Book Review- Ridley Pearson- Chain of Evidence

Ridley Pearson- Chain of Evidence (Hyperion 1995) 3.75 Stars

After ignoring evidence in a previous case, detective Joe Dartelli is now finding out that it may be coming back to haunt him. In a previous case he labelled what may have been a murder, a suicide. Now more people are dying by suspicious suicides and the evidence is bringing his former mentor under suspicion. Now he must dig into the suicides to find out if they really are murders. Is this sabotage, a vigilante, or just suspicious suicides?

This was an interesting book. The parental abuse factor was a little tough to deal with, but the crime scene sections were very well done. This book grabbed my attention and did have slower parts, but never lost my attention. The plot was good, did not really have any shocking moments or huge twists, but was well done. It certainly ended with a bang! I loved the concluding chapters! The characters were well-crafted and although the relationship stuff was weak and unnecessary, I still enjoyed the character side of the book. I found the evidence gathering parts were great and I found it fascinating to learn about. I would recommend this book to those who like a good thriller/mystery.

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- Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind!

Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind! (HarperCollins 2004) 4.5 Stars

Meg and Edward are twins, and are complete opposites. When their parents decide to send them both to different schools, they both see it as an opportunity. Meg wishes to get into a High Achievers Club at her new school and be in with the “important” crowd, and Edward wants nothing more than to stop that from happening. Listening into her phone conversation he knows exactly what he must do, the question is how can he possibly do it?

I was very impressed with this book. Normally when you see co-authored books they lack the quality of a single-authored book, but not so with this one. They do a wonderful job of creating two separate points of view and you see them get caught in their own tangled webs of their own weaving. I loved the humour in this book, it was witty and out right hilarious. I think I would have found it more so if I was a twin. Reading about these two siblings try to derail each other is very amusing. These two characters are complex and it was good to watch them grow/learn about themselves. We see a battle of wits and how much trouble lies can get you into. I think that young teens will find this book amusing and should have no problems relating to these two characters. The plot was not deep, but it was certainly entertaining. In the end we see them discover that they may be more alike then they had thought. I would recommend this novel to anyone wanting a good laugh.

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- Robert Vaughan- Vendetta Trail

Robert Vaughan- Vendetta Trail (HarperCollins 2005) 2.75 Stars

Mason Hawke is a drifter who loves playing the piano. He has a history of violence that he is trying to avoid, but somehow it always winds up chasing him from town to town. Now he is in New Orleans and once again his troubled past has caught him, this time it comes through Rachel Brubaker, a woman who is running for her life. Now they are fleeing New Orleans and running across the country. Hawke has sworn to protect her and he will kill any man who tries to harm her.

I had high hopes of enjoying this western as it started off great. I love the character of Mason Hawke as he was skilfully crafted. The plot itself was kind of helter-skelter though and didn’t really come about until about halfway through. I did not like how many coincidences this book employed, things just fell into place a little too easily and it would have been nicer to see the author mould this differently. The action scenes were intense, though again not realistic and too coincidental. It was an easy quick read with not a lot of depth, so if you are looking for a book not requiring much thought than this is the book for you!

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- Nancy Yi Fan- Swordbird

Nancy Yi Fan- Swordbird (HarperCollins 2007) 3.25 Stars

Stone-Run Forest is being torn apart by a war waged by blue jays and cardinals, but are there deeper forces at work here? Trapped in a war none of the birds wish to be in, they are looking to a legend for the restoration of peace. Swordbird seems to be the only hope for the forest to return to what it should be. Can they call up this mythical hero, before it is too late?

I must say that I may have enjoyed this book more if I was twelve or younger. It still was not a bad book, considering it is not the usual type of book that I read. It definitely is a juvenile read, intended for a younger audience. The author is now seventeen, but at the time that she wrote this she was only twelve. Taking that into consideration she has done a great job and I am impressed. I will be looking out for her in the future. The characters were interesting and well-created; maybe a little more depth would be something to work on as she gets older. The plot wasn’t deep, but it was still enjoyable. It also had its intense sections that will captivate young readers. Nancy has quite an imagination and I hope that she is able to put it to good use in the future. I would recommend this book to young readers.

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- Elmore Leonard- Last Stand at Saber River

Elmore Leonard- Last Stand at Saber River (Dell Publishing 1994) 3.25 Stars

After being wounded during the Civil War fighting for the Confederacy, Paul Cable has returned home with his family, but everything seems to have changed. A one-armed man now runs Denaman’s Store, while two brothers and their men have taken Cable’s land in the name of the Union. Cable does not intend to take this sitting down; he is going to have his land back, even if he must kill every man in his way.

I did not mind this western, although it wasn’t fantastic. Leonard creates amazing characters, complete with background stories. This certainly helps this novel considering that not all the situations were all that likely, they just happened a little too easily. The plot was not complex, but was not bad. I did enjoy the action in this novel, and how the main character tried to avoid it at all costs, but he certainly would not back down when pushed. I especially loved how tough his wife and kids were. Overall I would not likely recommend this book unless you are an Elmore Leonard fan.

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- Robert Louis Stevenson- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Washington Square Press 1995) 2.75 Stars

I do not think I need to explain this novel as you should all know the basic idea of the book, so I will go straight into my thoughts. This was my first time actually reading this book, and I was not overly impressed by it. I found that there was not much point to the book. The plot did not have a lot of depth to it. I always imagined that we would see more of the inner struggle between Jekyll and Hyde, but we don’t learn about it until the final chapter where Jekyll explains everything via a letter. The perspective was kind of a surprise for me, not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t like that. Not saying it was a bad perspective, it just wasn’t what I expected. I did like the characters, although we don’t learn a lot about any of them in particular. This one kind of made me scratch my head and wonder just why it has become a classic.

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- James Patterson- 1st to Die

James Patterson- 1^st to Die (Little, Brown and Company 2001) 3.75 Stars

When brides and grooms start dying and normal police procedures are getting them nowhere, four women decide to take matters into their own hands. Lindsay Boxer is a police officer who is leading the investigation into the murders and she has brought in her friends, Claire Washburn who is a medical examiner, and Jill Bernhardt an assistant D.A. Cindy Thomas, a reporter, has also joined the Women’s Murder Club and will get the inside scoop on the murders. To the killer this is a sadistic and ruthless game in which there can only be one winner.

I had been told that this series was good and this was not a bad start. I loved how we saw Lindsay struggling with a brutal serial killer as well as a deadly disease. It gave her much more depth. The plot was pretty good and was certainly fast-paced. It did have its moments when I felt things could have been made stronger with a little more work. If Patterson would take a little more time before pumping out a new book his books would be a lot better. Maybe this would be a good idea rather than hurrying to get several books out each year. That being said this book was a nice refresher from Patterson’s Cross series. I enjoyed the twists in this book, they were well done and some were very surprising. I did know who the killer was about halfway through, although it didn’t end up playing out quite the way I had though it would. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Patterson or thrillers.

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- Jeffery Deaver- The Stone Monkey

Jeffery Deaver- The Stone Monkey (Pocket Books 2004) 4.25 Stars

The FBI has asked Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to assist in taking down the murdering “snakehead”, or immigrant smuggler. This however may not be as easy as it sounds. When they corner his ship everything flips upside down and somehow the Ghost slips through the cracks. Now they are not the only ones on the hunt. They are hunting for the Ghost, but at the same time they must locate the witnesses before the Ghost silences them forever.

I could tell from the introduction that this book was going to be different from the other Deaver books in this series, and sure enough it was. We see a different focus on this one and I enjoyed learning about the Chinese culture; it was very interesting. I loved that the setting was also a first for this series, and took place in a cool part of the city, Chinatown. The characters in this one were also well done as-per-usual Deaver style. We got to learn a little more about Rhyme and Sachs, including their relationship. The plot was great, twisting and turning at every chapter. Some I saw coming and some I didn’t. I did feel that Deaver may have tried too hard to throw in extra twists, but he does have a tendency to do that. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who loves Deaver, or thrillers.

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- Diane Carey- Cadet Kirk

Diane Carey- Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Cadet Kirk (Pocket Books 1996) 3 Stars

James T Kirk is in the Starfleet Academy and he is a stickler for following the book, until he discovered that the book doesn’t always work. He was just supposed to transport a famous scientist, Richard Daystrom, to another planet, but instead he ends up transporting Cadets Spock and McCoy. While on their trip they are tractor beamed and pulled into a small outpost. They have been kidnapped by pirates who are looking for Daystrom. Can they free themselves and prevent Daystrom from falling into the same trap?

One thing that I noticed right away in this novel was that this author had not read the previous instalment of this series. Diane Carey has Kirk and McCoy meeting for the first time in this book, when they in fact met in the previous instalment. Kirk was also not as I expected him. He is supposed to be a brash, independent young man, not a by-the-book cadet. Once I got past these facts though, it wasn’t that bad of a book. The plot was pretty good and it had a fast-pace once you got past the first section, which was slow. It also had a good ending which was predictable, but entertaining. Overall I thought that this was an average book that you may enjoy if you like sci-fi.

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- Tom Rob Smith- Child 44

Tom Rob Smith- Child 44 (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.5 Stars

The war has just ended and the Soviet Union’s citizens live in fear. They are to believe that regular crimes do not happen, but people are still arrested. Those who are arrested rarely survive and are believed to be either spies, or disloyal to the fundamental beliefs of the country. When an MGB officer, Leo Demidov discovers that a murderer is on the loose nothing will stop him from hunting down this ruthless serial killer, not even demotions, denouncing, and having his life thrown amuck. He will do whatever it takes to bring this madman to justice.

I found this book to be a rather slow read that took a while for me to get into. It has a great plot and wonderfully created characters, some of them are even wonderfully villainous. The author though has a wordiness about him that slows down the pace of the book and although it creates a vivid image in your mind, it can take away from the interest of the reader. I loved the last 150 pages of this book though as they really are a gripping read and some of the twists thrown in are great. That being said I wish that the author had found a way to cut a little bit of detail to keep the pace going and make it a less slow read. I also found it very interesting to get some incite into the Soviet mindset and I think that Smith does an amazing job of getting the paranoia across. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in the books involving the post-war Soviet Union.

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- William W. Johnstone- Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man

William W. Johnstone/J.A. Johnstone- Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 2007) 3.25 Stars

Matt Cavanaugh’s family was moving west to get a new start when their wagon is ambushed by a band of outlaws. Taking off, he manages to survive the attack and now he is a nine-year-old boy left alone in the world. By the time Smoke Jensen picks him up he is dying of exposure. When he turns eighteen he decides to hunt down the outlaws who murdered his family, and bring them to justice, western justice.

The first thing I noticed was that the back of the book said that Winston Pugh had murdered Matt’s family, when in reality it was Payson and Garvey. Winston Pugh is not mentioned once in the book. Oops? Normally I love any of the books with Smoke Jensen in them, and this one was okay, not great though. I have noticed that any of the books written with J.A. Johnstone are far cruder, which I do not like. I did like the action scenes in this book and they were many, not all realistic, but what western is? The plot was not a bad one either, not deep, but again what western is? The character development was good for two of the characters. I was looking for a bit more with this novel however and so I would not recommend it unless you really like this author.

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- Suzanne Collins- The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins- The Hunger Games (Scholastic 2009) 4.75 Stars

North America lies in ruin and amongst those ruins is a nation called Panem, which contains twelve districts since district thirteen was destroyed. The Capitol controls it all and they have been making the districts give two tributes for their Hunger Games to punish them and remind who is in control. During the Hunger Games, a boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen from each district must fight to the death on national television. Katniss has stepped in for her sister, but survival comes naturally to her. She must now decide which is more important, survival or love.

One thing I noticed right away about this book was the use of first-person-present perspective, which drives me bonkers in most cases. This book came highly recommended to me so I persevered past that and did get used to it. This book sucks you in and makes it very difficult to put it down, especially when the actual Hunger Games begin. What she has to go through is something no one should have to go through, yet she pushes on and does what she has to survive and get back to her family. We see her struggle throughout these Games and deal with what she knows is morally wrong. Although these exact struggles are not something we all deal with, we all face struggles lie this on a day-to-day basis and do we can relate on some level with Katniss. Young people, and many adults, will relate with struggling with the emotional pulls of whether or not you are in love or not, making this another level that people can relate to this book on. Never mind the fact that it is action-packed.

I highly recommend The Hunger Games to all young adults and 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- Linwood Barclay- No Time for Goodbye

Linwood Barclay- No Time for Goodbye (Bantam Books 2008) 4 Stars

After a fight with her parents late one night, Cynthia Bigge wakes up to find that her whole family has just disappeared. She was fourteen at the time and after twenty-five years there are still no clues as to what could have happened. Now she has a family of her own, but she is still haunted by the memories of what happened and the many unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the vanishing act. Suddenly it looks like it might be happening again, an unknown brown car driving slowly down their street, strange phone calls, and unexplained gifts. Will she find the answers before it is too late?

Linwood Barclay is a new Canadian author to me and was recommended to me. After reading this one I can see why. I enjoyed the book. The whole time I was reading I was like, “Just what exactly is going on here?” I had my suspicions half-way through, but it was no more than that (they turned out to be right, but I had many other suspicions as well). Barclay knows how to keep the reader in suspense and although it did have a slowing down point, I knew that it was building up to something good. The characters were well-created and seemed to jump off of every page. I did find that at a couple of points I was wondering if it could really happen like that, and the other twist at the end I was not too sure about. That being said I really did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend reading his novels.

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- Andrew Clements- The School Story

Andrew Clements- The School Story (Aladdin Paperbacks 2002) 4 Stars

Natalie has written a book and her best friend Zoe has just finished reading it. Now Zoe is convinced that it is good enough to have published. There is just one problem, Natalie is twelve. Her mother works as an editor at a publishing company, but she does not want her mother to know that the book is from her. Zoe decides that Natalie needs a pen name and Zoe can be her literary agent. Can they pull off the scheme and end up with a published book?

This book was really quite well done. It gives young readers an interesting look into the world of writing and publishing. This incite was very interesting to read about and it will show children a little of what it takes to get published and some of the challenges/work that are behind it. I did not like how over-simplified it was as it is not that easy getting published, especially when the sections of the book shown that were supposed to be so amazing, really weren’t great. The characters were interesting and well-developed; you felt that you really got to know Zoe and Natalie quite well. Clements is a great children’s author and he has shown it through this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- Thunderhead

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- Thunderhead (Warner Books 2000) 4 Stars

Nora Kelly is attacked by two men dressed in animal pelts while visiting her abandoned ranch. She suddenly receives a letter from her deceased father that was addressed sixteen years ago. Now she is off to find what she hopes will being the greatest archaeological find since King Tut. The expedition will take them into the deepest and darkest parts of Utah’s canyons and just when she thinks she has found all the answers, she realizes that the answers may just kill her and her team…

Wasn’t sure about this one at first; when I read the first action scene I was like, “Oh no, not another sci-fi twist!” I was happy to discover that it was not really a sci-fi twist, but another kind of weird altogether. I have to admit this book gave me the creeps at some parts and had me biting my nails the whole final quarter. The setting was perfect as you really couldn’t get a creepier setting for this kind of book. I loved the archaeological parts, who doesn’t love a good treasure hunt? The research behind this novel would have taken a lot of work, and it was interesting to learn just what skills go into these archaeological digs. I found it to be quite interesting and enjoyable, maybe a little odd for me, but a good read nonetheless. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers with a touch of oddity.

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