A Cainsville Novel - Portents (A Collection of Short Stories)

It was absolutely a joy to return to the world of Cainsville and Olivia Taylor-Jones. I truly fell in love with this series by Kelley Armstrong, and was so disappointed when it ended after only five books. But, those five books were so amazing that I could accept the fact that Armstrong was ready to put her characters and world to rest and not try to keep it going with less-than-stellar stories. What I did not realize, however, is there she had written other short stories along the way that expanded upon those characters and that world - until I found the collection of those short stories on Amazon!

Portents opens the door to the past for readers to learn more about some of the side characters - such as Seanna, Rose, Patrick, Bobby,Gabriel, Ricky, and, of course, Liv. Armstrong provides some very interesting looks into the past and provides a bit more insight into why these characters are the way they are in the main series.

"The Screams of Dragons" tells the story of when Rose was just a child, living in Cainsville; however, the main character in this tale is Bobby Sheehan - a very young Bobby Sheehan who is nothing more than a young boy who is having dreams of castles and dragons.  He is friends with Rose and Hannah, both of whom who live in Cainsville, as well as a few of the elders. But he has a vicious grandmother who believes he is a changeling and not her real grandson - and she will do just about anything to prove it, even if it means turning an innocent child into a vicious killer...

"Devil May Care" gives readers the chance to see just how Patrick became the father of Gabriel - - and how the trickster himself was out-tricked by a drug addict after a one-night stand. She is pregnant, and she will use that child as a means to an end to get what she wants. But how far is Patrick willing to go to protect that child from a mother who doesn't want him?

In "Gabriel's Gargoyles," we get to see Gabriel as a young boy on the hunt for the final gargoyle in Cainsville.  It is tradition, and he knows he can do it, despite offers of helps and hints from some of the elders.  But his heart is broken when the authentic Victorian tarot card set he was saving to buy for Rose is bought by someone else just when he has the money for it - does the boy who has learned to lie, cheat, and steal to survive actually have a heart to break when it comes to his great-aunt?

"The Orange Cat" is a fun little story about a cat who cannot die and the man who owns it and can't seem to get rid of it, no matter what he does. The man hires Gabriel to represent him, and Gabriel discovers that not everything in the world is black and white. For some things, there is just no rational explanation.

"Bad Publicity" brings us back to Patrick, who has now been penning book after book under pseudonyms so as to avoid any attention to himself. But a new publicist hired by his publisher is bound and determined to get him into the limelight, and when she tells him he has won an award for his writing and has to make an appearance, he is right to be suspicious, as this award comes with some strings that Patrick doesn't particularly care for...

"Matagot" is probably the most unique and fun tale from this book, as it is the story of Olivia's cat, TC, who just so happens to be one in a long line of matagots - in this case, one who is there to protect and watch over the latest Mallt-y-Nos (a/k/a Matilda n/k/a Olivia). But when TC gets cat-napped and locked in a basement with no chance of escape, how can he possibly fulfill his destiny and protect Olivia from the dangers that abound?

The final short story is nowhere near as short - in fact, it is a novella of sorts, "Lady of the Lake." Broken up into small chapters, the story alternates points-of-view between Ricky and Olivia when they take off on his motorbike for a weekend away from everything and everyone.  Olivia has just had a fight with Gabriel, and the last thing she wants to do is think about him.  So, off Ricky and Olivia head into the unknown on Ricky's bike - but where they end up has a secret ... a baby has disappeared ... and there is a haunted pond with a cave that no one goes near. Some have never come back from it. So, what do you think happens when Ricky and Olivia go swimming and find a water fae? The mystery, the danger, and the secrets all come to a head, and Olivia has no choice but to turn to Gabriel and Patrick to not only find out whether the water fae may have stolen the baby, but also what secret it is hiding within those caves...

Now, there were two more excerpts at the end of the book from two of Armstrong's novellas set in the Cainsville world - however, I'll be honest and admit that I did not read them, as I don't want to read only part of a story (it's the same reason I never read any "previews" that show up at the end of some novels in an attempt to get readers excited about the next book) - if I'm going to read a story, I want the whole thing.  Maybe one day I will get the Lost Souls and/or Rough Justice novellas; but, for now, Portents did a really good job satisfying my need for more Cainsville tales.

RATING:  9 zombie cats out of 10 for fulfilling the fans' need for more Cainsville and providing some great backstories to the characters we have come to love (and hate!).

Nancy Drew Diaries, No. 20 - The Vanishing Statue

I have to give Simon & Schuster credit - they are trying.  While the Nancy Drew, Girl Detective series was what appeared to be a trial-and-error series (constantly trying different things within the series to see what works - first person, clip art covers, trilogies, model covers, forgetful Nancy, recurring characters, etc.), the current Nancy Drew Diaries series seems to have taken the best elements from the NDGD series and started working towards rebuilding Nancy Drew into the inspiring girl detective that she once was.  The stories have been better written (for the most part - as with any series, there are some not-so-good ones), and gradually, the books have become longer and longer, allowing the stories and characters to be more fleshed out.  The titles have been very reminiscent of the original Nancy Drew series, the covers provide painted (albeit digitally) scenes with Nancy, and the mysteries have begun to move away from the "sabotage" trope that seemed to be the plot of every single mystery Nancy has been solving for the past decade.  This latest Nancy Drew Diaries book, while having a couple of things I didn't care for (we'll get to that later...), is definitely one of the better ones in the series, that's for sure!

The Vanishing Statue (gotta love the title!) centers around the art world, which is rather interesting, since the previous book (Hidden Pictures) also featured a mystery involving art (photography instead of paintings and statuary). This time, Nancy and her friends find themselves, along with the rest of River Heights, invited to the mysterious mansion of the reclusive Duchess Strickland.  The Duchess, as she calls herself, has not been seen since her husband died some years ago, and no one has been to her great house since. It is said that the mansion showcased some priceless art, so everyone is excited about the opportunity to finally see it.  This grand showing coincides with River Heights' first annual Art Week and the grand opening of the new avant garde Slay Gallery, which is set to feature some new, up-and-coming artists - among them, the very unusual Sven Svenstein, a teacher's assistant in whom Bess has become enamored and is set to help him with one of his performances.  Only, things don't go exactly as planned. Of course, when do they ever, when Nancy Drew is around?

First, a statue of the goddess Diana is stolen from the Slay Gallery right in the middle of a performance by Duchess Strickland's granddaughter.  Was it one of the performers trying to bring attention to their performance art? Or was it Sven Svenstein, determined to do anything to ensure his performance art gets top billing? Or is there an art thief in River Heights, which would mean the Duchess' big party could be the thief's next target? Nancy smells a bigger mystery here, and she's going to do whatever it takes to solve the case.  The party turns out to be a truly grand event, with not only the residents of River Heights in attendance, but artists and critics from surrounding cities putting in an appearance as well.  Everything seems to be going as planned until Nancy spies one of the performance artists sneaking away into a restricted area of the house. She, of course, follows and is shocked to see the girl destroy a pedestal where the Diana statue previously stood! Then, just as the Duchess is prepared to make her big welcoming speech, the lights go out - and when they come back on, the Duchess is gone and Sven has taken center stage with a strange performance.  There is definitely more here than meets the eye, and Nancy follows a hunch to discover a secret passage and an even bigger Strickland family secret!

Several things I really liked about this book. The author makes reference to two of the previous mysteries - Hidden Pictures and The Clue at Black Creek Farm - and even brings in characters from those mysteries, who make their appearance at the Strickland party. Not only does this create a sense of continuity for the stories (with recurring characters), but it also hearkens back to the days of old, when each Nancy Drew mystery would make reference to the previous book.  It gave me a great sense of nostalgia as I read the story and brought a smile to my face.  The author also gives Hannah a bit of a bigger part in this story, and Nancy (and the reader!) learns a little bit about Hannah's past, which is something that has pretty much remained a mystery all of these years. Sadly, Ned does not play a large role in the book, but what is interesting about him in this story is that he appears to be doing work for Carson Drew - helping Nancy's father research for a big upcoming trial. This made me think of the Ned from the 1970s television show, who also did work for Carson Drew, leaving me to wonder if perhaps the author had seen the show and incorporated that tidbit into his/her story here. Finally, something else I noticed - and I don't know if this was intentional or just pure coincidence - in the first part of the book, there are sentences that conveniently use phrases that happen to be titles to old Nancy Drew books (from the NDGD era) - one instance is where Nancy talks about something disappearance "without a trace" (the title of the first Nancy Drew, Girl Detective book), and another is where Nancy talks about one of the artists having "stage fright" (the title of one of the Super Mysteries during the Girl Detective era; also the title of a Nancy Drew Files book). Maybe it was coincidence, but I like to think that perhaps the ghostwriter here was just trying to throw in a few small Easter eggs for long-time fans of Nancy Drew.

Now, a couple of things that I found surprising, unexpected, and, well, rather unnecessary for the book and for Nancy Drew, in general. I'm sure others may disagree with me on this, but since this is a book for 8 to 12 year olds, I don't necessarily think these things are necessary to the story.  First, I was surprised when I read the following paragraph when Nancy arrived at the Strickland house for the event:

I saw a few familiar faces mixed in among the artier guests. There was Maria the librarian in a smart three-piece suit, the director of the fine arts museum, Eric Hovnanian, with his husband, Carl, in matching plum smoking jackets, Joe Archer from the new arts complex, and even my old high school art teacher, Mr. Covarrubias, with his silver hair tied back in a neat ponytail and his paint-stained fingers scrubbed clean.

There was no big fuss made about it, and no further reference in the book, so I don't think it was any overt attempt to push an agenda; however, this passing reference to a gay couple in a Nancy Drew book did take me by surprise. I can't recall any Nancy Drew book (that I've ever read) having a gay character in it, or one in which a gay couple is specifically stated. I suppose this is a sign of the times we live in. However, this is actually of little consequence when compared to the way the author portrays George in this book.

Let's face it - for many years, people have made comments about George's tomboyish nature, her short hair, her boyish name. People have tried to fit George into some kind of lesbian-mold based upon her characteristics (even though I have known a number of girls / women throughout my life who were tomboys, yet were very straight), and in recent comic book stories, she has been portrayed as being a lesbian. Well, this author, while never coming right out and saying it, definitely portrays George in that manner. Her appearance, her attitude, and her ultimate dressing up in a tux and going as Nancy's date to the Strickland gala leaves little doubt in the reader's mind as to George's sexual orientation. I am not going to go into a lot of detail here (would take up quite a bit of space), but when you read the book, you can judge for yourself as to the direction this author is taking George.

All of that aside, one final thing I do want to mention, and that is the cover for this book. I absolutely love it! Nancy's hair, her outfit, the moody shadows, and - surprise, surprise! - the fact that there are other people on the cover! Up until this point, every cover in the Nancy Drew Diaries series has only featured Nancy. There have been no other people ever depicted on the covers. And while the crowd of party-goers are only the background, and there is still no Bess or George (I REALLY want to see them on a cover or two!!!!), it is nice to know that Nancy's cover world does actually have other people in it.  Don't know if this is a directive from S&S, or if artist Erin McGuire simply chooses to keep the covers focused solely on Nancy, but I do miss seeing Bess and George helping their friend on the covers for the Nancy Drew mysteries.

Overall, this is definitely one of the better mysteries, and I hope S&S keeps the series going in this direction.

RATING:  8 suits of multicolored faux fur out of 10 for moving this series in the right direction with longer stories, more fleshed out characters, and more classic mysteries!

Flash: Crossover Crisis - the YA Novel Book 1 - Green Arrow's Perfect Shot

Ah, yes - this is what I love about the CW shows - the annual crossovers!  And now Barry Lyga brings the fun of those crossovers into book-form with this new Flash trilogy, Crossover Crisis.  I've always been a big, BIG fan of crossovers between comic characters and teams, as well as TV shows - loved it when the Bionic Man and Bionic Woman had crossover stories back in the day ... and later, when characters started crossing over on the soap operas.  And, of course, any time the Justice League and Justice Society had their crossovers (see previous blog post).  So, when the CW shows started their crossovers with Flash spinning out of Arrow, and then Flash showing up on Supergirl, and then the "Invasion" crossover tale - - then "Crisis on Earth X" crossover story - - then the "Elseworlds" crossover that brought Batwoman into the Arrowverse - - and finally, this past year's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" mega-crossover that welcomed the Black Lightning show into the fold.  So, now, Barry Lyga brings that crossover-giddiness into the written realm with "Green Arrow's Perfect Shot."

This three-part story is definitely shaping up to be a big one!  This first book alone opens and closes with the Legends of Tomorrow - - while the main story itself features not only Team Arrow and Team Flash, but the Crime Syndicate of Earth-27 (in the comic world, it was originally Earth-3, and then post-Crisis, Grant Morrison wrote the tale of the CSA coming from Earth-2), as well as Madame Xanadu and the Phantom Stranger!  Those who read the first Flash trilogy might remember Xanadu's appearances throughout those books, as well as the second story featuring Johnny Quick as the main baddie.  The story also features the origin of ... well, I'm not going to say because it is such an unusual character, and definitely one I never really thought could ever make an appearance in a CW-related show or book - but his quirkiness fits so perfectly with this batch of characters and this story, that I can't wait to see where he "pops" up in the next book!  (That's the only hint you're getting....)

Lyga weaves a rather complex story - or, I should rightfully say, stories, since there is quite a bit going on.  The Waverider team of Legends hits a snag in the time-stream, and they get flung far into the future.  Meanwhile, in the present, Star City has a bomber on the loose, destroying abandoned buildings in the Glades area.  Arrow is determined to stop it, but by they time they determine which building has the next bomb, they won't be fast enough to stop it from detonating.  Did he say "fast"? Enter: Flash! He lends Oliver Queen a hand, swiping the bomb and disarming it in the blink of an eye. But that story is far from over...while Felicity works on finding the identity of the bomber, Oliver and his team must head to Central City to help Flash with a problem that has developed there - a large breach has opened up, and literally thousands of speedsters from another Earth are pouring in. Turns out their Earth is being consumed by a creature known as the Anti-Matter Man, and they need to escape. The only problem is, the breach to Earth-1 was created by the other Earth's smartest man - a villain who goes by the name Owlman.  Yup, you guessed! That other Earth was none other than Earth-27, where Barry had given the Trickster of that Earth the speed formula used by Johnny Quick, so they could all have speed to fight the Crime Syndicate.  So, all Team Flash and Team Arrow have to do is close the breach to prevent the Anti-Matter Man from coming into their universe, and, oh yeah, they have to stop the Crime Syndicate, who now have decided they will taking over this Earth!

And if all that was not enough, Madame Xanadu is at STAR Labs in the med-bay, because it seems one of her dopplegangers from another Earth has died (Earth-27), and it is affecting her abilities, since all of her various incarnations across alternate realities are connected.  When Vibe tries to learn from her, he instead gets visions of all of those other realities - including one with dark red skies and black lightning (sound familiar?).  Ultimately, Vibe, Mr. Terrific, Flash, and Arrow come up with a plan to close the breach - however, upon execution, Arrow is thrown several hours into the future, and Vibe and Mr. Terrific?  Well, who knows where they were thrown to....

Like I said, plenty going on in just this first book!  And I absolutely love some of Lyga's in-jokes and Easter eggs for the hardcore fans.  In the last trilogy, Vibe accidentally came in contact with another version of himself - one from an alternate reality where Flash had gone back in time to try and save his mother, thus creating a Flashpoint, that he had to go back and undo, but which had life-altering consequences for many people in that reality - Caitlin Snow was also Killer Frost there ... H.R. Wells sacrificed himself to save Iris West's life ... Vibe's brother Dante was dead ... the gender of Diggles' child changed ... among other things (and if you watched the television show, then you know that is the reality he came in contact with - meaning these books are set in a different reality than the TV show).  In this book, Vibe had decided to call that other reality the "transmultiveral version" - or, yup you guessed it - "TV" for short.  So any time they talk about that reality, they call it the TV universe!  In this reality,

And, of course, there is also references to Robinson University over in Opal City (as in James Robinson, the Starman writer) ... Baron Street in Central City (as in Mike Baron, a Flash comic writer) ... Aparo Tower in Star City (as in Jim Aparo, the Green Arrow comic artist) ... Heck Street in Central City (as in Don Heck, the DC Comics artist) ... Larocque Street in Central City (as in Greg LaRocque, a Flash comic artist) ... Lampert Street in Central City (as in Harry Lampert, the artist who helped create the original Flash) ... and just way so many others, that I can't mention them all or it will totally spoil the fun, but it will keep you smiling through the entire book.

Oh, yes - and the Arrowplane!  The freaking Arrowplane is in this book!  Yes!!!!

Can't wait for the second book in this trilogy, guest-starring Supergirl!  And then the third book - the Legends of Tomorrow!!

RATING:  10 deadly electronic bees out of 10 for ambushing readers with some great storytelling, some surprise characters, and some exciting crossover action!

All Star Comics - Only Legends Live Forever (DC Comics Omnibus Collection)

In June 1980, less than a year after I started collecting comics, I purchased issue 271 of Wonder Woman. As with all of the comics from DC that month, there was the proclamation across the top that read "Now! 8 Extra Pages..." and in this instance, it was "with The Huntress!" I had no idea at the time who this character was, but seeing her blue and purple costume with the blue flowing cape and the pointed mask, I was intrigued. After reading the 17-page Wonder Woman story, I became absolutely captivated with the 8-page tale of this character - the Huntress - the daughter of Batman and Catwoman from a different earth! Say what?! A different earth - this was news to me. But this first 8-page story began my love and fascination and borderline obsession with the original Earth-2 of DC Comics and the Justice Society of America who resided on that earth!

The very next month, in August 1980, I got my first full taste of Earth-2 characters and the Justice Society of America themselves when they appeared in Justice League of America no. 183, the first of the three-part JLA/JSA/New Gods story - my very first (but certainly not my last!) JLA/JSA crossover tale.  Power Girl! Doctor Fate! Huntress! I couldn't get enough.  So, I started asking around (pre-internet days, thank you very much) and eventually found out more about them - how they started in the 1940s during World War II, they were published in a book called All-Star Comics, they disappeared from comics for a decade or more, they re-appeared first in Flash ("Flash of Two Worlds") and then in the first JLA/JSA crossover in 1963.  But what excited me the most is that there was a revival series of All-Star Comics, picking up the numbering with issue 58 (the original series ended with issue 57) and telling new stories from Earth-2 in the late '70s.  Unfortunately, it had been cancelled again before I was collecting comics, but they were not yet that old that I couldn't find them reasonably priced in the back-issue section of local comic shops.  So, I hunted them down, high and low, until I found them all and could read these stories of my now favorite comic books characters - the Justice Society.  I got to read the introduction of Power Girl, and later still, the introduction and origin of the Huntress (who was and still is my all-time favorite character!).  I was sad when the series ended during the DC Implosion with issue 74, but I found the $1.00 issues of Adventure Comics that continued the stories, including the Death of Batman (from Earth-2, of course) and the Man Who Defeated the Justice Society.  I must have read those issues over and over again as a teenager.

Flash-forward to today, because DC finally honored its first super-team with an omnibus of that 1970s' collection of stories (having previously issues the entire run of All-Star Comics nos. 1 through 57 in Archive format).  Well, I couldn't wait to dig into this new omnibus - All-Star Comics: Only Legends Live Forever.  Re-reading all of these stories again was such a beautiful escape from all the craziness going on in the world today. This was a time when continuity was just beginning to really come into focus in comics (the JLA/JSA crossovers happen in-between some of the issues), and while the stories are multi-issue in length, with subplots in some issues laying the ground for stories in future issues, the tales of the JSA were still much, MUCH lighter than the dark-gritty stories in today's comics.  Also, these stories featured some beautiful art by Wally Wood and then Joe Staton and some fantastic writing by Gerry Conway and later Paul Levitz (who co-created the Huntress with Joe Staton).  Each issue, while only 17 or so pages, was jam-packed with story, which is what I love!  It definitely gives you your money worth (unlike the comics of today, which feature too many splash pages and too many 3-panel pages, these issues feature most of the time 5 or more panels of story per page, with splash pages being kept to a minimum for only very important scenes that give the story greater impact for those pages!), and it takes longer than just a couple of minutes to read a whole issue.

What I truly love about these stories is that they have some major battles with fantastic villains (such as Brainwave, the Injustice Society, Vulcan, the Psycho Pirate, the Strike Force, Sportsmaster and the (original) Huntress, and others, but at the same time, there is plenty of room for more personal struggles - such as Star Spangled Kids unease at being brought into the future (he was brought from the 1950s during a JLA/JSA crossover with the Seven Soldiers of Victory), Green Lantern's struggle with keeping a personal life and balancing it with his heroic work, Power Girl's temper and anger at being held back for so long in her cousin Superman's shadow, Hourman's feelings of uselessness, and Wildcat's growing need to get back to his life as Ted Grant.  These were stories of heroes, but they were also stories of the people behind those masks as well.  Conway and Levitz crafted the tales and wrote the characters so that you felt for them - you shared their joy, their tears, their wonder, their determination, and their loss.

Throughout these stories, Dr. Fate's life was in jeopardy - Power Girl's life was in danger - and even Wildcat faced possible death; the "hero-in-danger-of-dying" trope was played a bit too often for such a short run, but it did allow for a rotating use of heroes - while Star Spangled Kid, Power Girl, Flash, Green Lantern, Wildcat, and Hawkman (and later Huntress) played the main cast, Conway and Levitz occasionally brought in Superman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Mid-nite, Hourman, Robin, Starman, and even Batman to help the team in their fight for justice.  There was a passing of the torch from some of the old-times (who headlined the original run of All-Star) to the newcomers, which offered readers their first glance at the ideal that the Justice Society would become a legacy team, passing from one generation to the next (more heavily played upon in the post-Crisis continuity of DC Comics with Geoff John's run on the JSA).

The stories in Adventure Comics were rather hit-or-miss; even with the first two-part story, "Only Legends Live Forever" (used as the subtitle for this collection) having been originally intended for the over-sized issue 75 of All-Star Comics that was never published due to the DC Implosion (when DC cancelled quite a few titles).  The whole death of Batman story felt contrived and had no real lead-up to it in order to make the impact of his death more powerful to the reader.  The follow-up story that revealed how Batman's killer got his supernatural powers was a major letdown with an unknown warlock-wannabe named Fredric Vaux (perhaps an Earth-2 version of Felix Faust??) who was trying to summon a nether god to grant him power.  As the Huntress says when she attacks him, "Then Batman died for no earthly reason...." The story seemed to be nothing more than a way for Levitz to clear up the fact that with Bruce Wayne/Batman dying and his identity becoming public knowledge, people would know who Robin and the Huntress were.

However, the Wildcat tale from Adventure Comics no. 464 and the "countdown to disaster" tale from Adventure Comics no. 465 were both well written stories worthy of the Justice Society.  The final tale, from Adventure Comics no. 466, was very befitting, as Huntress tells Power Girl the story of why the Justice Society disappeared from the scene for so many years when the government demanded they reveal their true identities to be cleared for national security in the early 1950s, and rather than compromise their identities, Dr. Fate simply removed them from the trial, and the members went on with their civilian lives, hiding their heroic sides until their fateful meeting with the Justice League in 1963...

For me, these stories represent some of the best times of comics. While the stories occasionally dealt with death or other topical issues, they were still much lighter in nature (even the colors were brighter!), and there was a heck of a lot more story in each issue.  The heroes were true heroes (unless they were being controlled by someone like Psycho Pirate or Brainwave) and never crossed the line , and they represented the hope of what being a hero truly meant.  For me, this original Earth-2 and its Justice Society will forever be my favorite super hero team, my favorite characters (particularly the Huntress!), and my favorite comic book stories (with the exception of "The Judas Contract" from Wolfman/Perez' The New Teen Titans).  I don't care how many times I read these stories, I still enjoy them just as much each and every time!

These are what comics were meant to be!

RATING:  10 namesake battles out of 10 for reminding me just how good comic books can be (and for giving me another opportunity to read tales of the Justice Society of America!).

Boystown, Season Six

"There's No Place Like Boystown" - that is the tagline at the top of the Boystown series of books, and I can honestly say, it's the truth! Sure, it may be a serialized soap opera in book form ... yes, it focuses on the lives and times of a mostly gay cast of characters ... no doubt it is filled with mystery, intrigue, lies, betrayals, murder, and mayhem ... but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that nothing truly compares to the Boystown series by Jake Biondi!  Not Queer as Folk, not Eastsiders, not Dante's Cove or The Lair, and not the short-lived, two-season Boystown serial - none of them can equal the drama contained in each season of the Boystown novels!

Season Six of Boystown certainly doesn't disappoint in the drama department. This season opens a bit differently - instead of picking up at the moment where Season Five ended, Biondi starts off by introducing readers to a couple of new characters: Cardinal Franco Armani and a young Ethan Anderson, both of whom will soon become intertwined into the lives of our main cast and play very important roles in the stories yet to come.  Armani clearly has a past with Patrick Provenzano, who helped Logan and others with emotional issues; Ethan, meanwhile, works for the Mancini business. Armani's intentions are clear from the get-go; Ethan's importance, on the other hand, doesn't really come into play until the third act of this book's unfolding drama.

Now, for those wondering how those Season Five cliffhangers got resolved - - well, as always, there is plenty of damage. The explosion in the hotel suite leaves one person crippled.  Joyelle Mancini wakes up to find her newborn baby is gone. Hugo finds Jensen holding a bloody knife over Rachel Carson's body in a hotel room. Cole is missing.  Keith gets Michael to a hospital when he can't wake Michael up. Gino and Emmett plunge into the cold waters of Lake Michigan to find Justin and Patrick.  And what happens to Marco. And Jacqueline Morgan sits happily with the baby that isn't hers...

Not everyone survives.

If that isn't enough to whet your appetite and read this six season of Boystown, I don't know what is. Derek is desperate to find Cole, and spends the entire season doing anything he can to find the man he loves.  With the help of Michael, they ultimately locate him, but his kidnapper has other plans - setting fire to the room where Cole is being held captive, and pulling a gun on Derek and Michael. Cole screams for help, hearing two gunshots ring out in the next room...

Joyelle longs to find her missing child. Mateo stands by her side the entire time, but he has his own issues to work out. Hugo leaves town after telling his father than the baby Rachel is carrying is his. And when Rachel dies, Hugo blames Jensen and heads back to Notre Dame and his football career there. Only, not every student is as accepting, and before you know it, Hugo gets beaten so badly, his face is disfigured and he is left in a coma.  Is it too late for Mateo to make amends with his son? And too late for him to reveal to Hugo who his true mother is?

Meanwhile, Jacqueline is unaware that the hotel manager has heard the baby crying, so she reaches out.  Jesse shows up with Michael and some others, only to find Jacqueline on the roof of the hotel, so near the edge. Jesse tries to talk her down, but she won't hear it.  She insists that Lucy is her baby, but everyone knows the child is not hers.  She miscarried her child.  Just as Michael may have convinced her, Max shows up. Upset and confused, Jacqueline turns and falls from the roof, the baby in her arms!

Patrick is found in the lake and he recovers from his gunshot wound; however, in the course of his recovery Emmett finds out that Patrick is a priest, and Cardinal Armani expects him to return to his parish. Emmett is upset that Patrick never told him, but he is unaware that Patrick and the Cardinal have an elicit past, and Armani believes Patrick is his, now and forever.  And when Max gets the chance to reunite with Emmett, he is not going to let Patrick get in his way. A confrontation with Max, Patrick, and the Cardinal turns deadly when Jesse shows up unexpectedly and tries to prevent his father from using the fire iron - but someone gets hit, and when Dustin shows up at the door, he yells out, "You've killed him!"

Michael recovers from the poison that Cole's kidnapper gave him, but not all is well with him and Keith. Keith has been keeping another secret - his sister.  And when Michael finds out, Keith walks away from him, heartbroken that Michael followed him.  Matters turn worse, though, when Michael meets Keith's sister and discovers that Keith has been protecting her all of these years.  Keith was his sister's teacher, showing her how to do all things - including the one thing her parents and doctors would never let her do - drive! But that's okay, she tells Michael, Keith said he would take care of everything after the accident...

The Mancini secret buried under the winery in California seems to be taken care of. But then Camille Ciancio gets pictures of the bones buried in the dirt.  Then someone sends her a bone fragment.  She has it tested and finds that the DNA is definitely a match.  Meanwhile, Justin Mancini has been having nightmares.  He and his brothers as children, playing with a young girl. But then Emmett pushes the girl, and she plunges to her death.  Scared, they bury her body just before the cement is poured for the new winery.  A secret they never thought would come to light is about to ruin everything for the Mancinis....

But that is not all Justin needs to worry about.  Gino rescues Justin from the lake, but he is unable to save his brother, and Marco is found dead.  Gino feels responsible, since he is the one who pulled the trigger on the gun that shot his own brother, but Justin knows if he hadn't, they wouldn't be alive now. They seem to be the only couple in this season that faces very little trouble - until the end, that is, when they are traveling the bridge over Lake Michigan, and an unmarked, black car comes up next to them and starts banging into them, eventually forcing the car over the edge and into the cold waters below...

And finally, there's poor Jensen - all evidence points to him as the murderer of Rachel Carson.  The trial seems to be going well, however, until a surprise witness shows up at the end - Cardinal Franco Armani! He provides a story about how Jensen tried to seduce him, and when that didn't work, he threatened to kill him.  The testimony from a Cardinal seems damning, to the say the least, despite the complete lack of veracity - and the Judge comes back with a guilty verdict!

The most surprising cliffhanger, though - Camille finally gets that elusive Ciancio key that Gino has been holding on to - but when she goes to use it, it doesn't work!  That's because someone has been working behind the scenes, manipulating events all season, to get the ultimate revenge on everyone - Mancini and Ciancio alike!  And here everyone thought this person was dead....

But, with any good soap opera, no one seems to be what you think they are!

Biondi turns out another terrific season, with some over the top characters, some crazy situations, and some life-changing drama.  Biondi even introduces the first transgendered character into the series, and this person has their own agenda - because when they come across some evidence that could help Jensen's case, they don't turn it over to the police or show it to the Court.  No, this person will clearly pay a big part of next season, no doubt.

Again, the only drawback to this series is the graphic sex.  There really is no specific purpose, other than to simply provide explicit erotica.  In fact, the scenes that are more impactful are those where the characters are just starting to get hot and heavy, and the scene switches to other characters, leaving it to the reader's imagination.  The only scenes that might actually have an integral part to the story are the ones with Cole and his kidnapper, as they build into the reason for the kidnapping and exactly how tortured Cole is.  Otherwise, all of the remaining scenes seem very superfluous.

Regardless, I'll be back for Season Seven - I mean, I have to know what happens to these characters!

RATING:  8 new loving puppies out of 10 for drama, suspense, mystery, romance, and mayhem unlike any other!

The Gemini Mysteries No. 1 - The North Star

Children's mystery series. Those three words are a magic combination that will spark my interest any time I see them. So, when I happened across this first book in what was advertised as a new "series" of mysteries, well, it was pretty much a given that I would pick it up and give it a try. The cover art with the four teens and the diamond necklace and old mansion in the background was definitely a draw - but then I saw that not only did the book have internal illustrations (by what appears to be the same artists who did the cover), but that each illustration would hold a clue so that the reader could try to solve the mystery along with the four young detectives - well, that clinched the deal for me!

The North Star is not only the title, but it is the family heirloom that is the central part of this mystery. Sophia Boyd is the daughter of two philanthropists, and her family is hosting a huge fundraising benefit to raise money to help the gibbons (which are a species of small apes found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia) at Sophia's request. She is even willing to have her grandmother's prized family heirloom, the necklace known as the "North Star," auctioned off to help raise funds.  But on the preview night to show-off the sparkling jewel, the necklace disappears - someone at the party has stolen the North Star!

At the same time, twins Zach and Evie Mamuya and their friend, Vishal Desai, are heading home after a fun-filled day of go-karting. Their trip gets side-tracked, however, when Mrs. Mamuya hears of a robbery over her police scanner, and being the good investigative reporter that she is, she heads to the location to get the scoop. She tells the young pre-teens to stay back, but, of course, they don't listen. They decide to take a look at this huge estate, wondering if the back yard has its own tennis court. Instead of a tennis court, though, they discover a small, heavy disk that looks like a hockey puck. Vishal pockets it.

And then they get spotted by Sophia, who wants to know what they are doing in the back yard of her house right after her family's heirloom necklace was stolen...

So begins the first case of what will come to be the Gemini Detective Agency - four young pre-teens who just finished sixth grade and are looking for a mystery to solve. Well, three of them are, anyway. Sophia, who is a bit privileged and entitled, joins forces with the other three begrudgingly in order to find the stolen necklace, but along the way, she learns not only a bit of humility, but she learns what it is like for people who are not born with the silver spoon in their mouth. Author Kat Shepherd provides a unique group of crime solvers - four kids who are from various backgrounds, different skill-sets and temperaments, and socioeconomic statuses, and yet they eventually meld together perfectly to compliment one another's strengths in order to solve a crime that even has the police stumped!  (I do have to say that the over-emphasis in the story on how privileged Sophia is as a while person over the "less-fortunate" Zach, Evie, and Vishal, who are all people of color and would be considered minorities in today's climate, feels a bit forced and even a bit political in nature - while I can appreciate the point the author is trying to show, not nearly as many while children are as privileged as Sophia is in this story, nor are all children of color as under privileged as Zach, evie, and Vishal - in fact, none of those three in this mystery feel under privileged at all - their lives read very much like my childhood - normal, lower middle-class status.  Nevertheless, I hope that young readers who do read this book will take away from it the fact that all people are the same, regardless of color, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or anything else that might label or separate us, and we should treat each other with respect regardless of any of those perceived differences.)

All of that aside, the mystery itself was a lot of fun. There are plenty of suspects, lots of red herrings, and tons of clues.  Following along with the Gemini kids as they try to figure out who stole the necklace is quite the adventure - and what makes it even more fun is the fact that each chapter ends with an illustration that holds a clue to move you on to the next chapter!  It kind of reminds me of those Zebra Mystery Puzzler books from back in the early '80s, where the mysteries had illustrations inside that could potentially hold clues to the identity of the murderer.  In this case, each illustration has a clue (or two) that will help open the door to the next chapter and keep the kids on track to finding the necklace and the thief.  As an adult, the clues are pretty obvious (trust me - they aren't hard to spot at all!), but for young readers, I can imagine they aren't quite as obvious and will challenge the readers to study the picture before moving on to the next chapter.  Definitely adds some fun to the reading experience!

Overall, the book was a good read, and I would recommend it.  The second book is already solicited on Amazon, so I guess we will wait and see if it can sustain the same reading enjoyment level as this one.

RATING:  8 expensive gold wristwatches out of 10 for a new kind of reading experience with a wholly new group of young sleuths!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 3.2 - One Mile Down

Each and every chance I get to see/hear/read a new story with Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion, I'm going to be there! I love me some Donna Noble, and it's a shame that actress Catherine Tate only stayed with the show for the one season. I am happy, however, that she has come back twice now to do audio stories with David Tennant, and that there are even some upcoming stories of Donna on her own (I'm assuming those will be set in the time period before she found the Doctor again in that fourth season opening episode, "Partners in Crime"). While the first of these new audio stories was not exactly the best, this second one more than made up for it.

"One Mile Down" finds the Doctor taking Donna to the underwater city of Vallarasee.This is supposed to be a pleasant little vacation, but, as usual, anything with the Doctor involved is anything but. There is something strange going on in Vallarassee. The entire city has been sealed off, and the natural citizens are forced to wear helmets to allow them to breathe so that all of the above-world dwellers can see the wonderful sites of this city. At the same time, there are quite a number of Judoon patrolling the streets, which is unusual where there is no criminal activity. The Doctor is suspicious, but Donna joins right along with the other tourists to see the historic sites and enjoy the tours offered by the native Fins.

But cracks are forming in the protective shell that keeps the city safe from all of the water surrounding it. And the city officials are pretending there is nothing wrong. Anyone who says otherwise is thrown in prison as a dissenter. And when a portion of the shell breaks, allowing water to come rushing in, nearly drowning a number of tourists, the Doctor and Donna are off to save the day!

Catherine Tate really shines in this audio drama as Donna, with her typical sarcasm, her strong-willed, headstrong personality, and her no-nonsense attitude that isn't afraid to question anything or anyone that doesn't seem right. David Tennant is his jovial self as the Doctor, with his willingness to help those in need, but at the same time, his unwillingness to allow anyone to endanger the life of others simply for profit and self-gain.  This story is a perfect example of why the Doctor-Donna team was such a perfect pairing, and I'm truly thankful that Big Finish continues to provide us with more stories of these two - that one season on TV was simply not enough.

The production of this audio is much better than the last - the music is not quite so overpowering, and the dialogue is much easier to hear and understand.  The characters are clearly differentiated and easily identified when they are speaking, and the action sequences are powerfully performed. I am a bit disappointed that the Judoon spoke in regular dialogue rather than their standard "No To Fro To Po Lo" language. Of course, with the TARDIS translation thing in effect, I guess Donna would understand them...

Which brings the one continuity problem - if Donna met the Judoon in this story, which clearly takes place before her final two-part episode in the fourth season of the television show, then why did she not recognize them when she and the Doctor went to the Shadow Proclamation, and why did she hear them talk in their native language, rather than translated by the TARDIS? Ah, the whole suspension of disbelief thing comes into play here, I suppose.  Regardless, this was a great story and gives me high hopes for the third audio drama in this set.

RATING:  8 junior Judoons-in-training out of 10 for keeping with the style, form, and characterization of the Russel T. Davies' Doctor/Donna relationship and using it to tell a great story!