Book Review- Michael Connelly- The Overlook

Michael Connelly- The Overlook (Vision Books 2008) 3.75 Stars

Dr. Stanley Kent has just been discovered on the overlook with two bullets in the back of his head. Now Harry Bosch must try to find the killer, but he isn’t the only one interested in this case. Agent Walling of the FBI has been handed the case as it has taken a terrorist angle. Bumping heads as Bosch fights to keep his case; they must try to solve this case before things escalate out of their control.

The introduction to this book was a little slower than I am used to from Connelly, but it was still interesting enough for me to keep reading. It had a good plot that kept moving at a fast clip, changing direction many times. The characters were well done and their tensions added to the intensity. I did find myself wondering how Bosch suddenly jumped to the conclusion he did. The ending was very good and intense; it was a great way to end a novel. The bonus chapter at the end tied things up nicely, although the original ending would have been just fine as well. Overall I thought that the book pretty good.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

I have hockey cards from 1982-present. These cards include many teams and current/past stars. Also includes insert, rookie, and jersey cards. The price will vary depending on the card/player. I am willing to sell or trade, just tell me what players/teams you are looking for and I will let you know what I have.


Prices start at .05 and will go up depending on the card.

In the case of all trades, the trader must ship first. I will not send cards until I have recieved the agreed upon cards. In the case of purchases, I accept paypal, money orders, and personal cheques. cards will not be shipped until the money order/personal cheques have been cleared by the bank. I will then ship within the next 3 or 4 business days.

If this interests you comment on this post and leave an email.

Book Review- Harlan Coben- The Woods

Harlan Coben- The Woods (Signet Books 2008) 4.25 Stars

Paul Copeland’s sister died in the woods outside of their summer camp, along with three other people, twenty years ago. Only two bodies were ever found; his sister’s body was not among them. Now as County Prosecutor he has a huge career case he is fighting to win, and he must still find time to raise his six year old daughter by himself, after his wife’s death. When one of the supposed dead actually turns up as a murder victim, he must figure out the truth, is his sister really dead? If she isn’t, why did she go into hiding?

The introduction to this book was unique; it grabbed my attention and made me want to find out what was going on. Normally I find two seemingly separate story lines revolving around the same person to be a little distracting, but in this book’s case they were interwoven amazingly well. True to Coben’s style, the plot had lots of great twists and turns, you just never knew what was going to come at you next. I did manage to figure out one of the twists way before hand, but it didn’t really detract from the book at all. A couple of situations in the book though, I did kind of wonder if it would have played out like that, but it was a minor complaint. I found the characters to be fun and they were quite well crafted. Overall the book was pretty good, and I would certainly recommend it to all thriller readers.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Johann Wyss- The Swiss Family Robinson

Johann Wyss- The Swiss Family Robinson (Moby Books 1983) 3.25 Stars

When the boat that the Robinson family is on, wrecks near an island, the crew leaves them behind in the middle of a storm. Now they have found their way to the island that the crew missed during the storm. They now must fend for themselves and use the supplies on boat to build a shelter and provide a food supply. What adventures will they find on the island?

This classic I had tried reading years ago, and have returned to try again. The writing is strong and the overall plot is decent. I did find that the plot could have been a little deeper. I also thought that Wyss was trying a little too hard to make it adventurous; it seemed a little stretched at times. The characters were really well done and seemed to jump off of every page. It was kind of interesting to see what they discovered. Overall I thought the book was okay, a good one time classic 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- Thomas Rockwell- How to Eat Fried Worms

Thomas Rockwell- How to Eat Fried Worms (Dell Publishing 1975) 3 Stars

Billy has gotten himself into trouble by making a bet with his friends, Alan and Joe. He must now eat fifteen worms in fifteen days. He will mask the flavour with anything to ensure that he wins; ketchup, mustard, horseradish, as just a few examples. Alan and Joe will stop at nothing to ensure that they don’t have to pay up; trickery, kidnapping, and overstuffing.

This book was kind of fun. I remember reading it as a child. It is kind of a nonsense book, with the message of don’t make bets you can’t afford, a message many adults with gambling addictions could really learn from. The characters are not overly deep, but are fun and play along well with the light-hearted fun in the book. It was lacking a plot, and aside from the message there is not much of a point to the book. Overall though I would say it is a fun one time read that kids would enjoy.

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/

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro- 7th Heaven

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro- 7th Heaven (Little, Brown and Company 2008) 4 Stars

When the governor’s son goes missing without a trace and months later a tip comes in regarding his disappearance/death, Boxer is brought in on the case. Yuki is responsible for the trial section and together they must figure out the truth from the lies. Meanwhile someone is burning up the rich of San Francisco and it is getting closer and closer to home for Lindsay Boxer as she tries to solve a case with few leads.

The introduction was really good, it grabbed my attention immediately. It was a pretty intense read; quick like all Patterson novels. It was a good plot, but I felt like he was trying a little hard at times. The characters were decent, but could have used a little more depth. I do find myself wishing that he would focus more on Lindsay, instead of dividing attention between her and Yuki’s trials. The ending was good as well, but I did find myself questioning the likelihood of the way it played out. I would explain further, but that would be a spoiler. Overall it was a good read.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Daniel Silva- The English Assassin

Daniel Silva- The English Assassin (Signet Books 2003) 3.25 Stars

Former Israeli spy, now turned art restorer, Gabriel Allon is being tossed back into a past he left behind. In Zurich, Switzerland he is called to restore a painting for a rich banker only to discover the banker dead. Framed for the murder he must dig through old Nazi history and Switzerland’s past connections to the old regime. Going against him is the English Assassin, someone he trained.

The introduction was pretty good. It got my attention and made me want to read more. The intensity did drop off and only came up at a couple of points. The plot was decent, but I found it to be lacking something, I am not sure what, but something. The characters were okay, but I felt that they were lacking a certain depth, with the exception of the main character, which was very well created. The setting was interesting, as it went to several tourist hot spots and was cool to read about. It had some good twists, but not all of them made complete sense to me as to why they would have happened the way they did. I also found the ending slightly disappointing. Overall it was a good one time read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, http://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 Body of David Hayes

Ridley Pearson- The Body of David Hayes (Hyperion 2004) 3.25 Stars

When Liz’s old love affair comes back to haunt her, Lou Boldt is there to investigate. Their family must deal with their mistakes and try to solve it in a way that is not going to destroy them. Her ex-lover stole seventeen million dollars from an account he did not know whom it belonged to. Now the Russian Mafioso is out to get revenge and they do not care who gets in the way.

The book started out interesting, could have been better, but wasn’t bad. The plot was okay as well, but was kind of weak in some areas. The twists were not really great and could have been a lot more shocking. The characters were well done and were a redeeming quality in this book. They play off of each other well. I did find myself wishing that it could have gripped me better in parts, but overall it was not a bad book.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Kirk Mitchell- Fredericksburg

Kirk Mitchell- Fredericksburg (ibooks 2003) 3.5 Stars

This book covers the pre-battle, battle, and post-battle parts of the battle of Fredericksburg. It takes on the characters from lowly privates, to sergeants, to generals. I found it rather amusing that the first typo to be found was on the cover of the book, forgetting the ‘e’ in Fredericksburg. It got off to a long and extremely slow beginning. I know why they did it this way; I just wish it could have been more interesting. That being said it was great to see all the historical detailing brought into the book, as well as the amazing job that was done at character development. I liked the fact that it covered the battle from both sides, but it got to be rather confusing at times. When it did get to the actual battle section, it got to be very intense and I couldn’t put the book down. This redeemed it for the slow beginning. It was also good to see the author let you know what the people he researched for the book did after the war. Overall it was a good read, about an era in time that I find fascinating.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- John Lunn- The Mariner’s Curse

John Lunn- The Mariner’s Curse (Tundra Books 2004) 3.25 Stars

Rory Dugan finally gets exactly what he has dreamed of for many years, to go to sea. It has one catch though; he must go on this cruise with his mother and her new husband. When he comes across Morgan though, things turn for the worse. This grumpy old man seems to be causing trouble on the ship and for some reason Rory finds himself drawn into the man’s schemes.

I was not sure whether or not to put this into the middle reader, or young adult category. On the one hand it reads like a middle reader, but on the other I am not sure that kids would understand the curse aspect of Morgan; when you read it you will understand what I mean. The introduction peaks your interest, but doesn’t outright grab you. It does pick up a little and makes you curious as to just how things are going to turn out. The setting is fun and kids should enjoy it. The characters are fairly well done and play off of each other nicely. Overall I though it was a decent read, especially if you like books about sailing.

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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Akropol Restaurant

In downtown Swift Current, there is a Greek owned restaurant. It is a small space, but it has an actual restaurant with a lounge attached on the side. A little tight for space, it is still well used space. The atmosphere is pleasant and cozy. The staff are friendly and tend to be around if you need them. They bring the food out in a timely manner, and your wait times for service is never long. The owner is going about the restaurant talking with customers and helping out where he is needed. He is a very friendly man who is always willing to make your experience more enjoyable.
The food is tasty and very enjoyable. I do wish that their Pickerel (which I love the taste of) had no bones, yet you do find a few. The steak tips are amazingly delicious as well. One thing I do not enjoy at this restaurant is their burgers, which are kind of weak. My wife also enjoys their spinach pizza.

Overall Akropol is a homey, customer service-based restaurant.

Rating: 6/10

Kid friendly: Yes, but more space would make it more so.

Book Review- Richard King- That Sleep of Death

Richard King- That Sleep of Death (Dundurn Press 2002) 3 Stars

When Montreal bookstore owner Sam Wiseman finds a body of a client dead, his life changed. He now finds himself trying to clear his name and find out just who was guilty of the murder. Working with the police he finds himself out of his league, but is intrigued by the investigation.

It was a bit of a slow start to the book, that had me unsure if I would finish. It never did really become gripping, but was still interesting enough to keep me reading. It was also kind of cool to see the bookstore angle, and a little of the behind the scenes work that goes on. The characters were okay for me, not great, but not terrible either. I found that his relationship was distracting and kind of pointless. The setting was nice to see, as it was taking place in Canada, but it did not get into the setting description much. Overall it was an okay book, good for a one time read.


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

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/