Book Review- James Ellison- Panic Room

James Ellison- Panic Room (Pocket Books 2002) 3.5 Stars

When Meg gets a divorce, she decides to move to a new home with her daughter. She never expected the home to have a panic room, nor that she would end up needing it. Three men break into her home on their first night in the home and suddenly she finds herself protecting her daughter in a desperate attempt to stay alive. Hiding away in the panic room, they watch as the men attempt to gain access.

I watched this movie when it came out, which is the reason why I grabbed this book when I saw it. The movie was okay and the book followed suit. It was an okay book that got off to a very slow start. It did pick up about a third of the way through and it was pretty fast-paced from then on. I was finding that it did lack a little depth and could have been written a little stronger. I did enjoy the book though, mostly the intensity. I would have also liked stronger character development, as I found it lacking that department. Overall it was an okay book, and I am undecided about whether or not I would recommend it.

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- John Vornholt- Starfleet Academy: Capture the Flag

John Vornholt- Starfleet Academy: Capture the Flag (Minstrel Books 1994) 3.25 Stars

Geordi LaForge is in his first year of Starfleet Academy and after beating a competitive cadet in a game, he must now face him in an elimination game of capture the flag. Geordi is scrawny and not very athletic, yet he has been chosen to be captain of one of the four teams. To make a point he has chosen a team of similar beings who are also always chosen last. Now he must face a stronger, more athletic team, and use his brain to outsmart them.

I liked the introduction to this book, as it was different from the norm, and made you curious about the rest of the book. Then it kind of tanks off and gets boring, taking awhile to get to the main point of the novel. I was driven on only by the knowledge that this was my favourite book in this series when I was growing up. When it got to the point I really enjoyed the book and I love what it has to teach children about how being toughest and strongest is not always an advantage in life, you also have to be able to use your head. The ending was cheesy and predictable, but was also kind of amusing, and I could see kids loving it. I would recommend this book to young sci-fi fans.

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- Suzanne Collins- Mockingjay

Suzanne Collins- Mockingjay (Scholastic 2010) 4 Stars

Normally I give a book description, but with this series it is difficult to without giving out key details to previous books. So I will not do one.

Like the other books in this series, this book got off to a slow start. However, it does not take long to pick up the pace, and once it does, it really grabs your attention. Collins worked on developing background on the well-known characters and showing how they are changing from the pressures of the violence they have seen. I enjoyed seeing them do what I have been wanting them to do all along, rebel. I am not sure why anyone would have gone along with the Hunger Games for as long as they did. I see fear, but wouldn’t death be better than giving up your children every year? Being a guy I was not drawn in by the torn feelings of Katniss, between her two suitor choices, but I can see young girls understanding her perfectly. It was another well-done book, and a great conclusion to the Hunger Games series, that being said I would have liked a strong ending to the book, it all seemed a little too perfect for me. I would definitely recommend this series to young 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- Harlan Coben- Back Spin

Harlan Coben- Back Spin (Dell Books 2009) 3.75 Stars

When a young teenage boy disappears in Philadelphia during the U.S. Open championship, Myron Bolitar is asked by the mother to discreetly look into the matter. The mother, golf sensation Linda Coldren, has one stipulation; there must be no police involvement for fear of the repercussions of the kidnappers. Her husband is trying to win the championship and Myron can’t help but wonder if someone is attempting to sabotage his chances. Myron is forced to discover what it is like to be alone, and just how dangerous life can get.

I enjoyed this novel, even if it did not quite have the same flare that this series normally does. Again I got to chuckle at Myron’s witty sarcasm, but we did not get as much from Win this time, for reasons you will discover as you read the book. I loved how this novel was used to deepen Win’s character, show us more about his past and why he has become the man that he is. Coben has done another wonderful job of working his magic on the plot. There were certainly some interesting twists involved and they were used to increase the suspense, drawing in the reader’s attention. I do wonder why Coben writes so much about finding a missing person, he does a great job of it, but it would be nice to see something different once in a while. That being said, I would recommend this book to mystery fans.

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 Scarecrow

Michael Connelly- The Scarecrow (Grand Central Publishing 2008) 3.75 Stars

Jack McEvoy has cracked many a case wide open with his journalistic prowess, but now he finds himself being laid off for making too much money. Wanting to go out with a bang he digs into the case of Alonzo Winslow, a young punk who says he is being wrongly accused of murder, yet he has confessed. McEvoy must figure out just what Alonzo confessed to and in the process he discovers a connection to an identical murder in Las Vegas. In his search, he warns the killer of his hunt and finds himself a target as well.

This book took me quite some time to get into, and I found myself wishing for a better introductory chapter, especially from such a seasoned author. However, when it did pick up it really got intense. The plot moves a long at a fast pace for the latter two-thirds of the novel. I also love the characters in this book, and it is interesting to see how McEvoy does his job so well. Normally in thrillers we see ourselves hating the journalists, yet in this book we are engrossed in McEvoy’s work. I enjoyed seeing the return of Rachel Walling, and their tense relationship. It was interesting that Connelly did not try to hide the guilty party from us in this book, which made you cringe as they make wrong assumptions; this is different from Connelly’s usual style. Overall I did enjoy this novel and would certainly recommend it to thriller fans.

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- Peter Lerangis- Spy X: The Code

Peter Lerangis- Spy X: The Code (Scholastic 2004) 2.75 Stars

When Andrew and Evie move to yet another new town they never could have pictured what it would be like. With their father being a military man and their mother having disappeared a year ago, they move around a lot. Their mother left a note for them when she left and now they have received a mysterious package from what they assume to be their uncle. They are not sure who they can trust and just what is going on.

I never really got into this book at any point in time. It was alright, but not overly interesting. I do however think that the next instalment in this series would be better. I loved the characters in this book, they were very well done. It is certainly a character driven novel. The plot was slow moving, but did build up towards the end, leaving it off for an interesting start to a next novel. I am not sure how interested kids would be in this novel, but there may be kids who would like it.

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- James Patterson with Andrew Gross- 2nd Chance

James Patterson with Andrew Gross- 2^nd Chance (Little, Brown and Company 2002) 3.75 Stars

When what looks like a racially driven spree of murders rocks San Francisco, recently promoted Lindsay Boxer is on the hunt. She must unearth the truth behind these murders. Are they connected? If so what is the connection? What is really happening here? She is bringing the Women’s Murder Club back together to try to solve this case, before this killer ends every hope of the spree ending. Can they do it before it destroys them?

I loved the introduction to this book as it captured my attention immediately, which set the stage for the rest of the book. The book was fairly fast-paced and I enjoyed the many twists this book took, knowing Patterson you kind of knew that he had to be misleading you in some way, which is great. I do think that the characters could have used a little work, but they were not bad. I do have to kind of wonder when I see “with Andrew Gross” on the cover, just how much did Patterson write and how much “editing” did he do? I would keep reading this series as it isn’t a bad read, but I would like to see if Patterson would be able to write a book by himself, rather than co-writing every single book he comes out with now.

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- David Ellis- Line of Vision

David Ellis- Line of Vision (Berkley Books 2002) 4 Stars

When Marty Kalish fell in love with a married woman, he never imagined that he would end up in court because of it. Accused of murdering the woman’s husband, he is in a fight for his life. Things are adding up against him, he was at the scene of the crime at the exact time of the murder, and made the mistake of confessing to the murder to the police. The question is what did he confess to, and can he work enough magic to get himself out of this mess?

I do not like very many legal thrillers, but David Ellis has a way of writing them so that I enjoy it. This book was written in a different way from all the other legal thrillers, and I found it refreshing. The characters are really well done, but you find out at several points that you really don’t know the characters all that well. I loved the way that Ellis threw in twists here and there that completely catch the reader of guard, and make you go “What?!” I found myself cheering for Marty in court, even though I knew that I should not be. I liked the introduction as it draws you in and makes you want to find out what is going on, however the ending I felt could have been a little stronger, though I did like the last sentence and it ties things up with a finality not normally seen. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes legal 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- Shallow Graves

Jeffery Deaver- Shallow Graves (Pocket star Books 2000) 3.5 Stars

John Pellam is a movie location scout. Coming into the town of Cleary he never would have imagined that his life was about to change. Things are falling apart in their movie deal and a brutal murder has Pellam trapped in a twisted web of violence. He has to figure out what is going on before it is too late.

I was not impressed by the way this book started it was a little slow and boring. It did, however pick up that pace as it went, true to Deaver’s reputation. The latter half was very interesting and had some great twists. I love the character of Pellam, he is very likeable and I would certainly consider reading another book with this character in it. The action scenes were enjoyable and intense, which made for a gripping last half. However I did not think that the ending was as strong as it could have been, though it wasn’t terrible either. Overall I wasn’t overly impressed; it was just an average read for me. I have certainly seen better by this amazing 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- William W. Johnstone- Honor of the Mountain Man

William W. Johnstone- Honor of the Mountain Man (Pinnacle Books 1998) 2.75 Stars

After a strike on his home, Joey Wells now wants revenge against the Mexican vaqueros who shot his family. Jacob Murdock has hired the vaqueros and has control over the town. Joey Wells will have to deal with Murdock if he is going to deal with the vaqueros and the only gunfighter he is going to have on his side is Smoke Jensen. Now they’ll have to free the town, and rid it of Murdock and his hired guns.

Normally I enjoy this series, but this one was an exception. I did not find that it had the same quality of writing. He was focusing on action and not on building the plot, or developing the storyline. He had a tonne of flashbacks that included extra action. I am not sure what he was trying to do with these flashbacks, whether he was trying to develop characters better or just give extra action, but I found that it distracted from what was going on, and made it hard to focus. I do love his action scenes, but they were far from real. He made it so that every time bullets flew Cal got hit by a bullet, but seemed to recover extremely fast, this dropped realism a fair bit. Johnstone should have gone back to the drawing board with this one.

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- Avi- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Avi- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avon Camelot 1997) 3 Stars

Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is now a passenger on the ship Seahawk, setting sail for the first time. She has been warned not to make the voyage on this particular ship, but for Charlotte there is no other option. She must now sail on a ship with a captain who rules a crew who hates him. He shows no mercy and his crew wants nothing more than to see him gone. Now Charlotte seems to be stuck in the middle of a battle she wants nothing to do with.

It took me a long time to get into this book. The introduction did not grab me; it was just good enough for me to keep reading. Then we see Charlotte on the ship and you kind of wonder what is going on. I did not really start enjoying this book until two-thirds of the way through. The last third was really good and I did enjoy the twist that Avi threw in. I do wish that the book had been less predictable, it would have made it easier to get into. I loved the depth of the characters, and sailing books make for an interesting setting, as they are at the mercy of the weather and the ocean. Overall I would only recommend this book to those who love books about sailing.

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/