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/