A Change of Fortune Mystery, Book One - Whispers Beyond the Veil

Lately, I've been taking a chance on some new, period mystery series (such as the first book in the Lilly Long series that I recently read).  Whispers Beyond the Veil, the first book in the new A Change of Fortune Mystery series, is one of those chances.  As with that first Lilly Long book, this book turned out to be a very good choice!

Whispers Beyond the Veil introduces readers to Ruby Proulx (yeah, I have no clue how to say that last name either!), the daughter of a con artist who has picked up a lot of her father's talents for not only conning others, but in reading them and discerning cues from their non-verbal movements.  Ruby is definitely not your typical protagonist.  She is far from innocent, and in fact, the opening chapter shows just how far she has fallen when she follows through with her father's plan for a new scheme, despite that voice inside of her telling her not to do it, and she ends up killing the one man in her father's company of people who actually treats her as a real person.  It is this horrific incident that leads Ruby to seek out her aunt, her deceased mother's sister, and puts her on the path to discovering that the little voice inside of her is more than just a conscience!

Author Jessica Estevao definitely creates a world that draws the reader in, with characters you immediately want to know more about.  When Ruby reaches Old Orchard, Maine, she and readers meet a cast of characters as different and unique as any I've ever seen.  Officer Warren Yancey is an honest police officer in a department that from all appearances has some corruption starting at the top of the chain.  Ruby's Aunt Honoria Belden (and no, she's not related to Trixie - at least, not that I'm aware of!) is a lovable, old woman who has a lot of inner strength and who cherishes family above all else.  The cook and housekeeper at her aunt's inn, Mrs. Doyle, is a stern woman who trusts little but is loyal to Honoria and will do anything for her.  Officer Yancey's sister, Lucille (Lucy), is a free-spirited and determined young woman who has learned to stand up for herself in the absence of both her father and her brother.  There's also the rather questionable police chief, the skittish young maid at the inn, Officer Yancey's widowed mother, and the numerous guests at the Hotel Belden.

Oh, yes, and in case I didn't mention - the Hotel Belden caters to a very specific clientele - those individuals who believe in and practice the various psychic crafts.

The psychic twist to this tale is what really sold me on this book (along with the title).  I love Kay Hooper's Bishop/Special Crimes Unit books, which deal with a whole federal department of psychic investigators.  So, I was looking forward to reading a new series about a psychic who solves crimes.  Unfortunately, Estevao spent more time on Ruby's other talents (namely, the con-artist aspect she learned from her father) than that inner voice that she inherited from her mother's side of the family.  I really would have liked to have seen more of that inner voice, but since this is only the first book, and Ruby is just coming to terms with the fact that the voice is real and she is not crazy, perhaps there will be more of that developing as the series continues.  I supposed that's one of those "we'll have to wait and see" kind of things.

There are definitely some ongoing threads that will be seen throughout this series.  What happened to Officer Yancey when he was away in the military?  How long will Ruby be able to keep the death of Johnny and her part in it a secret?  When will the chief of police be outed for his illegal dealings?  What really happened with Officer Yancey's father when he was in prison?  And just when will Ruby's father show up in Old Orchard (which is bound to happen sooner or later)?  So many questions give rise to so many potential stories, so I hope that this first book does well so that we'll see more in the future (no second book is listed on Amazon yet...)

Otherwise, the mystery is so well-plotted that I found myself going back and forth with my thoughts on who the murderer was, and Estevao was quite cunning herself in how she ultimately revealed it (and who got blamed, or took the blame, for the murders along the way).  A definite recommended book for mystery lovers!

RATING:  9 flickering candles out of 10 for melding a bit of reality into a whole lot of fiction to create a great little mystery with a wonderful new crime-solver!

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files - Wild Card

Harry Dresden, Chicago's resident Wizard, is back in an all-new story, written by creator Jim Butcher, with the assistance of Mark Powers.  The characters and story are brought to life with the wonderful art of Carlos Gomez.  Wild Card is a new tale that takes place after the last comic mini-series, Down Town, and before the novel, Small Favor.

As with any Dresden story, poor Harry gets caught up in yet another battle - only this time, nothing is exactly what it seems.  Two girls end up dead, and it appears they were killed by Marcone's forces.  The girls were of the White Court, who wants revenge.  Meanwhile, Marcone thinks the cops have taken out some of his men, so he is looking for payback.  And the Chicago PD has seen one of their own killed and another injured, and they want someone to punish for it.  It's a three-way war that is brewing, ready to do God-only-knows how much damage to the city.  And, as usual, Harry is the only one that can see through all the nonsense to know that someone is setting everyone up.  Who benefits from a total chaos war like this?

While I love seeing Dresden brought to life (I still miss the old Sci-Fi television series), I will admit that I don't necessarily like having my own visuals of these characters taken from me.  Dresden and Murphy aren't really too much off from what I had imagined in my mind; other characters...well, they are nothing like I imagined.  Butters (the coroner), for example.  The glasses are spot on, but I for some reason imagined him as a short, geeky guy with red hair (for the life of me, I can't recall if they ever give his hair color in the books).  Perhaps I've always seen him that way, as I see a lot of myself in him.  And Molly.  Well, I expected Molly to be a lot more "goth" than how she is depicted in the comics.  Then there's Leanansidhe.  Harry's faerie godmother.  She was nothing like I envisioned.  A lot more sexier, a lot more faerie-like, and a lot meaner is what I had always imagined.

Now, Harry's brother Thomas - there's not too many ways you can mess up tall, dark-haired, and sexy.  Gomez got this Adonis pretty much dead-on!

With Butcher's involvement, the characters remain consistent with the books, and the stories build on the books, filling in gaps and providing some great life-threatening, world-endangering battles that further test Harry and his friends.  This time around, we get to see how Harry fares against a demon powerful enough to do damage to his faerie godmother, someone Harry had always thought to be all-powerful and unstoppable.  But this new threat (Puck) turns out to be something entirely new - everything he does, every life he destroys, every destruction he causes - it's all out of boredom.  He simply does it for fun, for something to do.

I have to say, the manner in which Dresden comes up with to put an end to Puck's shenanigans is pretty ingenious and most definitely pure Dresden-style.  It brought a smile to my face, and I cheered inside (just like I do with pretty much every Dresden story when he wins in the end).

Now, when exactly is Butcher going to sit down and write the next Dresden novel????  His website lists the 16th book, Peace Talks, but still no word on its release.  UGH!!!!!

RATING:  10 full houses out of 10 for giving Dresden a true "wild card" of a villain, one that could be a worthy nemesis for our favorite wizard!

The Curious Cat Spy Club, Book 4 - The Secret of the Shadow Bandit

Linda Joy Singleton knows how to tell a good mystery, there can be no doubt about that.  She also knows how to stay consistent with her characters and to have them grow naturally within the stories.  With her fourth Curious Cat Spy Club Nove, Singleton also shows once again that she knows how to maintain relevancy to a current generation of young readers, while at the same time, giving nod to all of us "older" collectors and readers of yester-year.

The Secret of the Shadow Bandit was a wonderful read for so many reasons.  First, the story provides a superb setting: a faux castle with turrets and grand rooms, with a "dungeon" in the basement.  The fact that Kelsey and her family live in the cottage on the grounds of the castle, and her father works as the chef for the man who owns the castle pretty much guarantees a whole host of possible stories in the future!  Second, there are several smaller mysteries that all connect in one way or another to the overall mystery of the missing chess piece - from the coded message in the tree house the kids discover, to the mysterious nature of the unfriendly butler, to the sudden disappearance of the prior inhabitants of the tree house.  Plus, why does the owner of the castle, one Mr. Bragg, the king of resorts, refuse to talk about his family and the former inhabitants of the cottage?  Third, and probably the biggest attraction for a children's series lover like me, are the fun little in-jokes, if you will, and nods to the mysteries of days gone by:

p. 31 - I sigh too, because I'd hoped to find something mysterious.  Unfortunately real life isn't as thrilling as the plots in my mystery books, where an old clock reveals a hidden will, a brassbound chest hides love letters, or a haunted attic holds dazzling jewels.  (Can you spot the Nancy Drew books in that list?)

p. 53 - We're all so different but we've become best friends, I think, smiling to myself.  (who else do we know that were always described as being "so different," yet you'd never know they were cousins?)

p. 126 - "Make a right turn on Melody Lane," Gran Nola says as she hurries to catch up.  (Lilian Garis would be so thrilled to know her books are still remembered today)

And the cover itself - anyone who remembers the early digest books from Simon & Schuster from the Nancy Drew series might see a similarity between the cover to this book and the first cover art for Nancy Drew - The Double Horror of Fenley Place.

The characterization of Kelsey, Leo, and Becca continues to strengthen in this book, and it seems Singleton is getting more and more of a feel for the three of them.  Kelsey, over the course of four books, has become less insecure and more determined.  Becca has learned that that is much more to people than their style and status.  Leo still resembles a younger version of Sheldon (c'mon, don't tell me you don't watch Big Bang Theory?!), but he does something that is very, VERY surprising in this book that has been building over the past book or so (if you noticed the signs).  And while Frankie only gets a brief mention in the book, it is nice to see the regular cast of supporting characters growing and staying in the picture.

And, last but not least, the "Bandit" from the title actually turns out to be a cute little ferret that was left behind by the previous owners of the tree house - a female ferret with a penchant for stealing items to build a nest (leading our spy club members to wonder if perhaps Bandit isn't the one who has been pilfering items from the area).  I'm amazed at how much information there is in this book about animals (such as the fact that ferrets do not survive in the wild, as they are more domesticated animals, and the fact that wild cats have their ears clipped when they are fixed, so that animal control will know they won't be reproducing), and it's great that a book written to entertain can also provide some useful knowledge.

(Just one side note - something I thought was a bit funny is on page 67, it reads "When we start back up the stars, King Bragg pauses..." Clearly, it was meant to say "stairs" and not "stars," but I guess the editor missed that one!)

All in all, another successful mystery for the Curious Cat Spy Club - Singleton can definitely count this as another win for her writing career.  Now, we just have to wait until book five comes out...

RATING:  10 global positioning finders out of 10 for expanding the CCSC's world and continuing to provide mysteries that are fun and engaging!

The Virginia Mysteries, Book 4 - Secret of the Staircase

It turns out that this is NOT the final book in the series.  When I initially bought this series of books, there were only four of them, and I had thought that it was a complete set.  So, as I sat down to read the Secret of the Staircase, I was expecting it to give some kind of finale to the adventures of young Sam and his older brother, Derek.  Turns out, though, that author Steven K. Smith was not quite finished with his adventurous duo, as Amazon.com lists a fifth book that has come out, one I have yet to get but will eventually have to do, if for no other reason that to have a complete set (and those who know me, know that I am definitely anal-retentive about having complete sets!  once I start a series, I have to get them all).

As this series progresses, it seems the mystery aspect becomes less and less and the adventure part becomes more and more the focus of the story.  I'd almost have to compare these stories to the Hardy Boys, who always seemed to spend most of their time in their books stumbling through a mystery by having one grand adventure after another.  Sam and Derek seem to be following in their footsteps.

Secret of the Staircase finds the brothers heading to The Jefferson, a famous hotel in Richmond, Virginia.  Smith integrates a considerable amount of true history into the story with regards to the hotel, its founder, the fire that nearly destroyed it back at the turn of the 20th century, and the rather unusual pets that were kept on the premises for many years - alligators!  Even the famous guests that Smith mentions in the book as having stayed in the hotel actually did stay in the real hotel in Richmond.  And Smith's descriptions of the lobby and ballroom are spot-on with the actual image of the hotel today (as can be discerned by taking a quick look at the hotel's website online).

The only real mystery in this book is who is stealing things.  First, Nathan's Gameboy is stolen (and he blames Sam for it), and then the bride and groom's wedding rings are taken from their room.  Could it really be the mysterious alligators that used to reside on the hotel premises?  Or does the hotel have a thief on their hands?  While Derek and Sam, along with Caitlin, never really search for the stolen items, they do stumble upon the secret door under the grand staircase in the ballroom, which leads them on a rather frightening adventure under the city of Richmond, where they come face to face with a most dangerous and unexpected guest!

Ultimately, though, the boys do happen upon the true thief, and the stolen items are returned to their owners.  And while Derek and Sam do end up in trouble once again for their escapades, they (as well as the readers!) do end up soaking up a bit more of Virginia's rich history along the way.

RATING:  7 rusty oil lanterns out of 10 for keeping the history lessons fun, the characters real, and the boys always inquisitive.

DC Super Hero Girls, Graphic Novel No. 2 - Hits and Myths

Those rambunctious little superhero girls from DC Comics are back in their second graphic novel - Hits and Myths.  I am thoroughly enjoying this whole DC Super Hero Girls line of stuff - cartoons, action figures and dolls, and the comics.  I personally love the fact that DC is not only showcasing their female characters (in an effort to reach out to more of their female audience), but providing them fun, easily accessible stories that are not bogged down with decades of continuity and history and are not all dark and gritty.  The stories are light-hearted, there's always humor here and there, and somewhere along the way, there's a bit of a moral to be found as well.  In a lot of ways, these stories remind me a lot of the old Super Friends comics and cartoons.

Writer Shea Fontana and artist Yancey Labat are back, and this time, they are giving the super hero girls a bit of history in mythology, as well as demonology!  Everyone's favorite rhyming demon, Etrigan, is the school's poetry teacher, and Wonder Woman is having a difficult time finding an opportunity to read the assigned story, The Odyssey.  But when a surprise birthday party for Etrigan causes a rather surprising reaction, the girls have to put on hold their plans for a sleep-over on Paradise Island and find their missing teacher!

Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Katana, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Bumblebee, Miss Martian, and Hawkgirl are all back, along with Flash and Beast Boy (and for me, the fun is always looking at the backgrounds in each and every panel to see what other little cameos Fontana and Labat throw in for good measure - from Blue Beetle to Killer Frost to Hawk and Dove to Elasti-Girl, and even a poster of my personal favorite, Captain Carrot!).  And there's a battle of the bands that brings together some rather odd, but honestly very fitting, combination of characters to see who can be the best band and win Batgirl's Batplane (which is another subplot within the tale).

Ultimately, the gang heads to the underworld and faces off against Trigon (and meets Raven, his daughter) in order to rescue their beloved teacher.  And along the way, Miss Martian has to face her fear of fire and shyness in order to save the day and free all of her friends who were captured by Trigon and his minions.

All in all, a very satisfying and enjoyable read - this is definitely one comic / graphic novel series that I would recommend to any and all comic fans, regardless of age.  Wonder when the third graphic novel will be solicited...

RATING:  10 keys to the invisible jet out of 10 for proving that comics can be fun and for everyone!  A definite, solid hit!

A Mitch Mitchell Mystery, Book 4 - The Sun Goes Down

WARNING - this book and its review are definitely NOT meant for children!

That little disclaimer out of the way, I was surprised when I stumbled upon this fourth Mitch Mitchell mystery on Amazon a month or so ago.  I read James Lear's three previous novels in this series - The Back Passage, The Secret Tunnel, and A Sticky End (and yes, all three are definite innuendos) - and aside from the unnecessary graphic sex within the books, they are actually really well plotted murder mysteries.  Lear's protagonist, Edward "Mitch" Mitchell, an American doctor who is thriving (in so many ways) in England, finds that he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to ask the right questions and solve some rather unspeakable murders (and by "unspeakable," I'm referring to the fact that in the early 1900s, any acts of love or otherwise between two men was unspeakable and in Mitchell's case, led to murders!).

After the third book a few years back, it seemed that was the last we would see of Mitch, as he was happily settled down, having said a final farewell to his off-again, on-again fling/best friend and made the decision to stay with his one true love, Vince.  Now, with The Sun Goes Down, set some time after the end of the last book, it seems Lear cannot allow his unwitting detective to be happy.  Vince is gone, and Mitch is taking a trip to the Mediterranean island of Gozo to help a fellow doctor with a patient in the military.  While there, Mitch hopes to put his past behind him and with any luck, find some men to take his mind off of Vince.

What he finds instead, much to his liking, is not only one man after another - but another murder to solve!

Lear provides a very interesting romp through the Continental hotel on the island of Gozo - a hotel that caters to a very unique clientele.  The new owners, a young couple from England, are doing their best to follow in the previous owners' steps, but they find it somewhat difficult when the regular guests become more and more demanding.  Mitch, though, finds the accommodations just to his liking, and it provides him just the right place to make contact with the right individuals who can help him solve the case of the young lieutenant's apparent suicide - or, as Mitch believes it to be - murder!  Plenty of suspects, plenty of motives, and lots of secrets to be uncovered - and when a second body turns up, mirroring the death of the lieutenant, Mitch knows he's on the right track to finding the killer.  An aging star of the stage ... an uptight religious couple ... a young priest ... a has-been artist with a liking for boys ... a thieving young man still in the closet ... and a hostile military and police force who will do anything to keep scandal away from their ranks.  Mitch definitely has to watch his step, while at the same time watching the bountiful and beautiful men of the Mediterranean.

The big reveal is definitely very Agatha Christie-esque and provides a fantastic pay-off for readers that will leave you very satisfied and hoping that Lear will give us more of these mysteries in the future.  If he would just tone down Mitch's sexual escapades, then these would definitely be books for any and all mystery fans to enjoy!

RATING:  6 rocky cliffside paths out of 10 due to the completely unnecessary explicit sex scenes that added nothing to the story and only served to take the reader away from the wonderfully written murder mystery itself!

The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins, Book 5 - The Case of the Secret Tunnel

Everyone's favorite little detective-wannabe is back in her fifth book - The Case of the Secret Tunnel.  And, as with the four prior books, it's another romp of fun and a devilish good mystery that only author Holly Webb can dish out.

Maisie's favorite boarder at her grandmother's boarding house on Albion Street is moving out - Madame Lorimer is getting married and moving away!  That means it's time to find a new boarder, and when Fred Grange, the rather boring employee of the local biscuit company, moves in, Maisie wonders if she will die of boredom.  There is absolutely nothing at all exciting about him - he simply works, eats, and sleeps.  Her best friend Alice gets a new governess, but even she turns out to be thoroughly nice and trustworthy.

What's a detective to do when there's no mystery to solve?  Well, Maisie takes what she can get, so when she finds a grayish-white woolen flannel on the clothes line, where some rather unmentionable women's undergarments should have been, Maisie figures she may as well figure out what's going on.  Particularly when she learns that their neighbor has suffered the same fate - articles of women's clothing taken from the lines, only to be replaced with woolen flannel (only in her case, the flannel was red instead of white).

Of course, anyone who is familiar with mysteries at all knows that even the smallest thing (such as switched laundry) can lead to a bigger mystery - and boy, does this one ever!  Rare art is being stolen throughout London, right under the noses of security guards and police, and no one can figure out how.  They know Charlie Sparrow and his Sparrow Gang are behind the thefts, but they have been unable to capture them.  Maisie wishes she could solve such a crime, but she has no way to involve herself in it, so she sticks with the case of the switched laundry.

Until her trip on the underground train leads her to witness a frail woman stop the train when she nearly faints...

Until she meets the brother of Charlie Sparrow, who works at the train station and who also happens to be a boarder at her neighbor's house...

Until she witnesses Fred Grange not at work during the day and discovers that he knows nothing at all about biscuits - which is very odd, considering he works at a biscuit company...

Maisie Hitchins suddenly finds herself right in the midst of the very criminal investigation she thought she'd never get to be a part of - and ultimately finds herself trapped in the middle of the night in a closed subway station.  Naturally, she doesn't take that sitting down and begins looking for a way out, only to find herself face-to-face with one of the Sparrow Gang who doesn't take to kindly to snoops!

Webb weaves another great mystery, and while those familiar with mystery storytelling will catch on pretty quick to what's going on, this is definitely another twisting tale that will enthrall the young readers.  No sign of the sixth book and beyond listed here in America yet, but the author's website shows there are eight books in the series, so that means there are three left yet to come out here!

RATING:  9 old stone drinking fountains out of 10 for making the mystery intricate, yet not overly difficult, and keeping the characters alive and fun to read.