Book Review- Dan Mahoney- The Protectors

Dan Mahoney- The Protectors (St. Martin’s Press 2003) 3.75 Stars

When Carmen de la Cruz is kidnapped overseas, the Spanish ambassador in New York is also kidnapped, as well as another Spanish diplomat, McKenna and Cisco are assigned the case. Working with the FBI and foreign police forces will take a lot skill in a case that will be scrutinised by the media. They must start with the New York case before assisting the rescue of Carmen de la Cruz. Deception seems to be around every corner and they must figure who is telling the truth and who is lying. The real challenge though, may be staying alive.

The introduction was not the most gripping, but certainly does catch your attention. The plot was good and kept the pace going steady all the way through. I would not call it fast paced, but the pace was quick enough to keep you from getting bored. I did find it odd that nothing really went terribly wrong for them, which would have jacked up the pace a little. I love it when books go from one country to another, if done right it keeps things fresh. It also shows you different parts of the world. The characters are pretty good, but could use a little more depth. As much as I enjoy Cisco’s arrogance, his referring to himself as “Cisco” all the time is kind of annoying. Overall it was a good read and I would certainly read more by this author.

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- Gordon Korman- Chasing the Falconers

Gordon Korman- Chasing the Falconers (Scholastic 2005) 3.25 Stars

The Falconers have been put in prison for treason; their children are now wards of the state. Aiden and Meg do not believe in the guilt of their parents, and think that they can prove their innocence. Running across the country, they must flee agents who wish to bring them back in. The treasure hunt for justice has begun.

I must admit I read the second instalment before the first. I remember liking the second book, but this one wasn’t quite as good. It got off to a really slow start, without having read the next book I may not have kept reading. However, once they begin their flight from the law it certainly picks up the pace. The plot is good, although not great. The characters are pretty good and help the flow of the book; it shows you the importance of family and friendship. The setting was good as it is constantly changing, so it keeps you on your toes. One thing I was not fond of was the predictability and that is not just because of reading the second book first. I would have liked situations to end in more of surprising manner. Overall it is a good series that I would keep reading, but this was not the best start.

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- Nancy Farmer- The House of the Scorpion

Nancy Farmer- The House of the Scorpion (Simon Pulse 2004) 4.25 Stars

Harvested as a clone, Matteo Alacran is deemed an outcast by all except his master. He is a clone belonging to El Patron, a rich and powerful opium grower for both the United States and Mexico. He owns the land between Mexico and the US, and is possessive of everything he owns, especially his Matteo. Matt doesn’t understand much about life, as everyone seems so secretive, unwilling to reveal to him the true purpose of his creation/existence. Matt feels that leaving the Alacran house is the only way he can live, but escape may not be so easy.

With a slower start, the novel still captivates you from page one. You find yourself wanting to know more about this little boy, who grows and matures throughout the novel. We find out more about him, and figure some things out before he does, as we read about what he is learning. I found it interesting how he refuses to believe what has been obvious, even when the truth is right before his eyes. This was a good illustration of how humanity so often is. The characters were very well done; I was quite impressed by it. The plot was unique, although not fast paced, but it still keeps the readers interest and makes them want to delve further into the book to find out more. I did find it odd how people just folded under the pressure of the oppressors, but I guess most humans wouldn’t see a way out of a hopeless situation. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and found myself wanting more after reading the last page.

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- Gary McCarthy- Gunsmoke

Gary McCarthy- Gunsmoke (Boulevard 1998) 2.75 Stars

I always remeber watching Gunsmoke on TV Land at my grandparents house. So reading this book brought back memories. Anyone else just love this great classic series?

Doc has just had a heart attack and a new doctor has come into town to help out. The only problem is that this man loves the ladies, and the women being married matters very little. His services may be needed more than ever as cattlemen are coming into town, including a nasty group of rustlers. It will take much skill for Matt Dillon and Festus to keep the peace.

I found that this book lacked any particular focus; it kind of jumped from one thing to another. It had some really great action scenes that catch your interest, which is something most westerns do not lack. It also had the advantage of having well known characters from the hit TV show. This meant that the author did not have to focus on character development, although he did a good job of it anyway. The ending was good, albeit a little cheesy, but the whole book was on the cheesy side so what else would you expect.

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- Lee Child- Worth Dying For

Lee Child- Worth Dying For (Dell Publishing 2011) 4.75 Stars

Up in Nebraska Jack Reacher has come upon a town afraid of the Duncan family. At their disposal is a group of ex-football players willing to lay down the law for the right price. The town cannot step out of line without consequences. He also stumbles upon a cold missing person case that he just cannot ignore. Stirring things up will make him the target of several out of town groups and the Duncan clan.

The introduction was not fast pace, but it certainly peaks your interest. It then moves into a plot that is fairly quick moving, that leads up to a great ending. We get to see Reacher kicks some more butt in different methods then we normally see. My interest never really did wane. The setting was nice to see, one thing I do love about this series; we see a lot of places not usually seen in books. I got a kick out his mention of Medicine Hat being a small town, when it is a mid-size city in Canada; Swift Current is a small city. The characters were quite well done, that is another thing this author is great, character development. We don’t really learn anything new about Reacher in this book, but it fine-tunes his personality. I did like to see how it carried on from the last book, including his injuries. Overall this is a great instalment in this series.

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- Mark Konkel- Disaster Park

Mark Konkel- Disaster Park (Blue Leaf Publications 2011) 3 Stars

The author describes his book as:
Imagine if you could have been a passenger on the Titanic? Or on the 92nd floor of the North Tower? If there was no danger to you, would you choose to experience “Living History,” the new amusement park ride under development at Delaney Corporation? Arnie Hetzel, a forensic computer programmer, does not want to consider the question as he’s struggling with his own personal disaster, but when astronauts start appearing in events from 1903 and tests of the “Battle of Gettysburg” fail miserably, Jase Delaney, the genius behind Delaney Corporation, convinces Arnie that his efforts could be therapeutic. So with only five months until opening, Arnie delves deeper into this living museum--this 360-degree holographic environment where riders experience military battles, infamous disasters, and grisly murders--but as he does, will he be saved from his own tragedy? Or will he find it disrespectful to recreate a mass murder in hologram then charge admission?

It was an interesting introduction to the book, it really gets your imagination going, although, it was distracting to have the conversations going on in the background. I found that it really slowed down for quite some time though. It did pick up again later on, and I really enjoyed the Civil War battle scene. It was kind of distracting with how much it shifted from person to person, which made it harder to get into. The main character was pretty well done, but the other characters I found a little weak. It was smart to take on the angle that would get emotions going and could be seen as a controversial topic. The last section of the book was interesting and catches you by surprise; a nice twist to finish off the book. The epilogue was a nice touch as well, good to see things working out. Overall I wish that it took on a faster pace, but not a bad 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- Jeffery Deaver- The Broken Window

Jeffery Deaver- The Broken Window (Pocket Star Books 2009) 3.25 Stars

Rhyme is still hunting down the killer from The Cold Moon, working alongside British Inspectors. Meanwhile his cousin has just been put in jail for murder. The case seems open and shut, with a lot of evidence pointing at him, but the evidence is just too perfect for Rhyme and Sachs. Their investigation will reveal several other frame-ups and lead them into the cyber world of stolen identities.

The introduction was a little slow and it took me a while to get into this book. Once you get into the heart of the book it does pick up the pace, leading to a dramatic conclusion. I did find that there was a lot of fluff, which dragged things down. I also found some of the situations to be a little unrealistic, sometimes Rhyme comes up with things a little too conveniently. That being said, it was definitely an interesting read, I will certainly be worried about my identity for many years to come. The characters were really well done and I was impressed by how each character was filled out. We just keep learning more and more about this duo and their fellow teammates with each novel in the series. Overall it was a decent one time read and continued the series along, but I do think that Deaver could have done a little better. Now I guess this leaves us with just one question; is this really me writing this review?

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- Allan Folsom- The Exile

Allan Folsom- The Exile (Forge Books 2006) 2.75 Stars

John Barron has just gotten onto the famed 5-2 squad in LA, but things are happening within the squad that he doesn’t agree with; he just has one problem, he can’t leave. Meanwhile a murderer is on the loose and he is killing people all over the world. Hunting down this man is going to drag his squad, his sister, and him through life and death situations. When all is said and done, his life will never be the same.

This book had a great introduction that makes you want to read on. The fast pace continued throughout the book, although at a few parts it was pretty slow. I found the book to be fairly wordy in parts, and there was something about it that I just did not enjoy. The characters were great, very well done, which made up for some of the negatives I will list. I found some very foundational problems with this book in terms of probability; I will mention a couple. I highly doubt that in the initial meeting with Raymond and Donlan; that they would have given up their weapons to a criminal. S.W.A.T. would have been called, police are never supposed to give up their weapons, it just ended up with more killings in the end, which is exactly why they aren’t allowed to give up their weapons. I also wonder why the FBI was not brought into the case. When murderers kill in multiple states the FBI should be brought into the case. The ending was pretty good, though very predictable. Having read future books in this series, this book was good for showing where Marten got his start.

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 Kidnappinghttp://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/