SheReadsWorlds

The Ghosts of Thorwald Place

Today I’m reviewing a book I pretty much binge-read last November–author Helen Power’s debut novel, The Ghosts of Thorwald Place.

Firstly I’ll start by saying that this was an interesting concept to me, and a plot I’d never seen before. Also, the cover art and title were pretty intriguing in a creepy but ‘I want to know more’ kind of way.

Even in the first few chapters, the descriptions were pretty vivid–you could basically see everything from what these people looked like to what they sounded like, seeing the murder of the main character to seeing everything from her point of view moving forward–creepy, right? The way this was done was also interesting, describing everything as a sort of greyish color, being able to watch and move but not change what was happening–it gave me major Twilight Zone sort of feels.

This book is scary, but not so scary that you have to put it down–there’s apprehension yet you want to keep reading. In fact, this book was so easy to read in large sections, that I read the last forty chapters in one sitting of two hours.

The twists and surprises come at every turn, from new characters to more bodies to being shocked by who the real psychopaths were. Everything about this book was insane–I can usually pick out the psycho killers from the second they step on screen or appear on a page, but not with this book.

There are a lot of characters, but for the most part, it was pretty easy to separate them from one another, with their own plotlines tying into the main character of Rachel’s. There is a lot of insight into these characters’ lives and the fact that everybody hides a part of themselves from the public eye–no matter how well you think you know someone, there’s most likely a secret they’ve never let out.

Not only did I have no idea who the killers were, but I had no idea what was going to happen to any of the characters at all; everything was so crazy and mind-blowing that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. When I reached the last page, I literally stared, jaw dropped, for a good five minutes before shutting the book. Even then, I found myself going back to random pieces of the book and realizing that there were clues all along, and understanding dawning on things, for example “omg, that’s why he didn’t remember the broken glass”. I kid you not, I have never had so many “omg”‘s and “wtf”‘s in a book before.

While there were certainly a few things that seemed a little hard to wrap my mind around (for example, spoiler, Rachel not being able to tell the difference between her husband and her brother, thus having many interactions with the brother including, ahem, sex, and having no idea until they were both dead), overall the entirety of the book pretty well thought out and believable (you know, as believable as a fictional thriller/mystery can be).

One thing I really liked was seeing a strong female character actively trying to get out of an abusive relationship, something that isn’t seen too often in works of fiction but should absolutely be portrayed more often. Melody was one of the best characters of the book, and a lot of it had to do with her being as courageous and intelligent as she wound up being.

One thing I decidedly did not like, and a big part of why I’m not rating this ten stars, was the murder and mutilation of Rachel’s cat, and it’s disturbingly descriptive manner. Not only was it disgusting to imagine somebody doing such a thing, but it was scary in a not-good-scary way. Everyone, go hug your cats, and if you read this, be warned that this was one of the primary triggers I noted (along with death/murder, descriptive gore, disturbing rituals, physical abuse, the list goes on really, but what do you expect from a thriller sort of mystery).

All in all this book was scary, disturbing, shocking, intriguing, sarcastic and funny all at the same time, wrapped together into an incredibly original and well-written novel, rated for me at a whopping nine of ten stars.

Speak Easy

Today I’m reviewing a new book called Speak Easy, a historical mystery set in 1922 by Lori Adams. If you’re interested in reading this book and leaving some feedback for Ms. Adams, I got my copy on Netgalley; or, you can wait until the book is officially released and read it then.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover art–it screams the Roaring 20s, and as some of you know, my favorite book is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Knowing that this was a mystery set in the same era as my favorite book, I decided to read further into the book’s details (how long it was, what the plot was etc), and clicked the ‘request’ button so fast I actually surprised myself.

Right away we learn some bits and pieces about the main character, Kate March, and why she became the person she is; also right away, I developed an interest in the character of Nicky Masino with his mysterious backstory. We get vivid descriptions of locations such as Kate’s house and her father’s newspaper office, which makes the scenes feel incredibly plausible and realistic, and this vivid imagery continues throughout the book, with a well-written first-person narrative.

Now, this being categorized as a mystery, and having read the description, I knew there would be a murder. While I had expected the murder to be in the first few pages (as with most books lately), it took a little time to reach, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The scene of the crime, as well as the story to how Kate became the first person (not just the first reporter, first person) on the scene, was again, written very well. Thought was put into Kate’s perspective and what she took in during her time investigating the scene on her own, making it not only realistic and easy to visualize, but easy to remember later on. Kate conducted her investigation in a thorough manner, and even learned of alibis and inconsistencies before the police did, which for me, gained Kate March some major points in the ‘good reporter’ category.

Throughout the book, Nicky Masino continues to be a major mystery, and it unravels slowly–just slowly enough that it keeps you interested, and impatient in a good way; the outbursts that Kate witnesses and the refusal to show public emotion make it more intriguing, and as you learn more about the character and his experience with the war, you begin to theorize what might have happened.

I was pretty quick to wonder if a romance was beginning to blossom between Kate and Nicky, although the main point of this book was a murder mystery. Little things like Kate’s thoughts surrounding Nicky propelled this line of thinking, and then came a beautifully written scene set on Nicky’s back porch, when neither he nor Kate could sleep, and they began to open up to one another. This was certainly one of the turning points for me, and this was the second time I couldn’t stop reading until my eyes burned, the first being when Kate witnessed Nicky’s first outburst from her bedroom window.

Jumping far ahead into the book, I was really invested in the Kate’s transformation into a Modern (you know, the women in the 1920s who wore flapper dresses and beads and had super short hair). It was fun to see that transformation and the characters who were introduced to help her do so; following this, was sneaking into a Paramount party at The Grove, where the vivid imagery, thought and research made it incredibly easy to see. While I highly disapprove of the use of wild animals chained and drugged for entertainment, it absolutely was accurate for the time period, so while I could have done without their use in this book, I do understand the need for accurate representation of Hollywood in the 1920s. That also said, it seemed unimportant to the plot and quite frankly didn’t need to be brought into the story at all, or made to be glorified–something the character of Abner seemed to agree upon with his exclamations of “ungodly excess” and “nonsense”.

Showing up to the party was our favorite mysterious police officer, Nicky Masino, there to ensure Kate was safe and staying out of trouble. This gave us a sweet dance between to the two, further proving the early theory of a slow-blossoming romance between the two, something I fully enjoyed and welcomed. Then came some drama on the behalf of Nicky’s aforementioned mysterious past, and in need of causing a major distraction, Kate began a food fight–which, while incredibly absurd, was funny and at the same point, was oddly fitting.

Some little details I picked up and thoughts I had and noted while reading this book, were that Addy and Kate are by far the most loyal best friends portrayed in a fiction novel, and that there were wonderful descriptions not just in the scenes themselves but in the 1920s buildings and fashion. It held interesting tidbits of information from the 1920s, such as accurate slang and the mention of reinstating Christmas in 1918. I give major props to Ms. Adams for mentioning my favorite author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, who as we all know became one of the most popular writers of the era, and several references to Nellie Bly, the famous female reporter, who Kate admires as a budding reporter herself.

Intelligently littered with quotes from writers and film stars, this book was not only historically accurate, but incredibly detailed and well-thought out. I never suspected the killer, and yet at the same point the reasoning behind this character made perfect sense upon further thought, and was a wonderful choice, thought out quite cleverly, by the author. This said, I was a little dissatisfied that the killer was not apprehended, though this does, in part, lead up to a sequel in this new series.

Some other little things I’d like to mention; I was not a fan of the way the story jumps back and forth between what happened and little, almost useless interruptions by the detective she is telling the story to, although, I fully see how it helped to propel the story forward on more than one occasion.

The cover art, which originally drew me to the book, did confuse me for a long time, but begins to make sense and becomes an important part of the plot at the end of chapter sixteen, as does the book title itself.

One quote in particular that I enjoyed was, “You’d think he invented the comma or something,” which while not only funny, made me wonder who actually did invent the comma (in case you were wondering, it was Aldus Manutius, a 15th century Italian printer).

There were minor typos here and there, but overall a strong story that I read in two sittings of approximately 2.5 hours each.

Now you all know I don’t give good reviews and recommendations to just any book, so if I’m giving this book an eight-of-ten star review, you know it must be good! And that’s exactly the rating I’m giving it, with my enthusiastic recommendation to anyone who loves a good murder mystery or is a fan of accurate historical fiction. Well done to Ms. Lori Adams!

Puzzle Pieces

Puzzle Pieces is a romance novella by Rachael Bloome published in April of 2020. It’s a clean romance perfect for quick and easy reading. Centered on the characters of Elle Montgomery, an app developer, and Graham Dalton, a metal-welder (and the company owner), we learn that not only were Elle and Graham high school sweethearts, but they’re still in love a decade later, even after parting ways.

The characters have a strong foundation in their friendship, and it’s interesting as well as realistic that their childhood memories slightly vary from one another’s. Puzzle Pieces is a humorous, feel-good story with scenes not only interesting to read but easy to imagine, and you know I always love when a title is logical and comes into the basis of the story right away.

This isn’t a story about destiny or “the one,” but rather a story about if this is a logical way of looking at love and if it’s possible to be in and stay in love without something as unpredictable as fate. Throughout the story we get insight into not only how both these characters are run, but what their history is both together as friends and as a couple, and what their family dynamic is/was.

The few things I didn’t like were how Elle’s best friend seemed to ignore her in their business decisions, although I understand the reason behind it in propelling the plot forward, and I also was not exactly keen on Graham’s brother and his entire deal with Graham and Elle, though again, I can see how this made the plot possible. That also said, it didn’t take away from the story, at least not enough for me to ‘deduct any points’, so to speak, from my review. Just giving a little warning that you may be frustrated with these characters the more you see them.

Something I liked in this story a lot was the way Graham was so in-tune with Elle, knowing what she needed and respecting her enough to give her advice without making her decisions for her, and Elle in turn giving Graham a feeling of safety and confidence. The scenes were easy to picture, and I particularly was a fan of their phone call before getting ready to go out–I mean, come on, the description of his laugh and how it affected Elle while she’s wearing his hoodie?

The characters, overall, were pretty relatable, and the story itself held some of those relatable aspects that really draw you into the story and make it feel believable off-the-bat, such as sibling rivalry and depression-watching Hallmark Channel to feel better. The characters names stuck easily and the plot moved fluidly on its own, with excellent writing, character development, and some Jane Austen quotes. Not to mention that both characters sound extremely good-looking, which is also fun to imagine. Where my book friends at with their book-boyfriend lists, because you’ll be adding Graham onto that list pretty quickly.

One quote that stuck with me is something Graham said to Elle while they were in an art museum together. “What if it boils down to making a choice? And then, once you make that choice, you choose that person again and again, every single day, no matter what, for the rest of your lives.”

All in all I’d give this book a whopping nine out of ten stars, and would (and have) recommended it to a number of people. If you’re looking for a quick, simple read sure to have you smiling and in the feels, or looking for something to pull you out of a reading slump, this book might just be the one you’re looking for. Well done to Ms. Rachael Bloome!

A Cross-Country Christmas

Happy holidays, everyone! My first Christmas read of the year was Courtney Walsh’s A Cross-Country Christmas. This was my first completed buddy-read, with my friend Layn (you can find her on instagram @laynslittlelibrary), and damn did we have fun.

I was taking notes throughout the whole book while simultaneously exchanging long, all caps, spam-like text messages with Layn, so be prepared for what might be the best review of the best holiday book of your life.

Lauren Richmond has her reasons for not going home for Christmas, but when her brother Will asks her to come home to be there when he and his wife have their baby, she reluctantly agrees, and even more reluctantly accepts a ride from California to Illinois with her brother’s best friend, Will Sinclair. What she believed to be a two or three day trip quickly becomes a week long road trip full of spontaneous stops. Lauren and Will have their history, and Lauren is anything but excited to be not only going home for Christmas, but spending time with Will.

Now that I’ve given you that quick synopsis, I’ll break down the parts I most enjoyed for you.

Right off the bat we get some relatable, accurate text exchanges between Lauren and her brother, Spencer. As someone with siblings, I’ve both received and sent some of the texts portrayed in the book, so I got the feeling of their being siblings right away.

Another thing we got right away was small bits of insight on Will and Lauren’s history, which was just enough to let us know there was more to come and made us want to keep reading to find out, without giving away too much.

There were aspects of each character that were relatable, from personality traits to things they did in their lives, such as Will always second-guessing himself and thinking he doesn’t deserve good things, to Lauren’s awkwardness and her twelve-year-old self practicing kissing on her pillow.

Their banter was cute throughout the whole book, making you want to keep turning the page, while immediately coming up with theories on what happened in their past, what their motives are, and how it will play out.

Santa Claus was portrayed in true Santa Claus fashion, with Mrs. Claus and the elves; each stop on their trip had a good scene and a special meaning for one or both of the characters, and another holiday one in particular was the light festival that Will and Lauren attended, followed by their walk through the village in the snow, shopping at the little booths for Christmas gifts.

Will’s sisters were funny and in-sync, his mother was super welcoming and had a whole library of books in her house, so that in itself is an automatic win, and it was nice that Lauren could finally be welcomed into a family the way she had wanted.

While some of the twists were a little predictable, with Lauren and Will’s history and the reason behind the road trip, it all worked well in the book and was executed in a way that made it believable and interesting to read.

The most unrealistic things of the book were the manner in which Lauren’s boss, Lisa, texts with her, the fact that Lauren packed an LBD “to be prepared” (for a family holiday in the middle of December?), and the fact that Will made Lauren sing a Christmas carol for coffee, followed by Lauren making Will sing to hold Spencer and his wife, Helen’s, baby. It was a little strange that Spencer planned the whole road trip to set up Will and Lauren, yet it was discussed and over with in the matter of a single page. Oh yeah, and sorry not sorry, but Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.

I’ll give you a rundown now of some of my favorite quotes from the book, and maybe you’ll see a bit of why you should read this book.

“You’re not the kind of girl you date, you’re the kind of girl you marry.” Will Sinclair, being the honest and romantic character we love to see.

“Why am I like this?” All I can say here is, well, relatable, Lauren.

“It was simply something about Lauren.”

“In that moment, Lauren Richmond looked more beautiful than anything.”

Do y’all see why I loved this book now!? I mean, come on! If you don’t already have this book on your shelf, you should definitely go out and buy it asap!

This book has everything you want from a romance novel, from witty banter between complex and intriguing characters, to easy-to-picture locations and scenes, to a plot and storyline that continues to make you want to read on. It has everything you love about a Hallmark holiday film crammed into one book in the best way, a satisfactory epilogue, and I read it quicker than I had expected–even quicker than I have with shorter books and novellas.

I’d give this book a full ten of ten stars, and would definitely recommend it to literally anyone who likes Hallmark, Christmas, and/or romance. This book gave me so many good opportunities to fangirl with a friend, and let me assure you, many all-caps texts were sent in a succession by the both of us. Definitely the best new read of the year–well done to author Courtney Walsh!

Helen Cole’s Gratitude Journals

I’m back and today I’m reviewing a set of three gratitude journals that recently came out by Helen Cole. Ms. Cole generously gifted me these journals in exchange for an honest review of them, so I’ve taken some time to look through them all, take some photos and write this up for y’all.

Starting with the concept, I think it’s a fantastic idea. An entire set of books designed specifically to show those around you how much you care about them? What a beautiful and caring idea, especially with the holidays coming up. Each page poses an idea or question that leads you to write something for/about the person you are giving this journal to, for example, writing a small poem, or describing why you are most thankful to have this person in your life.

Moving into each book specifically, I found that they were each designed to fit a different group of people–there’s a journal for young girls and women, a journal for boys and men, and a journal specifically for Christians, with bible verses. Each of these books had wonderful prompts and ideas on each page, along with simple yet beautiful designs. This is a well thought out idea for less than ten dollars a book, perfect for a birthday, holiday, or just-because gift, that any recipient would love to get. This is much more meaningful than a quick text, and would be effective at being close-by whenever you’re home and need a little reminder that you’re loved–just flip through the pages and read what your loved ones have written about you!

I’ve taken some photos to show you all what the insides of these books look like, to give you a brief idea without spoiling the joy of looking through the books yourself. You all know I usually write some pretty negative book reviews–this is one of the few I’ve written that I only have positive things to say! I would recommend any of these journals to someone wanting a quick and easy gift for a friend or family member, or even for themselves if they’re looking to get loved ones’ opinions or start a self-care journal for yourself.

All in all I’d give these books a passing rating for me, and ask that you give them a try! Here’s the link for you: https://www.amazon.com/Helen-Cole/e/B09GVG7LXS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

I hope you all enjoy these as much as I will, and I commend Helen Cole on putting the effort into making such a thoughtful book, and just in time for Christmas!

Freaks

This is a review of Tess Gerritsen’s short story Freaks, but since this is a very short review, I’ve also included a short list of her books that, due to the graphic and detailed, disturbing elements of the novel and plot itself, I have chosen not to review in depth. With this list I have included my overall rating for each book, which as a reminder is between one and ten stars, ten being highest rated and one being the lowest. Thank you!

Freaks is a story that is terrifying, disturbing, and terribly sad, all written up into ten short chapters, approximately two or three pages each. It’s a fabulous and easy to read mystery story, that is sure to make your skin crawl. Seven point five out of ten stars.

John Doe is a short story all too familiar to me. You’d think that Dr. Maura Isles, medical examiner for the BPD, would recognize that she should never leave her drink unattended, never accept a drink from someone she doesn’t know. Yet, she fails to remember this, and winds up drugged and a suspect in a murder investigation.

Naturally there are a multitude of suspects, and Maura Isles condones two murders because these murders were done to protect her and save her life. If it hadn’t involved her, she’d have been on a whole other page.

This whole story, short as it may be, could not be over fast enough. Full of cringe-worthy comments, useless details, and numerous moments worthy of a major eye roll, it will make you question why this story even exists at all. Quite frankly, you are better off reading the back of a cereal box for your daily entertainment. Two of ten stars.

The Surgeon; seven stars.

I Know a Secret; four stars.

The Sinner; six stars. The last chapter was nicely written and a peaceful depiction of a cop’s wedding, a welcomed alternative to a strange and tragic mystery.

A Timeless Christmas

A Timeless Christmas, by Alexis Stanton, is a historical romance with Hallmark Publishing. I admit, I first was skeptical when I saw the film’s trailer on Hallmark, but after watching it several times (and loving it), I needed to read the book. Usually, when books come in the mail, they sit around for days to years before I open them up. But this one? I opened this one the day after it arrived, and read it cover to cover in a total of four days. I thoroughly enjoyed it and absolutely loved reading it, though while making notes afterwards, for this review, I did recall a few areas where that skepticism reoccurred. Here I’ll give a brief summary for you guys as well as what I considered some key pros and cons to the novel, and as usual, with my opinions on why.

Charles Whitley, an inventor in 1902, accidentally time-travels 116 years into the future, landing in 2018. He arrives in 2018 exactly where he stood in 1902–at the desk in his mansion’s study, only, it’s a little different now. In 2018, it’s a museum, and Megan Turner, a tour guide (and self-proclaimed expert on all things Charles Whitley), finds herself helping navigate the modern world as he attempts to find a way back to 1902, where his fiancée, milling company, and nemesis still reside.

So that’s the summary I promised. Now, where are the pros and where are the cons? Well, let’s start with a con. The book starts off in 2018 with Megan leading a tour inside the mansion. Right off the bat, she comes across as a little strange, her thoughts expressing that she has a crush on a man from another century, and little to no interest in any men from the current century. (Well, I guess she got lucky, because guess who happened to drop in from 1902?)

In the next chapter we’re in 1902 as Charles Whitley is arriving home from a business trip. Right away, he comes off as self-centered and without care for really anyone or anything outside of his own business and inventions. This is the second con, because while, having an idea of what was happening, having seen the film, it did leave me feeling, with both these characters, almost nothing in terms of interest.

Con number three? The manner of time-travel and it’s execution was rather odd and seemed a little unfinished. He loses a piece to a clock he’s working on, bends down, and when he stands up . . . he’s one hundred sixteen years into the future? It seems a little strange, and also, a little ridiculous for Charles, basically a genius, to have failed considering this piece of information in his immediate efforts to return to his era. Furthermore, quite often he seems driven purely by spite, which can be slightly aggravating (but, early on, understandable, especially when we learn more about the characters).

Con four is that the characters of Rosie, Eliza, and Harold Moran (Charles’s maid, fiancée, and rival, respectively), are barely there. Rosie makes a single appearance during Charles’s chapter in 1902, but Eliza and Harold both fail to make entrances–at least, outside of what we learn about them (and Rosie) from Megan’s tours and Charles’s thoughts throughout the novel.

Other, more minor cons here would be that the character of Dan behaves almost childishly to Charles, until about midway through the book, whereas Dan’s young daughter behaves more maturely and politely. Furthermore, my first impression, based off Megan’s thoughts, was that Megan would have turned to her mother when it came to Charles, and while there was a brief conversation there, she instead turned to her father. While this isn’t really a con, as it offered some wonderful scenes and insight of Megan’s relationship with both parents, it did seem a little out of place for me.

Now onto the pros! While I did list a considerable number of cons, I can promise that the pros, for me, far outweighed them.

Starting off with a simple pro: immediate humor! Right away I was recognizing the jokes and sarcasm, and enjoying reading it. Throughout the entirety of the book, there is consistent humor, even if it is more subtle in some areas than others.

This novel has incredible character growth and it was nice to be able to get insights to both Megan and Charles’s characters through their thoughts and feelings described in the book. It’s really cool to see these elements used in the novel as oftentimes we as readers solely rely on the insights of one character but not another, the actions of a character, or it simply isn’t executed well. Ms. Stanton executed it brilliantly, and I fully applaud her on this pro alone.

The entire novel was so well-written, with good descriptions of the characters and scenery around them, with very few grammatical, punctuational, or other errors (something easily missed, of course, especially when it’s a missing word that you automatically read into the sentence). Overall, it was brilliantly done and created a vivid picture in my mind of what was happening, how it was happening, and it really pulled me in and made me feel various things throughout its entirety.

There are lots of wonderful pieces in this novel, as it’s full of cute, funny, and romantic scenes, and Charles’s interest in how things work (such as check-out lines and smartphones) makes him more endearing with a sort of young, enthusiastic quality, whereas Megan’s patience with him (such as the thoughtfulness of her responses about technology and the modern era) makes her all the more respected. Charles and Megan immediately appear to form a genuine friendship, and mutually grow closer throughout the novel, and Ms. Stanton really made every move and every word pretty damned believable. Not only this, but the friendships formed between all of the characters is really very tightknit and easy to picture, with encouragement and support in every word.

Megan and Charles’s holiday gifts for one another, towards the last few chapters, are incredibly heartwarming, and really are what I consider a key turning point in Charles’s decision on whether or not he will return to the past, or stay in the future.

While the “traveling back” scene, as I’ll call it, was a little more dramatic than what was needed, it was extremely significant and, as with many other scenes, scattered with comedy and emotion. Going even further past this, the epilogue was incredible, and quite frankly the best epilogue I’ve ever read, full of such beautiful interactions and dialogue.

This was really such an incredible read, and I am so glad to have not only purchased this book but to have read it in its entirety so quickly while enjoying almost every moment of it. My original rating for the book was a full ten stars, and after a week of consideration and writing up this review, my rating for Alexis Stanton’s A Timeless Christmas is . . . ten of ten stars.

My first ever 10/10 star review? Yep, that’s right, so if you’re if into time-travel, romance, history, comedy, or really any kind of Hallmark/Christmas-themed novel, go buy this one today.

A Murder is Announced

A Murder is Announced is the fifth murder mystery novel in Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series.

From the summary on the back cover of the book, I knew it sounded like an interesting plot, and nothing I’d read before.

It took a few chapters for me to really get into it, but after that, I read the entire book in one day.

Agatha Christie, dubbed “The Queen of Mystery,” has been hit or miss with me. While I loved her novel And Then There Were None, others (like Murder in the Orient Express) weren’t captivating to me, and I either finished them purely because I was already so far in, or I shut and re-sold the books to local shops. Going into this novel, I knew that the latter would be a possibility, but luckily, this novel captured my full attention.

Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries are very different from her Hercule Poirot mysteries, and my preference is definitively Miss Marple. The character is certainly interesting; what appears to be a bumbling, frazzled elderly woman, is actually an acute mind with an eye for murder!

When an announcement for a murder appears in the local newspaper, the town of Chipping Cleghorn become intrigued; one after the next, they show up at the time and place listed in the paper.

What they assume to be a game quickly becomes a harsh reality when shots are fired and a man is killed. Everyone’s story is different, yet somehow just the same, and the detective on the case is convinced a killer is still on the loose–even before more bodies begin to pop up.

Out of ten stars, I’d rate this novel a seven point five. It’s absolutely worth a read, even if you’re not a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s previous works.

Rumple Buttercup

Matthew Gray Gubler’s Rumple Buttercup, while a children’s book, is a wonderful story for a person of any age.

With incredibly interesting artwork, unusual characters, and short sentences on the pages, this is an easy book to read to your children–or yourself–while keeping interest. To younger children it may simply be a fun story to read at bedtime, but the message in this story-line is easily recognizable by older children and adults: be nobody but yourself.

Rumple is a lovable, sad, imaginative little guy living in solitary under the city streets, out of fear for being different; as the story moves along, he and his friend made of candy, Carl, decide they want to experience more in life, and the city-folk show him that everybody is different.

If you’re looking for a cute, easy read that’s sure to boost your mood and your confidence, this is the book for you. It’s a great message for parents to teach their children and a lovely bedtime story regardless. Ten of ten stars for this simple, magical children’s book.

Body Double

Body Double, the fourth installment in Tess Gerritsen’s murder mystery series, Rizzoli & Isles, was disappointing to say the least.

Going in, I had high hopes for it. In fact, it sounded downright intriguing. Unfortunately, it became clear pretty quickly that I was in for a huge letdown.

At first it begins with a presumed murder, though unannounced that it is, in fact, a prologue, and dissappointingly it is quite obvious from page one that this girl, Alice Rose, will fall victim to Elijah Lank’s sadistic mind.

Also right off the bat, of course, is Maura Isles being surrounded by death–this time in the Catacombs, in France. It becomes apparent that she feels incredibly intrigued by the dead. At various points in the novel, it makes it clear that she feels calm and at home with the dead–that she actually seems to enjoy cutting into the bodies in her morgue, that she feels calm when their blood is washing over her hands. She has a disturbing, scary interest in the dead, and quite frankly, this is not the first time I’ve been frustrated by this and thought she needed immediate and intensive psychiatric care. But I digress.

Dr. Isles returns home to find the Boston police there, a massive crime scene right outside her apartment. As it always seems she is, she begins fawning and lusting over Father Brophy. Everyone begins to stare at her and immediately she assumes it’s because she is Boston’s “Queen of the Dead,” and Detective Jane Rizzoli, now eight months pregnant, takes her aside to speak with her.

A woman who looks just like Dr. Isles had been murdered, outside Maura Isle’s apartment. Naturally, they have to ask her some questions–where she was, why this woman was outside her home, who was she. All the normal questions in a homicide investigation. And, Dr. Isles being the egotistical, overly-guarded, rude-toned woman she is, gets angry and her answers become short, as she drinks an alcoholic beverage prepared by Father Brophy.

Throughout the novel, her attitude becomes almost hostile towards Rizzoli, who is simply doing her job, and the comments made both aloud and inwardly about the detective, are rather frustrating bits of ignorance. Furthermore, she then begins to obsess over a police detective, Rick Ballard, going as far as to later ignore Jane Rizzoli’s kind offer of staying with her for the night, as her husband is out of town, while they ensure her own home is safe to return to, and takes up Detective Ballard’s offer of staying at his home, because his daughter’s bedroom is currently unoccupied.

The blatant disregard of safety precautions by Dr. Isles is almost disturbing, and the level of frustration she shows to the police is flabbergasting as they do their job trying to learn who killed the woman in the car, and is now targeting Dr. Isles herself.

The woman in the car, Anna Leoni, was a woman running from an abusive boyfriend, with the help of Detective Ballard, and, as assumed, she is Dr. Isles’ twin sister.

Maura Isles learns that her biological mother is a mass murderer, and simply refuses to accept that the woman is, in fact, responsible, claiming she’s simply a “burnt out schizo” now plagued with the lasting effects of medications she never should have been prescribed. In fact, the only way to get through Dr. Isles’ evidently, incredibly thick skull, is to show her not only the crime scene photos but the autopsy reports as well, which sadly goes into immense and disturbing detail. More murders are uncovered, when Dr. Isles runs off to Maine, digging up human remains with disturbing excitement, wearing her dead twin’s clothes, and these murders, too, come with a shocking amount of detail.

Meanwhile, a pregnant woman named Matilda Purvis is kidnapped, and while I admire her strength and determination throughout these chapters, I must admit that this subplot, too, was a letdown, and quite frankly the nauseating details of her abductor’s death were not only disturbing, but the entirety of this abductor’s presence in the novel is not only underplayed, but almost nonexistent, totaling no more than several pages of dialogue or mention whatsoever.

In conclusion, this book was an absolute waste of five dollars, three days worth of time, and a small part of my sanity, along with quite a bit of patience. In fact, this novel was so bad, that I wouldn’t recommend it to even my worst enemy, should I have one. And, aside from that, if I couldn’t sell it to a secondhand bookshop for a few dollars, I’d give myself the satisfaction of simply burning this horrendous piece of ‘literature.’ This novel only has, from me, a rating of one of ten stars, and the fair warning that you not waste your time.