Book Review- Ralph Cotton- Showdown at Rio Sagrado

Ralph Cotton- Showdown at Rio Sagrado (Signet 2004) 3.5 Stars

A tough crowd has come into Redemption and taken control, with the full support of the corrupt town council. When the sheriff is murdered an innocent man is taken into custody. The town council has now appointed an inexperienced blacksmith to be town sheriff and he is supposed to be in the council’s pocket, but that won’t happen if Ranger Sam Burrack has anything to say in the matter. Coming into Redemption he intends to find out who the killer is and teach Sheriff Delbert Watts how to be an honest, upstanding sheriff. Together they intend to free Redemption of its corruption and send the gang that controls it packing.

Showdown at Rio Sagrado contains action packed scenes mixed with brilliant actions by Ranger Sam Burrack and less than intelligent reactions by a gang of ruthless thugs. It wasn’t always realistic, but it was definitely amusing. I enjoyed how he always seemed to know their next move and was able stop them in their early stages of planning. I do wish that Ralph Cotton had made the situations a little more realistic. The characters were nicely done. It was interesting to see Sheriff Delbert Watts change as he was influenced by Burrack into becoming an honest man. The villains were also well done, although they were not very bright, which may not have been very accurate of villains of the time. The book was pretty predictable, but westerns usually are. As for the plot it wasn’t overly deep, but it was still good enough to keep me wanting to read the book. I did enjoy this western and recommend it to those who like westerns.

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- Max Allan Collins- Dick Tracy

Max Allan Collins- Dick Tracy (Bantam Books 1990) 3.75 Stars

When five of the towns toughest thugs are found dead in a garage, and their boss follows shortly after, Dick Tracy is brought in on the case. It does not take him long to figure out just who is responsible for these murders, but proving could be the problem. Big Boy Caprice wants to take out all opposition and form an alliance between the biggest thugs in town, and he will eliminate anyone who gets in his way, even if it means Dick Tracy must fall. Dick Tracy will soon find himself in the sights of many. Can he crack the case before it cracks him open like walnut?

At first I was not sure if I liked the comic book feel of this book, but I soon learned to love it. I remember this movie from when I was a kid, so reading the book was interesting. I thought that this book was a practice in creativity and it had a unique feel to it. It is a time period we see more movies on, but don’t really read a lot of books on anymore. The characters names were amusing Pruneface, Mumbles, Big Boy, Lips, Flattop, Shoulders, to name a few. Dick Tracy was also an enjoyable character as he was tough, smart, and capable, yet he was still vulnerable and had a soft side. The action was fun, not always realistic, but still intriguing. It was meant to feel like comic book action and they succeeded. Dick Tracy’s detective work was different and again, comic bookie, yet I still loved to see how his mind worked out the details of the case.

I recommend Dick Tracy to anyone who enjoys reading comic books, or is looking for a different kind of mystery 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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Norah McClintock- The Body in the Basement

Norah McClintock- The Body in the Basement (Scholastic 1997) 3.5 Stars

Tasha cannot believe her bad luck. First a body is found in the basement of the café her parents used to own, then the body turns out to be her mother whom she thought had abandoned her, and suddenly her father is arrested and charged with murder. She knows her father did not commit this murder, but how can she get the evidence to prove it and get her father out of prison. In her quest for the truth she uncovers secrets long put behind everyone. How can she possibly find the killer when everyone seems to be keeping so many secrets?

The introductory pages were a little slow and I was wondering what the point was, but as the story continued I did enjoy the intrigue. I liked Tasha’s character, as she was the kind of character the teens reading this book could probably relate to. Jace was also a very relatable character and I enjoyed seeing his enthusiasm for helping out a friend in need. The plot was not overly deep and was pretty predictable, but with a book of this nature depth of plot is not too important, although it would have been nice to have less predictability. The ending I saw coming a mile away, but still enjoyed reading about it, and seeing it unfold. The end was a little too perfect for my liking, as everything just kind of fell into place for everyone; if only life was that way. I would still recommend reading The Body in the Basement and would check out more novels by this Canadian 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

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- James Patterson- Cross Country

James Patterson- Cross Country (Vision 2009) 4 Stars

Just when Detective Alex Cross thought that he had seen the worst of the worst, a crime scene comes along that knocks him off his feet. It is by far the most horrific crime scene he has ever scene. An old girlfriend of his is murdered and her whole family is killed along with her. The Dragon Slayer is on the case and he will not let up until he has either died or solved the case. Another scene much like the first comes along and he is shown just how merciless this killer is. He has uncovered something he had never imagined, a foreign thug is using teenage boys to do his dirty work and the man Known as the Tiger is now in Africa. Alex goes against everyone’s advice and follows this ruthless murderer across the globe. Does he have what it takes to survive when everyone wants him dead?

I found Cross Country to be refreshingly different from the rut Patterson has fallen into with his Cross series. The introduction drew me in right away; it was full of intrigue and the usual despicable murder. Patterson then goes right into Cross at the crime scene with his girlfriend (fellow detective Bree), and we quickly discover that the murdered woman was an old flame. I was very pleased to find out that he would be in Africa following the killer, as that would leave less chance for Patterson’s usual family scenes which are overdone. This is the reason why this book was refreshing, there was less about Alex Cross’ family and more about the case. I did find that the fact that once again his family is threatened to be slightly annoying, as it happens in nearly every single Cross book, and I am sure that this does not really happen as often as Patterson makes it seem. I enjoyed the fast-paced action in this novel and loved the plot. I would definitely recommend Cross Country to thriller fans and readers of James Patterson.

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- Without Fail

Lee Child- Without Fail (Jove Books 2003) 3.5 Stars

When threats come in against the life of the vice president of the United States, the Secret Service find, but one that they decide to take seriously. Now they are calling upon Jack Reacher, whose deceased brother Joe Reacher used to work with the Secret Service. Jack Reacher must show them the flaws in their security and help them save the life of the vice president before it is too late. The assassins think that they have everything all figured out and that the death of the vice president is a sure thing, but that’s not going to happen, not if Jack Reacher has anything to say about it.

As usual I enjoyed Lee Child’s writing style. Reacher is a great character who you can’t help but like reading about. This time we find out some background information on his relationship with his brother and a little more about the Reacher brothers’ childhood. I did find that this particular novel was not as good as some of the previous novels and was a little harder for me to get into. I did enjoy the book once I got into it and the plot was a pretty good one, not the type I would have expected from this series. As usual Lee Child had some great twists that shock the reader and come with little warning. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves 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- Michael Connelly- The Poet

Michael Connelly- The Poet (Warner Books 2004) 3.75 Stars

Jack McEvoy has a comfortable position in the newspaper he works for. He gets to cover death and picks his own stories. Suddenly police brother dies and it is ruled suicide, but that just doesn’t add up for Jack. Now he is choosing to write a story about police deaths, which means he can investigate the circumstances around his brother’s death. He quickly discovers that his suspicions were actually fact, his brother was murdered and now he is going to find out just who is responsible for this atrocity. A serial killer is on the loose and he is leaving quotes from Edgar Allan Poe as his calling card. If Jack is careful this may very well end up being the last story he ever writes.

I loved the opening sentence as it was an interesting way to start off a book. The opening pages were not the most intriguing, but it was necessary for setting the stage for the rest of the book. I did find myself wishing it was a little bit more attention grabbing however, I have never found it take this long to get into a Connelly book. He set the ball rolling early on with Jack’s suspicions though which was good. I liked the character of Jack as he was a nice change from Harry Bosch, whom I do enjoy reading about. I did not enjoy the amount of sex in this book, although that can be very hard to avoid nowadays. The plot in this book was well planned and well executed from an experienced and hardened writer. I enjoyed the ending twist Connelly played me liked a fiddle. I completely thought he was going one way and was disappointed in the fact that I had suspected it all along, but then he hits one to left field were my fielding was weak, and I was like, “Whoa man! Were did that come from?” I loved to get shocked in a book, it says a lot about the skill of the author. I also liked how the first sentence in the closing chapters is the same as the opening line, as it ties the beginning in perfectly.

I recommend The Poet to thriller lovers and Connelly 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

Book Review- Michael Pennington- Dohch

Michael Pennington- Dohch (ebook 2010) 3.5 Stars

Susan has finally moved on from the events that transpired in the year previous, when suddenly her life is thrown into turmoil once again. Another Russian group has discovered her location and wishes to use her special abilities for their own purposes. With her family being threatened she must fight to keep them safe, but soon finds herself hunting a man who seems to be predicting each of her moves. Everything may not be as it appears though, is there more to this situation than meets the eye?

Michael Pennington’s specialty seems to be in his ability to create an electrifying plot with some great twists along the way. I enjoyed his introduction as it set the stage for the rest of the book. The conclusion set it up for Zhena to become a trilogy, which I do not generally like. I like books to be able to be read on their own, even if they are part of a series, and do not like it leaving off for another book. I loved many of the scenes in the book as they were very intense, although not always plausible. I did notice that there were several grammatical/spelling errors that with a little more editing could be reduced greatly. I also noticed that the Social Security Number given in the book as someone in the novel is actually in use by someone, and this should not happen. I would not give a Social Security Number in a book, just mention that it was give, with no specifics. I also noticed that when people talk to others in the novel, even their friends, they introduce themselves by there titles, which could have been done a little less. When the Russian names were used, Pennington often switches back and forth between the Russian name and the English name, which was a little distracting. Overall though I did enjoy the book, it could just use a little work to iron out the wrinkles.

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