The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Ah, Christie. Styles is her first novel, and, of course, not her last. Even though its her debut, that doesn't mean she hadn't learned the tricks of the trade yet. This book is fast-paced, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. I loved it!

Hastings has gone to visit a friend at Styles, a mansion owned by an elderly woman. She has recently married, to the horror of her sons, a man who is much younger than she. The match has "gold digger" written all over it (or, at least, the early 1900 version of gold digger.) During Hastings' stay, she dies. Is it poison? If so, who poisoned her? Could it be her husband? One of her two stepsons, jealous and looking forward to inheriting the estate? Or someone else in the household? Hastings calls his friend, Hercule Poirot, in to solve the case.

The book was absolutely amazing. Enjoy!

-over n out-

The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis by Ron Burns

You know how many history/mystery books sound absolutely fascinating, then turn out to be too dry with historical details, or so full of made-up characters that, other than the chance they sometimes say "thee", often it feels like a typical mystery?

Ron Burns doesn't. The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis is, actually, just that. Two men realize they just cannot believe their friend, Meriwether Lewis, had committed suicide. They begin to investigate, and realize the answer is much more complicated than they had realized.

I was truly impressed by this book. Mr. Burns, although much of the book is speculation, it all falls within the realm of "It really could be this way." I enjoyed it, I had difficulties putting it down. A definite must-read, and, I think, a great book for adding to your collection.

Give My Regrets to Broadway

Give My Regrets to Broadway by Bruce Hale

Scott Freeh has disappeared the day before the rehearsals for the play begin. Chet Gecko is forced to take his place as the lead character. Yuck! Chet decides he must find Scott before the curtain rises! Meanwhile, strange things begin to happen at the rehearsals. Could it be related to Scott? Or is it because the students are upset at the new version of the play? Can Chet solve the mystery before his big debut? A Chet Gecko Mystery

Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove

Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove by Audrey Penn

Um, ok. I can't decide if I liked this book or not. The story kept a fast pace and had a great premise - pirates and ghosts? What could be better? But...it ended up being just...too much. Pirates, pirate ghosts, treasure hunts, the Underground Railroad, international mysteries, a hurricane, our heroes locked in a dangerous tunnel, one of whom has a dangerous spider bite, another who never talks because 'of something bad that happened to him that no one knew what it was because he didn't talk so they couldn't find out what had happened', a hero with a life-threatening cut to his head, a tunnel that is on fire and collapsing, cutting off our heroes' air supply, skeletons and mysterious cannon fire....plus a whole lot more that you'll have to read the book to find out about.

The end result is that the book feels thrown together haphazardly, jumping around from precarious situation to frightening adventure without giving you any time to really.....care about it.

I did, however, enjoy reading it once I got past reading it for its content and instead relaxed and read it as a fun story. It truly is a good read, and would be great for "reluctant readers" If it were a movie, I wouldn't see it in the theater, but I would definitely look for it at the rental store.

Make of it what you will.

-over n out-

The Case of the Missing Bronte

I was talking with a friend of mine (while sitting, watching the sunset at the beach, no less) and our conversation leaned towards our respective schoolings. She had recently completed a course with one of her favorite teachers, an offensive, rude British man. 'Come on, you little shits,' was his favorite phrase. But at the same time, he was her favorite teacher. "After all," she said, "Everything is better when it is said in a British accent."

Yep. It is. So before you read The Case of the Missing Bronte, practice spelling your favourite words properly and sip a hot toddy with a chum. You won't regret it.

I'll write more once I've actually finished the book. For the moment, cheers!

Underdog

Read it, finished it, loved it. It's actually the second in a series, but it's not too hard to jump in. Melanie Travis is new to the dog showing world, although her Aunt Peg is more than willing to introduce her and Melanie's new puppy, Faith, to it. Jenny Maguire, a prominent dog handler, teaches Melanie some of the basics - until Jenny is murdered.

A couple things bothered me about this book, but they didn't detract from the read and I would most definitely recommend it to anyone. First off, it was hard for me to get into it. Of course, I read it in its entirety while I was sick, and therefore nearly entirely oblivious to everything going on around me.

Secondly, I guessed whodunnit before it was announced. I consider this rather a success on my part. I mean, I guess all the time. This is just the first time I've been right. Yay me!

Final conclusion: Good book. My cat was jealous.

-over n out-

Berenson, Laurien. Underdog. New York: Kensington Books, 1996.

The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse by Bruce Hale

The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse (2000)

A hardboiled detective. A young boy - vanished. A mysterious ... chameleon? This book was terrific reading aloud to my niece and nephew (7 and 10 years, respectively). They absolutely loved it (I could tell because they wouldn't let me stop reading that afternoon until we finished it!) Even despite their enthusiasm, I think I liked it more than they did.

Hale takes a tongue-in-cheek look at crime fiction, setting a disappearance at Chet Gecko's elementary school. The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse introduces the major characters in his Chet Gecko series. Read 'em all!