers. They are hoping to see great athletes at work, but they end up seeing much more. When criminal activities start happening at the Olympics the Hardy’s must locate the culprits and bring them to justice. A war between two countries far away seems to be responsible for the crime spree, the Olympics have become their new battlefield and innocent people will be their targets. It has now become a race against time to bring a stop to these terrorists before they succeed in destroying the Olympic Games.

This book is part of the newer Hardy series. I used to love reading the older books when I was young. The new series is not nearly as good. The first thing that I have to wonder is why after so many books whether you include the old series or not, the Hardy’s do not really age much. This is book is book 111 in the new series and yet they are barely over twenty, characters should age with the series, no one can possibly stumble upon 111 cases in such a short time span. For a series I enjoyed greatly, I think the new series was a mistake. The Hardy series should have ended with the original series. The characters in this book were not overly deep, although by reading the series you would get a better feel for the main characters. The plot is interesting enough to keep young people reading, filled with lots of action, however it is very predictable, the same outline is used in every book. There are certain factors/events you can guarantee within each book, mainly the fact that one of them will be captured at some point. It was interesting to see it taking place during the Olympics though, it made for a cool setting.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Michael Connelly- The Lincoln Lawyer

Michael Connelly- The Lincoln Lawyer (Warner Books 2006) 4 Stars

Mickey Haller thinks he has a good life, four Lincoln Town Cars, two ex-wives who remain his friends, and one daughter, but all of that is about to be threatened. When he chooses to defend the son of a rich real estate tycoon, he has no idea just what he is getting himself into. He sees the money and what it could do for his defence-attorney business. Louis Roulet is accused of a brutal assault, rape, and attempted murder, and Haller thinks he can win in court. All of a sudden Mickey Haller finds himself looking the devil in the eye, and fighting to set a truly innocent man free. Not used to having to work to win a case, true justice may not be so easy to get, especially when it could cost him everything he has accomplished.

I must admit at first I was not sure about The Lincoln Lawyer. It did not grab my attention right away like I am used to with Connelly’s work. I was getting a little bit tired of so many details on cases that were irrelevant to the story at hand. About a quarter of the way through though I was finding myself growing more and more interested, and by the end I was very glad that I had chosen to read this book. Connelly knows how to hold his readers in suspense and keep them guessing. I did not see the end coming, not until it slapped me in the face. Mickey Haller was a fairly deep character. At the start he is a self-absorbed, lazy defence attorney, but throughout the book we see him learning the error of his ways, the hard way. By the end he is a better man, who has gotten his priorities straightened out. I loved the way he was able to twist the events/witnesses into whatever he wanted, sickening, but brilliant. Connelly certainly knows how to create characters, and make plots that draw the reader into the book.

I recommend The Lincoln Lawyer to Connelly fans and those who love a good courtroom book.

For more of my book reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird (Grand Central Publishing 1982) 4.75 Stars

Scout and Jem Finch live in Maycomb, a small town along the Alabama River where nothing much happens. That is until a black man is accused of a crime he did not commit and their father, Atticus, must defend him. Now they must learn what being a family is all about and the fact that the world is not as black and white as children think it is. People do not always act nobly and Atticus expects his children to treat everyone with respect no matter what happens. Not an easy task for a young girl who would rather solve her problems with her fist. This is a classic coming of age tale, set in the historic southern U.S.

I loved To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in school, one of the few school books I actually enjoyed reading. I also loved the movie as it was very well done. You can’t help but love Scout and her sense of how the world should be. She is filled with a child’s innocence and she must come to understand that the world is not always fair; in fact it can be so very cruel at times. Not wishing to become a lady, she will do anything possible to be seen as a hard-knuckled boy. She must also face the fact that her brother is growing up and wants more of his own independence. I loved the whole Boo Radley thing, it added some fun into the book and helped them realize that things are not always as they seem, and never to judge someone by what other people say. This book is a great learning experience for children and I can see why it was read in schools. At times I was frustrated with how cruel and stupid people were, but this was the just a matter of the way people thought at the time, a perfect recreation by the author. I always find that when I read this I wish Harper Lee had written more.

I recommend To Kill a Mockingbird for parents to read to their children, and to teens/adults.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Lee Child- Tripwire

Lee Child- Tripwire (Jove Books 2009) 4.5 Stars

Jack Reacher is continuing to wander the United States, enjoying being just a part of the crowd. Out of nowhere comes a private detective asking around for a Jack Reacher and suddenly Jack Reacher is being sought by a couple of thugs who killed the private detective. Now Reacher needs to find out just where the detective came from and why the man’s client wants him. The answer will shock him and send him spiralling into a dangerous mystery that will reunite him with many old acquaintances from his past. Danger lurks around every corner, will Reacher be tough enough to find the answers and survive?

Once again I find myself impressed by Child’s writing skill. His Reacher series never fails to impress. Tripwire is no different, it takes hold of your attention from the beginning and does not let go. Your mind must work fast in order to keep up with all the information Reacher must dig up and process. Everything does not always add up to what Reacher figures it should leading to some great twists and unexpected turns of events. I enjoyed how this novel deepened Reacher’s character as we found out more of his past as an army MP. We get to see some of his old acquaintances and even a role model/teacher. We even learn a little more about his family life growing up. I love the action that we get to see in the book, reading about Reacher’s incredible skill from years of MP self-defence training creates some great movie scenes in my head. This novel took Reacher all over the world and took the reader even more places, which was fun. The villain was creepy and odd, his desperation led to some wicked actions, adding to the suspense. Tripwire is a nail-biter. Of course there were a few scenes that I may have done differently, but that happens in every work of fiction does it not?

I recommend Tripwire to any Child fans, or anyone looking for a good thriller/mystery with lots of great action.

For more of my book reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- Garden of Beasts

Jeffery Deaver- Garden of Beasts (Pocket Star Books 2005) 4.5 Stars

It’s 1936 and Germany is trying to hide the fact that they are rearming. Paul Schumann is an assassin for hire and has just been caught by the government. He is given two choices either he does one last assassination, this time for the government, or he will be in line for the electric chair. Acting like a freelance sports journalist coming to Berlin for the Olympics, Schumann has been told to locate and eliminate Reinhard Ernst, the man responsible for the German rearmament and Hitler’s power. Hitler’s men are everywhere and he must avoid detection, but staying out of trouble in paranoid Germany is not an easy task. While being hunting by Germany’s best investigators, he must accomplish his mission, or die a horrible death.

The introduction to Garden of Beasts was interesting as we see the main character being taken captive, which is an odd way to start the book, but it made it much more interesting. This intro set the stage for all the following events to fall into place. It was a key scene in the nail-biting plot that the reader’s view. We see the main character grow form a heartless assassin into a man who really is deeper and more considerate than we are originally led to believe, Paul Schumann surprises himself at times. He was an incredibly deep character with many different sides. One thing I did find a little out of character was the budding romance. It just did not really fit into Paul Schumann’s profile in my opinion. I loved all the twists involved in this book as it left me never knowing just what was coming next. It was a job well-done from an amazingly talented author, who clearly did his research on this one. I enjoyed all the details I was learning about a time period I find to be very interesting. I especially loved the fact that I found out what Tiergarten actually means (Garden of Beasts).

I recommend Garden of Beasts to Deaver fans, thriller readers, and anyone who loves the World War eras.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Rudyard Kipling- Captains Courageous

Rudyard Kipling- Captains Courageous (Moby Books 1983) 4 Stars

Harvey Cheyne is rich, spoiled, and as a teenager he is getting everything he wants, at least until he goes overboard while traveling on an ocean liner off the coast of Newfoundland. Now he finds himself on a fishing vessel and his father’s money means nothing. Harvey must learn the ropes of sailing and fishing to earn his passage on the four month fishing trip. Dan Troop, son of the courageous fishing Captain Disko Troop, teaches Harvey how to sail and fish, making them a pair of unlikely friends. Harvey will learn how to be a man and live his life without being a spoiled brat.

Captains Courageous is Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale of the rich learning to live like a normal hardworking citizen. At first I think I was along with everyone else in despising this impudent little brat, Harvey Cheyne, but as I watched him grow throughout the book I developed respect for him. He is able to overcome his trouble by pitching in and learning to work like all the others on the ship. Dan Troop is a wonderful young lad who befriends Harvey and I liked his character the most in the book, although I could not help but to like Disko Troop, and the ship’s cook. So many amazing characters created by one of the best writer’s of all times. The plot is not overly deep, but was wonderfully crafted into an interesting tale. I felt that throughout the story I learned many things about sailing on a fishing vessel, not enough to try it myself, but enough to keep me reading. The ending was one that was a little boring, but happy nonetheless. I may have liked to of seen a little bit more excitement in parts, something to make the reader bite their nails, but maybe that is just me.

I recommend this children’s version to parents looking for a good clean read for their kids, and the adult version to those looking for a good sailing adventure.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html