Book Review- Arthur Conan Doyle- The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle- The Hound of the Baskervilles (Penguin Classics 2009) 3.75 Stars

Sherlock Holmes and Watson are hunting down a ruthless villain. The villain is using a large menacing dog to haunt and murder the rich Baskervilles. Leading into perilous places, they must unravel this mystery before it takes down the man they are supposed to be protecting. A challenging case for the brightest of minds.

This book is a classic that everyone should read, or at least everyone should read a book from this series. It is a challenging read, as it is very different from today’s author’s styles. However I enjoyed the challenge and found it to be captivating watching Sherlock’s mind work. At times it is certainly a little slow moving, but you are kept on your toes guessing what is going on. I do feel bad for Watson that he must put up with the abuse of Holmes, but he does have the option of leaving. The setting is interesting as it enhances the mysteriousness of the situation; I would be curious to check out the places mentioned in this novel. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

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- Nothing to Lose

Lee Child- Nothing to Lose (Dell Books 2009) 4.5 Stars

When Jack Reacher walks into the small company town of Despair he has no idea what he is getting himself into. Stopping at a local diner he asks for a cup of coffee, but in this town that is asking for trouble. They don’t like strangers and they don’t like him. After he gets told to leave town his ire and curiosity is aroused. Now he plans to make it his personal mission to find out just what they are hiding in the town of Despair, no matter how many heads he has to knock together.

I love the Jack Reacher series. Jack Reacher is a real badass character, which can make or an interesting read. Of course he always finds a woman to tag along, which is kind of predictable and at times a little tiring. I always enjoy all the fast-paced action that keeps the book moving along. Your attention is never lost at any point in time. The plot was great with lots of twists and turns. It was interesting to see him laying down the law in the middle of nowhere, as he usually does so in cities. I also liked how we saw him being outsmarted at times, as this made it seem more realistic. I would however be curious to see if this author could write something revolving around a different character.

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- Sigmund Brouwer- Chief Honor

Sigmund Brouwer- Chief Honor (Word Publishing 1997) 4 Stars

Joseph Larken is the main goalie for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. Now Lauren Cross has been signed onto the team and this could threaten his position, as the fact that she is a female goalie is generating a lot of media attention. When steroids are found in Lauren’s things she is suddenly kicked off the team, but Joseph Larken is discovering that there may be more to these steroids than first meets the eye.

I loved this series when I was young, but had never read this one. I enjoyed reading this and how much it teaches young people about hockey, that way those who do not know about hockey can still enjoy the series. It was interesting to see hockey from a goalie’s perspective, as I do not usually think of hockey in that way. I also enjoyed the characters as they were fairly good for a kid’s book, but could have been stronger. I also thought that plot could have been better, but it was still decent. I would certainly recommend this book and the rest of the 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- Ridley Pearson- the Pied Piper

Ridley Pearson- the Pied Piper (Hyperion Books 1999) 3.5 Stars

A series of kidnappings jumping from city to city has come to Seattle. Now Boldt and his team must put an end to this spree before it destroys his family. On a case that will involve the FBI and take them across the country, the stakes are high and the lives of children are at risk.

This was certainly not the greatest work that I have seen by this author, but still not a bad book. I found that the plot overall was good, but was dragged down by a lot of fluff. It was much longer than it really needed to be. I also thought that the whole LaMoia-Hill scenes could have been eliminated as it really distracted from the main plot. The ending was really good and quite intense, it redeemed the slower sections. The characters were good, but I have seen better by him. Overall I am not sure whether I would recommend this novel.

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 Narrows

Michael Connelly- The Narrows (Warner Books 2005) 4.25 Stars

The Poet has turned back up after years of silence and Rachel Walling is being dragged back into the task force after years of being shunned by the FBI. Little does she realize that she will soon be working with retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch, who has discovered something that ties in with their case. Now they must work together to hunt down this psychopath before he finishes what he started.

I liked this instalment by Michael Connelly. I am not sure which series this was meant to fit into as it kind of dragged in characters from many of Connelly’s others works. I saddened by Terry McCaleb’s death, but it was nice to see Graciela (his wife) and his daughter/son. It was also nice to see Buddy resurface and how Connelly played off the fact that a movie was made of the first book. Rachel Walling was interesting to see again, although it was annoying to see her sleep with yet another man on the case; this does not say much for her that she cannot work with a man on the case without sleeping with him. It is great how Connelly often ties his series’ together; it adds a depth to his works. The plot was a great one with lots of twists and turns, and just when you think it is over, you see that something else was not as it seemed. I also liked how they set it up for more books containing Bosch and the return of his little girl. Connelly is showing us Bosch’s softer side.

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- Cynthia DeFelice- Lostman’s River

Cynthia DeFelice- Lostman’s River (Avon Books 1995) 3.75 Stars

Tyler McCauley’s family has been hiding from the law in a house along the Lostman’s River. He has come to love the birds and nature surrounding him, but now that is all at risk. Plume hunters are becoming more dangerous and Tyler must lead a man on a scientific expedition. Now Tyler must fight to save the land he loves before it is destroyed.

I liked this book, but at times my attention did waver. The plot was pretty good, and the message behind it was a great one. It was interesting to see how Tyler tried to handle the situations presented him. The characters were wonderfully crafted and helped the story along. It was sad to see the destruction humanity is wreaking on nature and sad to see people destroying the animals saying that they would be fine seen in museums only. Overall I thought this book was pretty good, but had a few bit of tweaking to make it great.

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 and Maxine Paetro- 4th of July

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro- 4^th of July (Little, Brown and Company 2005) 4 Stars

A brutal unsolved murder still bothers Lieutenant Boxer and now there are fresh killings that she is convinced are connected. She must try to hunt down the killers before they strike again. Meanwhile she has a pending lawsuit against her after being forced into a self-defence killing and crippling of two young teens. She is now fighting on two fronts.

This was a pretty good book. Patterson is always a quick read. I enjoyed seeing Boxer work as she tries to solve this tough case, this time without the help of her murder club. The court parts are always kind of frustrating in books, but make for an interesting read. I did wonder whether something like that would even make it into the trial portion. There were certainly some good twists, although not really all that unexpected. The characters were good, but could have been better. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a good quick read.

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- Bloody River Blues

Jeffery Deaver- Bloody River Blues (Pocket Books 2000) 3 Stars

John Pellam is in Maddox scouting locations for a movie and is grabbing beer after work when he witnesses a double murder and police officer shooting. Now the killers are out to silence him before he can testify and the police are trying to force him to testify to something he didn’t actually see. As things begin to heat up and his job seems to be in jeopardy, Pellam must take matters into his own hands.

This book was okay, but not great. The plot was decent, with a few really good sections, but not enough of them to keep my interest throughout the book. I found that there was a lot of fluff that dragged things down. The characters were decent, but again not great. The setting was really good though, it helped the book along. I also enjoyed seeing the police officer deal with becoming paralyzed by the gunshot wounds, although it did distract from the main storyline. I have seen a lot better work by this author and would recommend reading his later work instead of his old work.

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- Gone for Good

Harlan Coben- Gone for Good (Dell Books 2002) 5 Stars

Will Klein’s brother was accused of murdering Will’s ex-girlfriend and quickly disappeared. Everyone assumed he was never coming back, but now eleven years later events are unfolding that have them all revisiting the past. Danger seems to come along with every shocking revelation they discover. Can they figure things out before it is too late?

I really enjoyed this book. It twisted and turned so many times, you just never knew what to expect. The plot was so intense you never had a dull moment. It was a little wordy at times, but not distractingly so. I also loved how the characters were so well done, and added so much to the book. The setting was pretty interesting and assisted the plot nicely in jacking up the intensity. I would certainly recommend this stand alone and any other book 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- Thomas Greanias- The Atlantis Prophecy

Thomas Greanias- The Atlantis Prophecy (Pocket Star Books 2008) 4.25 Stars

Conrad Yeats has just seen his adopted father’s burial stone and realizes that there is a hidden code on the tombstone. When America was founded there was built in a warning that could lead to America’s doom. He must work with Serena Serghetti to go through hidden tunnels beneath Washington DC in the hopes of saving America.

I enjoyed how this book picked where the last one left off and dives us immediately into a desperate race against time. The plot was once again fast-paced and it had many action-packed scenes. I cannot wait to read the next instalment in this trilogy. The characters were again good, but not great and I do find the romantic tension between the two main characters to be rather annoying at times. I would certainly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good treasure hunting 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- Thomas Greanias- Raising Atlantis

Thomas Greanias- Raising Atlantis (Pocket Star Books 2005) 4 Stars

An earthquake rocks Antarctica and now a team of scientists has discovered something older than the planet earth. Dr. Conrad Yeats has been brought to Antarctica by his father for his archaeological knowledge. Meanwhile Dr. Serena Serghetti has been sent by Rome to find out what is going on there. It is a race against time to figure out what is happening to the planet before it is too late.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different from my normal reads. It was a good mixture of science-fiction and thriller. I loved the treasure hunt aspect of this novel, it made me want to read the other two books in this series. This author seems to be very talented and a writer of good quality fiction. The characters were good, but certainly could have been better. The plot however was top notch work, with a little bit less realism than I like to see. It was action packed and grabbed my attention early on. I also enjoyed the fact that the book took place in Antarctica, which is something different than other books.

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/