Book Review- Harlan Coben- Play Dead

Harlan Coben- Play Dead (Signet Books 2010) 3.5 Stars

While on their secret honeymoon in Australia, supermodel Laura Ayars discovers that her husband, Celtics superstar David Baskin, has gone missing. He went for a swim and was never seen again. Laura Ayars will not take suicide as an answer, but no one seems willing to help her find the truth behind her husband’s disappearance. Her quest will bring up secrets from thirty years ago that someone will do anything to make sure stays a secret.

I was looking forward to this novel, especially since it is actually his first novel. That being said, I did not enjoy it as much as his other novels. A good book, just not as good as I am used to with him. The actual plot was very good, but I did feel that it could have been executed a little better. It was suspenseful though, you would think you knew who it was, but then you would second guess yourself. I found myself doing this constantly. The characters were excellently done; I was very impressed by them. I am not completely sold that someone would have done it this way, but it did make for an interesting novel. I would recommend this book to Coben fans. This should probably not be the first Coben book you read however.

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- Chasing the Dime

Michael Connelly- Chasing the Dime (Warner Books 2002) 3.5 Stars

When Henry Pierce moves into a new apartment and gets his phone hooked up, he has no idea just what he is getting himself into. Phone calls keep coming in for Lilly, a young woman who had the number before him. He tries to focus on his job, involving a scientific breakthrough worth millions, but cannot stop thinking about the phone calls. He now finds himself searching for a woman who is in trouble, a woman he doesn’t even know. Where it will take him, he cannot possibly have ever guessed…

I found that this book took me a while to get into, which is rare for Connelly books. Knowing Connelly, I knew that it had to pick up at some point, which was about halfway through the book. When it did pick up, it was an exciting thrill-ride. The characters were interesting, though we only really got to know one of the characters. I would have liked to have known a little more about the other characters in the book. I liked how Connelly ties in the Doll Maker Case from the Harry Bosch series; it gave the book more depth. The ending was intense and I never saw it coming, and it is not very often that I can say that about a book. It was interesting to see the work that Henry does in this book and how it ties into the book as a whole, although at times it did slow things down more than I liked. I would recommend this book to 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

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Max Allan Collins- CSI: Body of Evidence

Max Allan Collins- CSI: Body of Evidence (Pocket Star Books 2003) 3 Stars

Nick and Catherine are investigating a child pornography picture which turned up at an office building. Now they must trust the computer experts to come up with a list of suspects based on finding out which computer was used to print the picture. Meanwhile Grissom, Sidle, and Brown are investigating the kidnapping-murder of a high profile secretary of the Mayor. They are forced to work hard in order to keep the case from exploding into the media frenzy.

This book was only okay for me. I found that if they had focused on one case, instead of the team splitting up and taking two cases, I know he needed to follow the TV show, but it was distracting. I also found it a little annoying that the characters would picture what MAY have happened (again TV show style), as it is pure conjecture and slows things down. They also tend to handle things that do not fall under the CSI job title. Case-breaking details just happen to come to the characters a little too easily and they really had very little setbacks. Overall though the plot was good and the book had good solid writing from a very skilled author. I understand that Collins has his hands tied in following the TV show, but I think he could have veered away from it a little to make a more interesting 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- Ridley Pearson- Chain of Evidence

Ridley Pearson- Chain of Evidence (Hyperion 1995) 3.75 Stars

After ignoring evidence in a previous case, detective Joe Dartelli is now finding out that it may be coming back to haunt him. In a previous case he labelled what may have been a murder, a suicide. Now more people are dying by suspicious suicides and the evidence is bringing his former mentor under suspicion. Now he must dig into the suicides to find out if they really are murders. Is this sabotage, a vigilante, or just suspicious suicides?

This was an interesting book. The parental abuse factor was a little tough to deal with, but the crime scene sections were very well done. This book grabbed my attention and did have slower parts, but never lost my attention. The plot was good, did not really have any shocking moments or huge twists, but was well done. It certainly ended with a bang! I loved the concluding chapters! The characters were well-crafted and although the relationship stuff was weak and unnecessary, I still enjoyed the character side of the book. I found the evidence gathering parts were great and I found it fascinating to learn about. I would recommend this book to those who like a good thriller/mystery.

For more of my book 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- Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind!

Avi and Rachel Vail- Never Mind! (HarperCollins 2004) 4.5 Stars

Meg and Edward are twins, and are complete opposites. When their parents decide to send them both to different schools, they both see it as an opportunity. Meg wishes to get into a High Achievers Club at her new school and be in with the “important” crowd, and Edward wants nothing more than to stop that from happening. Listening into her phone conversation he knows exactly what he must do, the question is how can he possibly do it?

I was very impressed with this book. Normally when you see co-authored books they lack the quality of a single-authored book, but not so with this one. They do a wonderful job of creating two separate points of view and you see them get caught in their own tangled webs of their own weaving. I loved the humour in this book, it was witty and out right hilarious. I think I would have found it more so if I was a twin. Reading about these two siblings try to derail each other is very amusing. These two characters are complex and it was good to watch them grow/learn about themselves. We see a battle of wits and how much trouble lies can get you into. I think that young teens will find this book amusing and should have no problems relating to these two characters. The plot was not deep, but it was certainly entertaining. In the end we see them discover that they may be more alike then they had thought. I would recommend this novel to anyone wanting a good laugh.

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 Vaughan- Vendetta Trail

Robert Vaughan- Vendetta Trail (HarperCollins 2005) 2.75 Stars

Mason Hawke is a drifter who loves playing the piano. He has a history of violence that he is trying to avoid, but somehow it always winds up chasing him from town to town. Now he is in New Orleans and once again his troubled past has caught him, this time it comes through Rachel Brubaker, a woman who is running for her life. Now they are fleeing New Orleans and running across the country. Hawke has sworn to protect her and he will kill any man who tries to harm her.

I had high hopes of enjoying this western as it started off great. I love the character of Mason Hawke as he was skilfully crafted. The plot itself was kind of helter-skelter though and didn’t really come about until about halfway through. I did not like how many coincidences this book employed, things just fell into place a little too easily and it would have been nicer to see the author mould this differently. The action scenes were intense, though again not realistic and too coincidental. It was an easy quick read with not a lot of depth, so if you are looking for a book not requiring much thought than this is the book for you!

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- Nancy Yi Fan- Swordbird

Nancy Yi Fan- Swordbird (HarperCollins 2007) 3.25 Stars

Stone-Run Forest is being torn apart by a war waged by blue jays and cardinals, but are there deeper forces at work here? Trapped in a war none of the birds wish to be in, they are looking to a legend for the restoration of peace. Swordbird seems to be the only hope for the forest to return to what it should be. Can they call up this mythical hero, before it is too late?

I must say that I may have enjoyed this book more if I was twelve or younger. It still was not a bad book, considering it is not the usual type of book that I read. It definitely is a juvenile read, intended for a younger audience. The author is now seventeen, but at the time that she wrote this she was only twelve. Taking that into consideration she has done a great job and I am impressed. I will be looking out for her in the future. The characters were interesting and well-created; maybe a little more depth would be something to work on as she gets older. The plot wasn’t deep, but it was still enjoyable. It also had its intense sections that will captivate young readers. Nancy has quite an imagination and I hope that she is able to put it to good use in the future. I would recommend this book to young readers.

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/