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Book Review: Bury the Lead

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Bury the Lead
Andy Carpenter #3
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes on a client who has been receiving communication from a serial killer, tasked with protecting the journalist by his boss. But then the man is accused of the most recent murder, and Andy’s job has changed drastically. The only problem is that he’s not 100% certain that his client isn’t actually guilty.

This book takes some definite turns from the series so far, with Andy being brought in even more unwillingly as defense attorney for an accused murderer. The story takes a lot of turns near the end, and I’m not really sure that Andy himself does a lot to solve the various mysteries tied up in the case. Certain things are kind of handed to him or done for him, though not in a way that made me feel like he was a weak MC. The cast of side characters he’s started to draw around him add to my enjoyment of this book.

There were a couple of things that I didn’t care for in this book, like the over-the-top dog love that actually lacked logic at one point for me (it’s not okay to make a dog sleep outside, but it is okay to expect a dog to live on a boat?), but overall, I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. Fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas should consider reading this book. Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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Book Review: The Black Book of Buried Secrets

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Storm Warning
The 39 Clues
by Mallory Kass

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

After the 39 Clues finale, a new threat has arisen, leading the separate branches of the Cahill family to come together and share their secrets. Broken down into a section for each of the 5 branches, this book covers founders and agents (though I’m not 100% sure what the difference is, since some of the founders are current…how can they be founders 500 years after the branch was founded?), strongholds, and tools and tricks used by each branch. It’s a good follow-up to the series, with some reminders of locations, names, or events that were brought up during the series, as well as new information. The brief vignettes that show some of the major characters from the series after the end of the clue hunt were great to have, and there are even a couple of short stories about historical characters looking for clues or being recruited by Cahills. There are a few things explained in this book that I at first thought must be spoilers of what is technically the final book in the series, though also a launching point for the first spin-off series. That book was published after this one, so I hope that’s not the case, but I won’t know until I read it (Vespers Rising).

The introduction by Rick Riordan, which depicts the different authors from the series as members of the Cahill branch, meeting to discuss sharing their secrets for this book, is clever and enjoyable. Fans of the 39 Clues series will probably find the brief stories and extra information in this book worth reading.

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Book Review: Dragon and Judge

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Dragon and Judge
Dragonback #5
by Timothy Zahn

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous book in the series, Dragon and Herdsman.

As Jack continues to try to help Draycos, the dragon-like symbiont that uses him for a host, track down who killed his people, the pair take what is meant to be a brief detour to a planet where Jack’s Uncle Virgil used to visit a bank to replenish his funds. But as soon as they arrive on the planet, Jack is mistaken for a circuit judge, and he and Draycos are whisked away to an inescapable canyon to hear several years’ worth of disputes.

I really expected this book to be quite a departure from the series, but I think it was a bit more connected even than the previous book. Real answers are given to the investigation into the impending K’da genocide, and secrets from Jack’s past are exposed. The unusual race of beings that force Jack into presiding over their disputes showcases Zahn’s worldbuilding abilities; however, I felt that there was a lot more that could have been explained about their system of uprights and number names. Though I’m not a huge fan of Alison Kayna, I also enjoyed her side story, as she’s abducted and brought to Neverlin, due to being the one who actually ends up opening Uncle Virgil’s bank box. Her growing connection with her own K’da symbiont is quite different from Jack and Draycos’s but also an intriguing part of the story. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this series and am highly anticipating the last book and hopefully the salvation of the K’da and Shontine.

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Book Review: Embers in the London Sky

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Embers in the London Sky
Allegiance Under Pressure #1
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

While fleeing the Netherlands that has just been invaded by the German army, Aleida’s abusive husband sends their son with strangers, shortly before losing his own life to the Germans. Once in London, she starts a long, difficult search for her son. There, she meets Hugh Collingwood, a BBC radio correspondent trying to inform the public and boost morale while reporting on the Blitz. When his uncle and friend are murdered, it looks like the bombs falling on the city every night aren’t the only danger.

In a way, this book almost seems like two different stories. The first is a combination of Aleida searching for her son while also trying to shine light on the way some of the kids are treated as they’re evacuated out of London during the Blitz and Hugh trying to maintain integrity in his reporting while struggling against the threat of censorship. This main part of the story kept me engaged, and I liked seeing these different sides of London during this part of history. Then the book turns into a murder mystery as Aleida and Hugh, both apart and separately, try to solve a series of murders. I’m a fan of mystery, and the rest of the story was interesting enough that I didn’t need the mystery angle to be expanded on. Still the pacing of the mystery being in the background for a long time to then suddenly jump into the foreground threw me off just a little. 

I appreciated the development of the relationship between Aleida and Hugh and that it didn’t come across as the main point of the story. I prefer a subtle romance, and Aleida and Hugh developed a great foundation of friendship first. Though some of the drama involving their relationship felt too much like it was thrown in there just to prolong the inevitable declarations of love. I look forward to the next book, which appears to be about Aleida’s cousin, who is still in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, and I recommend this one to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Bee’s Gift

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Bee’s Gift
Abby’s Letters #2
by Dana Romanin

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian YA romance

A one-time mistake changes Lindsey Bartley’s life forever during senior year, and she has a lot of difficult decisions ahead of her. Though Richard Hendrick, the man that Lindsey is forever linked to by two lines on a pregnancy test, doesn’t know it yet, his life is about to change for good as well.

I liked this book more than the previous in the series, mostly due to the main character actually being a bit more interesting and dynamic and the loss of the love triangle that permeated the first book. However, though we have moved on to a different character, we don’t move on enough. Part one of two, so half of the book, takes place at the same time as the events in the previous book, and though we see a different side of the story (Lindsey was a side character in the first book with no POV parts), she connects with one of the POVs in the first book (Clark) enough that several scenes are literally re-hashed, word-for-word, from the first book. To be fair, there are minor differences amongst the repeated sentences, though, since a different perspective is shown on the same scenes, but I really think the author should have figured out a way to have a completely fresh take on this second story.

That being said, Lindsey’s character arc, especially her newfound faith in God, drives the first half of the story pretty well. She struggles to decide what to do about her pregnancy, from keeping or discarding, telling the father or not, telling parents or not, etc., and it all felt pretty realistic to me. Except for the way that Lindsey picked up on “church lingo” and prayed fluently for someone else who was struggling, after only attending youth group for a few weeks. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of a learning curve, and it seemed like it could be a bit intimidating for anyone reading the book that is a new believer themselves.

Then part two of the book shifts focus completely from Lindsey to Richard, who was part of the love triangle in the first book. This second half of the book takes us past the time period covered in the first book, into the first summer after graduation for all of these characters, and to a brand-new setting. In a way, it felt like a whole different book, and I wonder if the author perhaps could have started the book here instead. I enjoyed Richard’s arc in this second half, as he grapples with an uncertain future and what his responsibility really is in the life of an unborn child that he has no reason to feel connected to. In the end, the story ends well, probably not much different than one might expect, though there is a bit of a twist thrown in in what feels like an obvious attempt to add drama or excitement. Overall, this book was more enjoyable than I expected it to be, after the first one, and though I’m not sure how accessible it is, I would recommend it for older teens and Christian parents of teens.

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Book Review: The Juliet Code

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The Juliet Code
Frederick & Grace Mystery #3
by Pepper D. Basham

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical Christian mystery

In Italy for their honeymoon, Lord and Lady Astley, Frederick and Grace, become entangled in an investigation involving stolen art and a purported treasure that can only be found by deciphering a code in the missing artwork.

Due to my issues with the first book in this series, I went into this one really uncertain about how it would go. I did like it a little more than the other, mostly because the mystery was a little more involved. Though Grace is ready to dive head-first into the case, Frederick drags his heels a little bit before accepting that their usefulness could be needed by their detective friend who has been brought in to investigate. This may have provided the most enjoyable parts of the story, but overall, Grace’s character was just too immature and silly for my taste. The mystery is convoluted, with so many people involved and suspected, so many different times when people get hurt and the motive is uncertain, that it was difficult for me to follow. When the truth is revealed, it’s a bit anti-climactic for me.

The first book in the series is super steamy for a Christian book, and I was worried about how one would go. It’s maybe toned down a little, but there are still a lot of references to them enjoying each other and teasing each other for later. Then at about 80% into the story, another romance sort of starts to develop, but it’s almost completely about physical attraction as well. This section of my review alone is enough for me to say I have no desire to read any other books in this series, and I’ll be cautious about other books by this author in the future. If you are interested in the genre and aren’t bothered by the issues mentioned, please check out the link below to see what others thought. You certainly might like it more than I did.

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Book Review: I Am Number Four

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I Am Number Four
Lorien Legacies #1
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

John Smith (not his real name) has been on the run most of his life, hiding on Earth from a race of beings that destroyed his home planet, Lorien, and killed almost everyone on it. He and others escaped and came to Earth to bide their time, waiting until they could fight back and try to reclaim their planet. But the Mogadorians are also on Earth and are tracking down John and the other Legacies, whose developing powers will allow them to fight back. They can only kill the Legacies in order. The first three are dead, and John is Number Four.

This is one of those kinds of books that I can understand why some people think it’s trite, but I enjoyed it anyway. Though the book is long, I read it fairly quickly, due to it being action-packed and easy to read. I think what I appreciated most about this story is that the characters are overall pretty well developed, and I really liked the different relationships. “John” and Henri, his non-Legacy protector from Lorien, have a father-son-type bond. They don’t always get along, but they respect and care about each other. Though John moves often enough that he doesn’t generally form lasting relationships, the connections he makes with other teens at his new school adds to the story. I personally didn’t care about the romance, but I figure that’s because I’m an adult, whereas teenagers might enjoy it more.

The world-building in this novel is also intriguing and easy to follow. Though some information is clearly left unexplained, it just left me wanting to continue the series to learn more. And one particular clue that’s given at a few points in the book has a great culmination that I can’t explain without spoiling the moment. I was absorbed in the book all the way through and have already recommended it to my 14-year-old daughter. If you enjoy sci-fi without a lot of complex world-building, especially in the YA range, you should consider reading this book.

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Book Review: Murder on the Links

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Murder on the Links
Hercule Poirot #2
 by Agatha Christie
read by Hugh Fraser

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

When Poirot is summoned to France by a man that is already dead when he arrives, he attempts to detangle a twisty mystery. This story threw me a couple of times. At least once, I thought the mystery was solved, only for it to take another turn. I don’t know if that’s because I was listening to the audiobook and maybe missed something or if they were intentional twists. There were so many potential answers to the mystery that seemed to be real and then were later shown to be false, though, that I’m certain I will look back on this story and either not be able to remember who the actual culprit was or remember it wrong. I’m also not a fan of the insta-love trope that happens with Hastings in this book. It’s a bit of a stretch to believe that this woman made such a big impression on him in the small interaction they had, though it weirdly seems to be a common trope in fiction written in this general time period.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser and thought he did a great job. I don’t know that I’ll read this entire series in the end, but I certainly plan to keep going.

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Weekly Writing Update: 3/31

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I continued reading book #3 (“Power”) out loud this past week, managing to get 20 minutes in every day. It continues to be a huge benefit—necessity, even—as I wait for my sisters to read it and give me their feedback as well. Hopefully this will be the last intensive revision the book needs before it’s ready to be published, but we’ll see what they say when they get through it too.

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon in multiple formats (e-book, paperback, and now in hardcover) as well as Kindle Unlimited.

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Book Review: Al Capone Does My Shirts

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Al Capone Does My Shirts
Tales from Alcatraz #1
by Gennifer Choldenko

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade historical fiction

Moose Flanagan’s family moves to Alcatraz in 1935, where his dad will be working as a prison guard. Now Moose has to get used to a new school, keep his sister out of trouble, and deal with strict rules imposed by the prison warden, whose own daughter does whatever she can to break them.

I’d heard of this book and seen it around for a long time before deciding to read it. I expected something pretty light, maybe a little goofy or immature. And while it’s not exactly heavy, it’s definitely deeper than I expected. Moose’s sister, who is a few years older than him, is autistic, in the days before it had a name and when kids with autism were given a lot of different diagnoses. She tends to live in her own world, and sometimes that means fits of anger that can’t be controlled. Moose is left with Natalie now and then, and eventually his mother asks him to take her everywhere he goes. On top of that, his mother grasps at every possibly cure for Natalie that she hears about, in a way that is detrimental to her own mental health.

The author did a great job of making me feel connected to the characters in such a way that I felt a lot of emotions while reading the book. I was annoyed with the warden’s daughter, her schemes, and her dad’s refusal to see the truth about her. I both felt for the mom who didn’t know how to deal with having a daughter with mental issues and wanted to give her a stern talking to sometimes. And Moose himself is just trying to be a kid in very unusual circumstances. Though Al Capone is kind of obsessed over throughout the book, it seemed like he was to be more of an abstract figure than anything. But without giving any spoilers, he actually does have a more active part by the end, in a moment that actually made me let out a gasp and made me really intrigued about the next book. I’ve already recommended this book to my 13-year-old daughter, who might be on the top end of the age group for it, but I think she’ll like it. I also recommend it for other pre-teens and young teens as well as any adults who enjoy younger-audience books.

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