Book Review- Allan Folsom- Day of Confession

Allan Folsom- Day of Confession 3.75 Stars

The Cardinal Vicar of Rome has just been assassinated and Harry Addison’s brother has been listed as the number one suspect. Harry Addison in Los Angeles, got a concerning message on his answering machine from his brother whom he hasn’t spoken to in many years, right before finding out that his brother was killed in a bus explosion. Rushing to Italy to bring his brother’s body home, he finds himself being treated as a suspect in the whole plot. Throwing him into a desperate race to save his own life, and get to the bottom of things.

I hadn’t read anything by Folsom for a while and quite enjoyed the return to his books. The characters were very well crafted fitting exactly as needed, I felt like you could actually get to know them. I also love how the plot is full of twists and turns, although he tells you who the villains are pretty quick. I wish that he had left out most of the villain stuff, as it would have been a lot more intense not knowing who to look out for. I also found the constant shift from character to character to drag a bit, prefer it when only a couple of characters are focused on, as it I find it to be more nail-biting. The setting was great, who doesn’t want to spend some time in Italy and Rome? I also would like to let the author know that I highly doubt makeup would cover up nail scratches to the face that drew blood. It was a very fast-paced read though, and I would 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- Greg Iles- 24 Hours

Greg Iles- 24 Hours 3.75 Stars

Five times before Joey, Huey, and Cheryl had pulled off their perfect kidnapping crime, only taking 24 hours to get a small payout. This time things are different Dr. Will Jennings and his wife Karen, are not going to make it easy. They don’t trust the kidnappers to keep their word, especially with what they have learned. Protecting their child is most important, they will do anything to see she is kept alive, even if it means killing someone else, or dying themselves.

The book started off a little slow for me, but picked up pretty quick. Iles grabs your attention early on and doesn’t let it go. It has many good twists, none that I would say are shocking, but you are still kept on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what is going to happen next. I did find it a little graphic in a few sections, but it was actually used to add to the tension. It also had some fluff in a few sections that slowed things down, and could have been shortened to keep things flowing. The characters were very well done, and fit into their roles perfectly. Realism was something that weakened this novel. There were sections that I wondered if the characters would have really been able to do what they did, or if they would have been willing to do some of what they did. Overall I found this novel to be a good read, but likely wouldn’t read it a second time.

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- Margaret Peterson Haddix- Found

Margaret Peterson Haddix- Found 3.25 Stars

Jonah is thirteen-years-old and was adopted, but knows nothing about the circumstances of his adoption. Now that he and his new friend Chip have both received foreboding messages within a few days of each other, Chip has discovered that he too was adopted. Together with Jonah’s sister Katherine, they now must dig into the both of their adoptions to figure out why they would be receiving these odd messages. Their investigating will lead them to many other adopted kids and change everything about their life and the way they view it.

This book wasn’t a gripping novel for me, although kids likely would enjoy it. It was just interesting enough to keep me reading, a good one time read. Perhaps it was the science-fiction/futuristic angles that were too much for me. The overall plot was pretty good, but too many kid’s books do what this one did in the end, left it off so that there had to be another book, but I am not sure how else they would have been able to leave it. The characters were really well done, she put a lot of effort into their creation and it shows. It had some good twists in it that were surprising and kind of odd, but also fairly obvious. Normally obvious twists take away from the book, but I did not find that with this novel. Overall I do think that kids would enjoy reading this book/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- Michael Connelly- The Drop

Michael Connelly- The Drop 4.75 Stars

Detective Harry Bosch has just been given his DROP date, 3 years until he must retire from the force. He has two investigations going on at once, one is a cold case from 1989 and one is a live case involving the city Councilman, Irvin Irving. The cold case involves blood found one a body of a woman raped and murdered in 1989, but the blood is that of an eight-year-old, which means that he must get to the bottom of things. The live case is a possible suicide/murder of Councilman Irvin Irving’s son. Just the kind of case Harry Bosch dreads, high jingo/politics.

I loved this book from start to finish. It starts out grabbing your attention and getting you involved in the case, not letting up at any point. I found myself curious about how it is going to turn out at every chapter. It had many twists and turns with little surprises here and there. It was very hard to set this book down, as it had me on the edge of my seat. The characters are always great and bring extra depth to the novel. I also enjoyed the reference to Castle, considering his appearances on the TV series. Overall it is definitely one I would highly recommend. One of my favourites 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- Harlan Coben - Miracle Cure

Harlan Coben - Miracle Cure 3.5 Stars

Michael Silverman is a famous basketball star, and his wife, Sara Lowell, is a TV journalist. They are connected politically and medically by her father. An AIDS clinic in Manhattan seems to be making great strides towards a cure, but now the cured patients are being murdered by a serial killer. Michael has been diagnosed with the disease and they must put an end to this murder spree before Michael becomes just another victim.

Harlan Coben has an introduction apologising for the fact that this book is not as strong as his later work, as this was actually book two by him. He wasn’t kidding. It was still a good read, but not one I would read more than once. Coben certainly has stronger books. He also says that this should not be the first book you read by him, again he is correct. If this had been my first Coben read I would not have read another. The plot had too much going on at times and got to be too much to follow. At some points you are following four things at one time. The twists were pretty good; it was a strong point of the plot. I also thought that the characters were expertly crafted, another redeeming quality. Overall the book was a good one time read, but not the best of Coben.

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 Stone- The Echelon Vendetta

David Stone- The Echelon Vendetta 3.5 Stars

CIA Agent Micah Dalton has just been called in to clean up the scene of his mentor’s suicide. A little digging uncovers a gruesome set of murders by a lunatic; his mentor is just one of many targets. Now he must hunt down this killer, before he completes his mission and destroys Micah in the process.

An interesting introduction for this book. It was very odd, but certainly grabs your attention. The oddity carries on throughout the whole book, and I found it to be too much at times, but it was intriguing enough to encourage me to read on. The plot was a good one containing several twists, not all of which were unpredictable, but that did not take away from them at all. I was kind of surprised that the main character did not see one of these coming, considering how obvious it was. The characters were pretty good; a couple of them could have used more depth to assist the story. I did enjoy the ending of the book as it wrapped things up nicely and sets the stage for 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- Lisa Scottoline- Courting Trouble

Lisa Scottoline- Courting Trouble 3.25 Stars

On a Fourth of July weekend Anne decides to go out of town to prepare for a case. Getting someone she knows from the gym to house/cat-sit for her, she is shocked when that person is murdered on her doorstep. Knowing that the person was mistaken for her, she is trying to stay dead and hunt down the stalker she is sure committed this crime.

The introduction was not one I really enjoyed; it was funny, but completely unrealistic. Pulling a stunt like that in a courtroom, would get you thrown in jail. It did get better once it left the courtroom stuff behind though. It was interesting enough to make me keep reading and had some unrealistic investigative work by amateur detectives, but I did find it kind of amusing. The characters were decent, and assisted the plot nicely. The overall plot was pretty good, with a great twist in the end. I usually prefer more twists in a book that shock you, but in this case having only a couple worked. Overall it was a decent one time 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- Robert J. Randisi- Curtains of Blood

Robert J. Randisi- Curtains of Blood 3 Stars

The rough streets of London are being stalked by a ruthless killer, Jack the Ripper. In the nicer end of London, Bram Stoker has been ordered to end the production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as the police suspect that it is influencing this killer. They also suspect the main actor of possibly being Jack the Ripper. Now Bram is seeking out Jack the Ripper in the hopes of proving his friend’s innocence and getting the production back onto his stage. He secretly wishes to speak with this ruthless killer to assist in his novel that he plans to write.

This novel did not immediately grab my attention, but there was something about the writing style that kept me reading. The characters I felt were decent, but could have used more development. I did enjoy that it was people we have all heard of, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, and Jack the Ripper. I also like how they tie in that this is the story of how Bram Stoker came up with Dracula. It gave the novel a different view of Jack the Ripper than what most books take on his reign of terror. The plot for the book was pretty good, but could have also used a little bit of tweaking as well. It did seem kind of silly how Stoker was risking everything in his life for the sake of an idea. It made me saddened for him that he was willing to sacrifice his relationship with his wife. Overall the book was an okay one time read, and a good one for Halloween.

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- Terence Strong- Cold Monday

Terence Strong- Cold Monday 3 Stars

After watching his wife, a UN employee, butchered while he was on a mission, Ed Coltrane left the SAS. He had been hunting down the killers for five years and come up empty. He had just moved when he was approached by his old boss to assassinate one of the killers. Now he has been dragged into the middle of something dangerous and sinister, but no one seems to know about. If he is not careful, friends may die, heck, he might die.

This book took me a really long time to get into. It just barely kept me interested enough to read on, but halfway through it did pick up and get to be a very intense read. The overall plot was very good, but the twists the author thought were going to be shocking, were extremely predictable, I had the whole book figured out just past the halfway mark. The surprising part was actually the information you find out in the epilogue. The characters were decent, but seemed a little shallow in parts. I did enjoy the action scenes, but the way they just squeak by at times bordered on the unrealistic side. Overall though it was a decent one-time read, likely would not choose this author again though.

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- Joyce Sweeney- Free Fall

Joyce Sweeney- Free Fall 1.25 Stars

Neil, his brother David, best friend Randy, and his brother’s friend Terry, all decide to go cave exploring. A morning of fun, and then off to work, that was the plan. They never imagined that they could possibly get lost within that cave and its network of tunnels. Now they are fighting to find a way out of the cave before it takes all of their lives.

The introduction nearly lost me. It was tedious and took too long to get to the point of the novel. It never really grabbed my attention, just plodded along barely keeping me reading. The book had a good basic plot, but was just lacking that certain wow factor. The characters were a redeeming quality. They were very well done, and had depth. I loved to see the personal struggles of each character and how the cave made them face each fear/struggle. Overall though, I would not recommend this book.

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- Simon Scarrow- The Eagle’s Prophecy

Simon Scarrow- The Eagle’s Prophecy 4.25 Stars

In AD 45 centurions Macro and Cato, are being told that they must go on a deadly mission or be executed. A large group of vicious pirates have come into possession of scrolls that could destroy Rome if they see the light of day. Now Macro and Cato must go with a group of troops to try to get the scrolls back and save Rome. If they are successful, they can have there lives back. It seems like a suicide mission, but what choice do they have?

This book had a good introduction, as it gets you right into the heart of what the book is going to be about. The main plot is great. It has some twists, but no real shocking moments. It did keep me reading and enjoying the time period as it is a captivating time. It had some very intense parts that kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down. I loved the characters in the book as well. I will definitely be looking for more books in this series. I did feel in parts like I was missing something in not having read the other books preceding this one. In the future I will read this series in order. I would recommend this book those who love historical fiction.

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 Rollins- Excavation

James Rollins- Excavation 3.75 Stars

Excavating an archaeological site in the Andes, Dr. Henry Conklin and his group of students unearth an old mummy who was an old friar. The students are exploring the site and come across an underground passage filled with deadly traps. This site is filled with a vast richness, far beyond the important historical knowledge. All of this may appear wonderful on the outside, but inside, they may be unearthing something far more dangerous than they ever thought possible.

The introduction to this book was pretty good. It draws the reader in, making you want to read more and find out how it is going to tie into the rest of the book. The book kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the novel. It was a fast-paced plot with many great twists and turns. I do not usually enjoys sci-fi twists, but in the case of this novel, it fit perfectly, a little too odd for me, but overall it was well done. The characters were fairly well-crafted and assisted the storyline nicely. Overall it was an enjoyable read, although a little too sci-fi for me to keep 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- Lawrence Hill- The Book of Negroes

Lawrence Hill- The Book of Negroes/Someone Knows My Name 4.5 Stars

Aminata Diallo is letting everyone know her life story while she is living in London, England during the 19^th century. She was just eleven years old when she was stolen from her village and witnessed the murder of her parents. Sold into the slave trade, she experienced many horrors along the way as they take her to America. As she struggles to gain her way to freedom, she finds herself writing a ledger recording names in the “Book of Negroes”. Travelling by boat she finally ends up in Nova Scotia with many others.

This is a wonderful novel. A tough read about the brutal treatment of black slaves. It was captivating and really hard to put down. It was beautifully written and had a plot that was brilliantly crafted. The characters seemed to jump off of every page and assisted the story with every turn. The way that they were treated was awful and it was dreadful how they justified it by making it sound as if it was providing a better life for them. I do get tired of how this is brought up time and time again in society now, as I would love to see the world learn from the mistakes and move on, but at the same time it makes for a good read that draws you in as you get caught up in the hardships they had to face. I do not read these kinds of books too often as they are too difficult to think about. Overall this was a great epic tale that will easily become a Canadian 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

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Howard Pyle- Robin Hood

Howard Pyle- Robin Hood 3.25 Stars

I won’t bother summarising this classic as I think you all know the basics about Robin Hood. I was actually surprised at how different this was from what I expected, especially the fact that Maid Marian doesn’t make an appearance until three-quarters of the way through the book, and then it is just for one chapter as well as one mention later on. It seems that movie makers have taken a lot of liberties with this book and have changed so much about it. It covers so much more time than I was expecting as well. I did enjoy reading this novel, once I got past all the ‘doths’ and ‘quoths’. It did seem choppy in its writing style. It was more like a collection of short stories about Robin Hood in the way that it was put together, but it keeps the reader intrigued about what trouble he was going to get himself into next. His playful personality is what gets him into the most amount of trouble every time. This makes for an amusing read. The characters were also very well done, they seemed quite realistic and I love how we see him battling it out with the same people every time, yet there actually was very little killing. Overall I enjoyed this classic, but would have liked it better if it didn’t feel so choppy at times.

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- Patrick deWitt- The Sisters Brothers

Patrick deWitt- The Sisters Brothers 1 Star

Charles and Eli Sisters are killers for hire working for a man called the Commodore. The Commodore has sent them after a man named Hermann Warm. He claims that Warm has stolen something from him, but really he intends for them to steal something from Warm. Getting Warm though, might not be so easy. It is a long trip from Oregon to Sacramento. Eli must try to keep his brother’s thirst for killing under control and yet stay alive as they travel many miles to complete their job.

I kind of liked the way this book started and I was settling in for a great western read with rave reviews and many awards. I did become bored pretty quickly though. The main plot I felt was lost with rabbit trails that dragged your attention away from what it was leading towards. I know the author was trying to develop a conflict of self within the character, but in the end it made me lose my focus. I also found the main characters to be quite dislikeable throughout the whole book, which made it hard to enjoy. That is not to say that the characters were not well done as the mains were very well crafted, the other characters though I felt were lacking. The ending of the book was the best part; it was a suiting way to conclude the events. I disliked how the author also kept talking about everyone’s “organs” and especially hated the part where the main character is checking a bruise on his leg and figures that that is an opportune time to “compromise himself”, this was most unnecessary. Overall I would not recommend this book to anyone, and I find myself questioning why it won/was nominated for so many awards.

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- Edge

Jeffery Deaver- Edge 4.25 Stars

Corte is a federal agent responsible for the protection/hiding of people who have information that lifters want to extract for their bosses. Henry Loving is one such lifter, the most ruthless of these lifters, and Corte has come across him once before. The last time Loving killed his mentor, this time Corte will be out for revenge, he just can’t let it cost him his charges. His current charges that Loving is after are the Kesslers. He must protect them from this madman and prevent them from giving up the information, the only problem is no one knows what information he could possible be after.

The opening section of Edge grabbed my attention and it prepared me for a great read. It was a different kind of book from some of the others I have read by Deaver, but I enjoyed it. The plot was well thought out with many great twists and turns that just keep the reader guessing and wondering what could possibly surprise you next. That being said I do often feel that he slips in one too many twists that his main characters always magically figure out and have known for a while they were just manipulating things to catch the villain. Such was the case in this one, although it didn’t really detract from the overall read. The characters were well crafted and seemed to be very realistic. I do get tired of his under-aged characters though, all the young girls say ‘like’ many times, which is not an accurate portrayal of young girls. I was also wondering why a sixteen-year-old girl would be carrying around a bear backpack. Overall though, this was a great read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller.

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- Ann Rinaldi- Girl in Blue

Ann Rinaldi- Girl in Blue 2.75 Stars

Sarah Louisa has been told by her father that she is going to marry a neighbour she has no intentions of marrying. Now with the Civil War beginning, she is running of to sneak into the army as a soldier. She must struggle through army life and keep her real identity a secret for fear of being kicked out. Learning new skills is what will keep her safe, including figuring out how to be an effective spy.

The novel starts off a little slow, but does pick up enough to keep the reader interested. That being said, I never really had any wow moments when reading. It was an intriguing storyline though, with a great overall concept. I would have liked to have seen her remain as a soldier instead of taking her off into the spy business, but I understand what the author was trying to do here. The characters were a redeeming quality in this novel, being very well crafted. I do also love books about the Civil War and this time period. Overall this book fell a little flat for me and would not be one I would pick up and reread.

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- Caught

Harlan Coben- Caught 3 Stars

Wendy Tynes is a reporter catching pedophiles in the act by using chat rooms as a sting operation. When she catches social worker Dan Mercer in her web, she had no idea just how much it was going to change her life. Suddenly the story gets complicated and everything seems to be amuck. Nothing makes sense anymore and the question is, was he really guilty, or was he set up?

I loved the opening line for this book. It was a great way to draw you into the book. I also loved the opening chapter as it was really good at making you want to read on. That being said it got to be a little hard to follow for the next quarter of the book as it seemed like there was so much going on and so many shifts in perspective. The plot was really well thought out though and had great twists and turns along the way. I especially enjoyed the ending, though not completely unpredictable, it was a fitting conclusion. The characters were also really well done and assisted the plot nicely. Overall it was only a decent read. Not the greatest book 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- Don Passman- Mirage

Don Passman- Mirage 3.75 Stars

Berger has just found out that his place of work has been bombed and he is suspect number one. The problem is, he was gone playing in a chess tournament all weekend, but all records of there having been a tournament have been wiped out. Now he must try to keep ahead of the FBI as they hunt him down. Only one person in the FBI believes him, Agent Jill Landis. Jill is a young agent with no experience in such matters, but she believes it could be a part of something much larger, and far deadlier than an office building explosion.

Interesting beginning. It makes you curious about what could be so bad and how this is going to tie into the main plot. Mirage gripped my attention all the way through; it kept up a good pace and had some good twists and turns. The major twist we find out about in the ending I did see a mile away. I wish that the author had found another way of making this less obvious. I also hate how FBI agent women in novels seem to end up sleeping with someone they aren’t supposed to in every book. The characters were pretty good though. Overall this book was a pretty good 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- Richard Preston- The Cobra Event

Richard Preston- The Cobra Event 3.5 Stars

Dr. Alice Austen of the Centers for Disease Control is on the trail of a new strain of virus. A man is releasing bits of this virus into the New York City population. A homeless man dies and is quickly followed by a young girl. Now they must locate this man before he causes a widespread epidemic. He has no intention of being caught though and will not go down without a fight.

                             

It took me a bit to get into this book. That being said, it had some really intense parts that led up to an explosive ending. The plot kind of twisted and turned, but was slowed down by parts that were pointless fluff. It did also have a few parts that I wondered about the plausibility. The characters were really well done, and it must have taken some research to find out symptoms of different diseases. I especially loved the way it ended. Overall it was a pretty good 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- Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten

Ryne Douglas Pearson- Top Ten 3.5 Stars

When serial killer Michaelangelo sees that the top ten most wanted list has been numbered and he is at the bottom of the list, it infuriates him. Now he is hunting down the others on the list in order to become number one. Ariel and the FBI are after this man though and they are onto what his game is. This cagey villain will be the ultimate test for her skills.

This was one of the most disturbing introductions I have read in a long time. The book was very well written, but continued to be chillingly disturbing throughout the book. The plot was twisting and weaving all the way through, working towards an explosive ending. I did have to wonder how the villain so easily tracked down all these people that the FBI could not find. The characters were pretty well done, but could have had more depth. The overall plausibility was probably my biggest problem with this novel though. As a whole the novel kept me on the edge of my seat, so I would say it was a decent 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- Linwood Barclay- The Accident

Linwood Barclay- The Accident 3 Stars

                                      

Glen Garber’s wife Sheila just died in a car accident. The circumstances seem odd as he doesn’t ever remember her driving drunk before, and now his daughter must continue going to a school where they all know her mother killed two of their fellow students. As Garber digs into the mess he discovers that all may not be as it seems in his peaceful neighbourhood. Friends may not be who they claim to be and this information may just put his family into further danger.

The Accident starts off a little slow for my liking, and takes way too long to get intriguing. I felt that it was just interesting enough for me to keep reading, but when it did pick up it got pretty intense. The plot was decent, with many great twists and turns and an ending you will never see coming. That being said, I felt that there was one too many twists and the plausibility was not always there. Garber seems to be going around in circles and stumbling upon answers/dead people. Too many characters were backstabbing fiends, which kind of hurt what otherwise would have been great characterization. Overall it was an okay one time read; I would not pick it up and read it again.

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- A.L. Singer- The Rescuers Down Under

A.L. Singer- The Rescuers Down Under 3.5 Stars

The Rescue Aid Society has just gotten an emergency message from Australia that a young boy has been kidnapped by a poacher. Bernard and Miss Bianca must now rush to Australia to save Cody from the grasp of Percival McLeach. Cody has put a dent in McLeach’s plan to capture a golden eagle worth a fortune, which is why McLeach cannot let him go.

The book was interesting and was really close to the movie, which you don’t see very often. I loved this Disney classic when I was young, so it was neat to read it now as an adult. The characters were interesting, although with kid’s books authors don’t have a lot of time for development. The plot was fairly good considering how short this book is. It did seem a little bit rushed to me at parts, but that is probably because they were trying to keep a child’s attention. Overall it was a decent read and a pretty good adaptation.

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 Fifth Witness

Michael Connelly- The Fifth Witness 5 Stars

Mickey Haller has no criminal law clients left, now he must rely on foreclosure defence to support his office. Running his business from the back of his Lincoln, Haller has just about given up on criminal law. Now one of his clients has been accused of killing the man responsible for foreclosing on her home and he has been hired to get her set free. Mickey Haller is back as he attempts to get Lisa Trammel off of her possible life sentence.

I loved this book. The Fifth Witness is one of Connelly’s best books yet. With an introduction that gives you the impression that Mickey Haller is finished, I was captivated by the well written tale of Mickey Haller’s return. The plot was really well done, with great twists and turns; you just never knew what to expect next. It also had a surprise ending that you will never see coming. The characters were expertly crafted and seemed to jump off of every page. I really did love the ending it was a great way to conclude things. Overall I would certainly slap my recommendation on this book, a great addition to the Mickey Haller 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- John Lutz- The Night Watcher

John Lutz- The Night Watcher 1 Stars

High rise condos are burning in Manhattan and people are dying as someone sets their sights on the rich clients within them. Detectives Stack and Rica must find this arsonist/murderer before the city turns against them in fear. As things heat up they seem to be chasing their tails, leads turn into nothing and pressure is building up from up top.

From the start of this book straight through to the end, I found myself just barely hanging on. By that I mean I nearly fell asleep. The plot was decent, but I did not think that it was well executed. It kept jumping from past, to different time in the past, to present, and then back again. This made it really hard to stay focused on the storyline. The characters were really well done, which was a redeeming quality for this book. Overall this was not a book I would recommend to anyone.

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 Burning Wire

Jeffery Deaver- The Burning Wire 4 Stars

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back as they take on a killer who is using the New York City’s electricity to murder innocent civilians. They must now find a reason behind the attacks in order to figure out just who is committing them. Stopping them may just be the scariest thing they have ever done. At the same time Rhyme is trying to put a stop to the Watchmaker who is in Mexico. He is assisting the Mexican police force and Agent Dance.

This book had a decent start to it, grabbing my attention immediately. It never really did slow down, although it didn’t hold my attention as well as it went on. I always love the twists he throws in; you know that it will never be the way he is making it seem like it is. It is amazing how he can make things suddenly completely change directions. I loved how the case concluded as well, as it wasn’t really what you expected to see. I especially loved what happened with Rhyme in the last section. The characters in this book are very well done and fit into the storyline perfectly. They have great depth and were realistic. Overall it was a good addition to this 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- Harlan Coben- Long Lost

Harlan Coben- Long Lost 3.75 Stars

When Myron Bolitar receives a strange phone call from a long lost fling asking him to go to Paris, he is reluctant to go considering his current relationship. When he finally does decide to go he finds himself thrown into the midst of something far scarier than he could have ever imagined. Even Win may not be able to help him. This cloak and dagger mystery will lead him to new places as he tries to help Terese find her daughter whom she though to be dead.

The book was a little slower to begin with, but it did pick up, albeit it took a bit. I may have preferred it to be faster-paced. When it did pick up it was quite interesting. I was happy to see this series changed up. It was the same basic plot, but we saw it spread out throughout the globe. It also went to a new depth that we have not seen in previous novels. The characters were once again very well done, and I enjoyed reading Myron and Win playing off each other so well. I did find that this novel was a little weaker overall than other books by this author, but it was still a good 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- Jules Verne- A Journey to the Center of the Earth

Jules Verne- A Journey to the Center of the Earth 3.25 Stars

Hardwigg and his nephew Harry are embarking on a quest to find the center of the Earth. Using their guide Hans, they descend into a Volcano down a tunnel that leads deep beneath the earth’s crust. The perilous journey has some unexpected trials, but leads them to the unimaginable.

A bit of a slow start to this book, I was questioning if I should be continuing. It never really picked up to a point that I was captivated by it, but it interested me enough to finish. It had some cool parts about what they discovered and experienced. Verne definitely had a great imagination and it shines through on every page. The ending though was a little to unrealistic for me, but it was a great unexpected twist. Overall I can now say that I have read this classic, but likely would not read it again.

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/