Book Review- Dusty Richards- Servant of the Law

Dusty Richards- Servant of the Law (St. Martin’s Press 2000) 3 Stars

Bobby Budd fled Colorado after murdering a man who was beating his mother. Now he is a killer for hire, taking payments from ranchers to rid them of rustlers. Now he is known as the Coyote Kid. Things take a turn for the worse when he kills an innocent boy and Territorial Marshal John Michaels is sent to hunt him down, joined by the deceased child’s mother. Michaels wants to bring the Coyote Kid in to meet justice, and she wants to deliver justice at the end of a gun.

I found Servant of the Law to be a fast-paced, action-packed novel. Guns were blasting away at every turn. I did not find though that I could connect with any of the characters in this book, none of them were given a lot of depth. I had been confused most of the book about this book’s timeline, only to discover three-quarters of the way through that most of the book had been flashback that was building up to the present. When the author switched to these flashbacks there was no indication that it was happening, I would have liked to have known that much earlier so that I could follow what was going on. The plot was not bad though, if it had been written differently it would have made a great novel rather than an average novel. The ending was decent, not exactly unpredictable, but not bad.

I would not slap my personal recommendation on 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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Don Pendleton- The Executioner: Death Warrant

First off I would like to wish everyone a good Rememberance Day, or Veterans Day to all of my American friends. A moment of silence is in order for all those who gave us our freedom.

Don Pendleton- The Executioner: Death Warrant (Worldwide Library 1994) 2.25 Stars

After a DEA operation goes wrong and they are ambushed, many are left dead. Rocha, the merciless drug lord does not care who dies as long as he gets what he wants, power. Mack Bolan has been given the task of finding out who the informant was and discovers a plot for Rocha to join forces with an even more ruthless enemy. He knows that it must be stopped. Now he is off to Green Hell to put an end to this mess once and for all.

I do not usually read this type of novel and now I know why. Death Warrant was exactly as I expected it, a book with very little plot. Basically Mack Bolan has no depth to his character, he just comes in shoots everyone to pieces and somehow finds out all the details he needs to rush into the next scene and repeat the process. Somewhere in the mess is a beautiful woman who is willing to sleep with any and all. A total guy book, which I do not tend to enjoy; books need plot, depth of character, and something other than women/death to draw my attention in. I think that if maybe the killing sprees were spread out more and diluted with more plot/page counts it might have been more believable/enjoyable to read about. As it was though Mack Bolan’s missions go a little bit too smoothly, and he never once gets injured in these amazing shootouts with machine guns.

I do not recommend Death Warrant.

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- Tony Earley- The Blue Star

Tony Earley- The Blue Star (Little, Brown and Company 2009) 4 Stars

Jim Glass is learning what it is like to grow up. He has found a girl that he loves with just one problem, she has a fiancé overseas. Jim must now learn what it is like to not have what he wants most, to be just friends with the girl of his dreams. With World War II just starting he must consider doing his duty and signing up. Meanwhile his best friend seems to have problems of his own and Jim must try to keep him from getting himself killed.

I was surprised to find myself enjoying The Blue Star as it is not my usual reading. Tony Early writes a captivating tale of Jim Glass and his adventures while he is learning to grow up. The storyline is slow moving and yet it still managed to hold my attention all the way through. The characters were amazingly real; it was like they all jumped off of every page. It was a fairly serious book, but I still found myself laughing at some of the situations Jim and his best friend, Dennis Deane, found themselves in. It was also interesting to see the cultural differences between their time period and ours. As for plot there was not a lot going on plot-wise, but I do not believe that it really needed a lot. The book read more like a campfire tale that your grandparents would tell you.

I recommend The Blue Star to anyone looking for a beautiful tale of times past.

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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Gordon Korman- On The Run: The Fugitive Factor

Gordon Korman- On The Run: The Fugitive Factor (Scholastic Inc. 2005) 3.5 Stars

Aiden and Meg Falconer have lost their parents to the FBI. The charges that took their parents are wrong and these two must find the evidence to prove what no one else seems willing to believe. Breaking laws across the states they fight to stay out of the grasps of the law. Meanwhile Hairless Joe, a hit man, is trying to hunt them down and end their search for the truth.

Being the second book in a series, it took me a bit to figure out what was going on. The storyline though is very interesting and if I could get my hands on the rest of the series I would. Meg and Aiden are great characters who have one goal in mind, to free their parents. This noble cause gets them into some very odd and fun situations, I enjoyed seeing them squeeze out of tough situations and I think that kids would love it. The ending kind of sucked though, as it left you needing to read the next book to find out what happened. This is one major complaint in reading a series, when all the books only make sense when you read the other books, it can be difficult to find the whole series, so getting into it may prove a challenge.

I recommend this series to young kids.

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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- Death of a Blue Movie Star

Jeffery Deaver- Death of a Blue Movie Star (Bantam Books 2000) 3.25 Stars

Rune almost gets blown up as a bomb destroys a porn theatre that she was walking by. Now she wants to make a film about it through the eyes of porn star Shelly Lowe. When a second bomb kills her star it leaves her questioning the true motives behind the bombings. Her investigation into the truth could be a lot more than she signed up for, as someone tries to put a stop to her hunt for the truth and her film. Can Rune find the answers before the truth destroys her?

I did not find Death of a Blue Movie Star to be as good as the last Rune book I read, although I still enjoyed it. Rune is a very interesting character as she is so different from your usual book characters. Her curiosity always seems to lead her into tough jams that make for good storylines and different kinds of investigations that you don’t see in your typical mystery novel. I did find myself wishing that the plot would pick up the pace a little bit and maybe have a little bit more depth to the case than what there was. The ending came as a bit of a surprise, although I was looking for something more shocking, with a little more ‘wow!’ to it.

As you can see I kind of have mixed feelings about this one so I won’t say recommend or not recommend, you can read the review and make up your own minds.

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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Robert James Glider- Golden Conspiracy

Robert James Glider- Golden Conspiracy (Book Surge 2009) 3.5 Stars

Jacsen Kidd is searching for the location of Spanish gold that has been missing for centuries. However, knowledge of his quest is not as secret as he may believe. Death seems to follow him wherever he goes and he must figure out who is trying to use him to find his gold. Treasure hunting is a dangerous game, a game Jacsen Kidd loves to play.

I do not usually read adventure type books, so this was an interesting choice for me. Golden Conspiracy reminds me of an Indiana Jones style of book. Although it got off to a really slow start with a lot of background knowledge and very interesting facts, it did pick up about a quarter of the way in. I enjoyed learning all the little fun facts, but would have liked to see it grab my attention a little bit sooner. Once the storyline picked up in its pace it was a lot more enjoyable to read, as a lot seemed to be happening and yet it was still easy enough to follow. Jacsen Kidd and his fellow explorer Pericles Schmoond are both great characters, which I loved reading about. I was a little bit annoyed at the last few dates given in the book, as in two cases they were still in 2010 when they were supposed to be in 2011, and in the third the date went back ten days from what it had previously been, but it wasn’t supposed to go back as the storyline kept going. I was also annoyed at how many quotation marks were missing around people’s speech. I counted dozens of occurrences. That being said, I would be interested in seeing what kind of movie they could make out of this book. I would also be curious to see what Robert Glider could come up with in the next book.

I recommend Golden Conspiracy to people who love adventure books.

For more of my reviews, check out my website, www.tonypeters.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

James David Jordan- Double Cross

James David Jordan- Double Cross (B&H Publishing 2009) 3.25 Stars

Taylor Pasbury is looking into the death of Elise, the assistant to the famous televangelist Simon Mason. The evidence seems to point towards suicide and embezzlement of church funds, but Taylor doesn’t think it has been looked into enough, something isn’t right. Suddenly bullets start flying and Taylor appears to be the target. At the same time her estranged mother appears and wants to be back in her life, can Taylor deal with the case and the emotional rollercoaster her mother is sure to put her through?

Double Cross starts off really slow, but picks up as it goes on. I wouldn’t call it gripping, but it was interesting enough to keep me reading. The case was different from most cases you see in mysteries, which was good to see as the same-old-same-old can get boring. Taylor Pasbury is a great character with an unusual depth. She has a tough exterior and a gentle, sensitive inside. The plot was good, but I would have liked to have seen the storyline carry on at a faster pace, keeping the reader in suspense is very important. I loved the ending as I wasn’t sure just how it was going to play out, so it came as a bit of a surprise. The setting was nicely painted so that I could actually picture it in my head. Overall Double Cross was well-written and I would be interested in seeing what else James David Jordan can come up with.

I recommend Double Cross 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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html