Tom Swift Inventors' Academy, Book 3 - Restricted Access

It's funny - growing up, I never really enjoyed any of the so-called "boys' series" - Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Ken Holt, Rick Brant - for me, these stories were more about adventure and less about mystery, and for me, it was all about the mystery that attracted me to series books.  As an adult, I'm still not much of a fan of the older boys' series (although I find the Ken Holt series rather humorous for reasons I won't go into here...); however, I do find that some of the newer series, such as the Hardy Boys Adventures, are rather well-written and enjoyable.  This latest incarnation of Tom Swift is one I'm finding rather enjoyable also, and the third volume is a perfect example of why.

Restricted Access is the story of what happens when you take a group of seventh graders and do a "lock-in" in a top-notch, highly-sophisticated tech lab such as Swift Enterprises. I give the author credit on this one - a good hi-tech mystery of who causes the lockdown at Swift Enterprises, why did they do it, and how will they get away with it?  Throw in some Poseidon Adventure antics, as well as some Die Hard moments, and it definitely gets the reader's attention and keeps them turning page after page!

An interesting side-story in this mystery is the reporter who is trying so hard to follow Tom around as a part of a piece he is doing on his father's school - only, Tom does not want to be interviewed, so he does everything he can to avoid the man (who happens to be an old college friend of Swift, Sr.).  This ultimately leads to an unexpected turn of events - The reporter's son, Rowan, becomes Tom's shadow, with a small camera and microphone in his shirt to record everything, and joins Tom and the rest of the seventh grade on their lock-in at Swift Enteprises!

Now, this may sound somewhat contrived, but little Rowan is rambunctious and keeps disappearing on Tom.  Plus, it adds to the list of suspects, when Tom begins to wonder if Rowan was a plant by his father, who is using him to get the inside scoop of Swift Enterprises?  Add to the fact that Rowan's smaller stature allows him to get into places (such as air ducts) much easier than the older children, and suddenly there's the potential for a fifth member to the Formidable Foursome (yes, Tom's friends Noah, Amy, and Sam are all back for this adventure).

Not gonna lie here - for more experienced readers, the culprit in this book is obvious from the beginning and very easy to spot.  You may not know how or why he is doing what he does, but there's no doubt who it is.  That being said, once the lockdown happens, it is fun following Tom and Rowan through the air ducts, then with Sam, climbing up the elevator shaft, then with Noah, working their way through the maintenance halls hidden behind the regular halls, and finally, with Amy, as they all race to stop the intruder from stealing Swift Enterprise secrets!

With only 135 pages of story and a bit larger font, the story races pretty quickly without a lot of character build up, and that is the only real thing lacking in this series.  I wish Simon & Schuster would realize that allowing the writers to flesh out the stories and the characters would make for even better tales and would likely increase their readership (and sales!).  Yes, through the action in each story, we learn a bit about each character, but the supporting characters get virtually no characterization other than just their name and purpose for being in the book.  I'd love to learn more about Tom Swift, Sr. ... about Tom's mother who passed away ... would have loved to have gotten some more background and information on Mr. Kavner (the reporter).

But, for what it is, the plot and story were good, and I did rather enjoy it, moreso than the last one, and perhaps as the series continues, the characterization will improve and the stories will start to increase in page count and details.

RATING:  8 tiny gray Chihuahuas out of 10 for finding new ways to use technology to create a good little mystery.

The Case of the Missing Marquess - an Enola Holmes Mystery Graphic Novel

In the early 2000s, I picked up a new mystery series for young readers about Enola Holmes - the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes.  Written by Nancy Springer, this six-book series followed the adventures of young Enola (whose name spelled backwards is "alone," a play on the fact that Enola spends most of the series alone, on her own, trying to find her missing mother).  The series was exceptionally written, with each mystery involving a missing person that Enola must find - all the while, working overtime to avoid discovery by her two overprotective brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, who want to send her away to a finishing school to become a "proper" young lady.

Once the series ended, I never really gave it more than a passing thought now and then - but recently, IDW comics solicited hardcover graphic novel adaptations of the books. Remembering with fondness the stories I read, I decided to buy them.  Turns out, they are not just adaptations, but they are actually translations as well, since the graphic novels originated in France by writer/artist Serena Blasco.  The art not your typical comic line-art drawings, but rather, what appears to be water-colored paintings, which each panel/page beautifully rendered, with vibrant colors that jump right off the page.  The story flows beautifully from one panel to the next, and from one page to the next - however, as can be expected when you take a full length novel and condense it into a graphic novel with only 56 pages of story and art, it has to be fast-paced, and some elements have to be left out.

The Case of the Missing Marquess, the first book in the series, opens with young Enola getting ready to celebrate her fourteenth birthday - the only problem is, her mother never returns from roaming the countryside, where she goes every day to paint. No explanation, no reason - she simply never returns home, leaving a poor, young Enola truly alone (well, she does have the butler and cook there, but, really, what can they expected to do for a fourteen-year old girl?).  After an unfruitful search, she does the only thing she knows to do - she notifies her brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft.  Only, instead of locating her mother, they decide the best thing to do is to ship their young sister off to a finishing school.  Well, Enola is not having that!

Springer (and Blasco) bring to life a vibrant, young, budding detective who discovers clues that her mother left behind - clues that lead her to quite a bit of money and the logical conclusion that Enola should not have to live and conform to other's expectations - she should be able to live the life of her choosing.  And that she does!  She carefully plots and before she can be sent away, she runs away and heads for London. The idea of living right there under her own brother's nose, yet in full disguise so as to not be recognized, is absolutely perfect.

Until she stumbles across a mystery.  A young marquess has gone missing, and his mother is going frantic with worry.  A so-called psychic believes she can located the young boy, but very quickly, Enola realizes what has happened and informs the local constabulary of where they can find the boy.  And she's right - except, when they get there, the boy is gone.  And so is Enola!  They have both fallen captive to a nefarious, money-hungry criminal who sees the two captives as a means to an easy fortune.  But they don't know Enola!

Yes, there are some definite elements omitted from the graphic novel that play out in the book - particularly with regards to Enola's search for her mother and the cryptic clues involving flowers and their various meanings.  But Blasco manages to capture the charm and essence of Enola Holmes, and the stunning visuals draw the reader into her world with such ease, that even those who are familiar with the books will enjoy the story once again!

One added bonus at the end of the graphic novel is a 6-page excerpt from "Enola's Secret Journal," which provides readers with the various flowers and their meanings, as well as "sketches" that Enola has drawn in her notebook throughout the story - adding further flavor to the book and making it all that more "real" to the reader.  I'm hoping each of the graphic novels has excepts like this.

RATING:  8 overly tight corsets out of 10 for reviving this wonderful series in such a great way!

Blackwater, Part II: The Levee

Time to delve back into the world of Perdido, Alabama and the Caskey family with the second book in the Blackwater series. Author Michael McDowell continues the drama (and slow torture) of the Caskey family as the small town decides to move forward with the building of the levee, to help prevent there from being another flood like the one that devastated the town in the first book (and from which the first book garnered its name). Now, in The Levee, the town sees the construction of the one thing they think will protect them from another flood, totally unaware that within the Caskey family, there are much greater dangers that are building to a boiling point...

The Levee sees the war between Mary-Love Caskey and her daugher-in-law, Elinor, reach new levels, as each seeks greater control over their loved ones. This second part of the saga spans a number of years, and it certainly reveals more into the character of each of the Caskeys and their supporting cast.  Like the first book, it definitely reads like a Southern soap opera, with Mary-Love desperately trying to keep control over her family, working doubly hard to punish Elinor for intruding into her family and seemingly taking her perceived power away; Sister deciding that she does not want to be left behind, always under the thumb of her mother; Oscar trying to make sense of everything and keep the peace, all the while unaware that even he is being manipulated by his wife into asserting himself and taking some of that power away from his mother and uncle; and good, old Elinor, who sits calmly on the porch of her house (still technically owned by her mother-in-law), pulling the strings of everyone around her without them even realizing it...

It's nice to see Sister finally stand up for herself, and when she decides that she wants to get married and out from under her mother, she chooses the easiest option available - Early Haskew, the engineer that Mary-Love brings to town and insists live with her and her daughter while he is designing and overseeing the building of the new levee that will protect the town of Perdido from future floods (a levee that Mary-Love knows Elinor does not want, and a man that Mary-Love knows Elinor despises).  But, instead of just using her womanly wiles, Sister's actions to get her husband remind readers that this is not just a soap opera - it is a supernatural tale of horror. Sister has the family's cook engage in a rather odd, almost voodoo-like ceremony to ensure that Early will fall in love with her and ask her to marry him (which he eventually does, and, in true soap fashion, they wait until the family Christmas dinner to spring the surprise announcement on everyone!).

Oh, and speaking of family, James Caskey's past comes back to haunt the family in the form of his rather rotund and anything-but-upper-class sister-in-law shows up with her two rowdy children in tow and connives her way into having James support her and her children.  Mary-Love is appalled and blames James from bringing them into their lives by marrying Genevieve (who readers may recall died rather nastily in the last book...).  Queenie (the sister-in-law - gotta love these character names) quickly makes friends with Elinor, sensing the tension between Mary-Love and the other woman.

And, of course, one cannot forget Elinor.  The family may not know it, but readers are fully aware that this woman is not at all what she appears to be.  And this second book definitely proves that with the birth of Elinor's second child.  Poor Zadie (the young black girl who helps maintain Elinor's house) is witness to a horrific baptizing of the child in the Perdido River, and later, one of the characters in the book is sacrificed in the most horrific way in order for Elinor to preserve her control over everything that happens with the rivers and the levee.  In fact, Elinor's true nature can be summed up with the statement she makes at the end of the second chapter in this book:

"But Zadie, when I am dead--whether there's a levee here or not--this town and everybody in it will be washed off the face of the earth..."

McDowell increases the tension in this book, almost to a point where the reader can actually feel it as he or she reads the words on the page.  While there is the subtle terror that permeates the tale as a whole, the scenes of graphic horror in this book are a clear reminder of just what type of story this is, and likely acts as a precursor to the more horrifying days ahead for the Caskeys and the people of Perdido...

RATING:  9 small closets of fear out of 10 for building the terror, upping the tension, and weaving the nasty little web that will lead to the ultimate climax of this six-book story!

Cape - Book One of the League of Secret Heroes series

I had debated about picking this book up when I saw it in Barnes & Noble - but when I saw it in Walmart for considerably less than cover price, I thought, "Why not?" I mean, after all, it is the first book in a new series; it is about superheroes who happen to be female; and it offers pages of story scattered throughout the book in comic book format - so what's not to love about it? Granted, I have never heard of the author, Kate Hannigan, so I am not familiar at all with her writing, but with so many positive things going for it, I figured I would at least find something to like about it.  And boy, did I ever!

Cape, the first book in the new League of Secret Heroes series, is the story of Josie O'Malley (and yes, she's Irish), a young girl in the heart of America in the middle of World War II.  Her father has gone off to fight in the war, and her mother works a second job helping to build war ships.  Josie's cousin is also involved in the war effort, so Josie is determined she is going to do something to help fight the good fight as well!  It doesn't matter that she is still in middle school - she is an expert puzzler and can figure out just about any code, so she and her friend Emmett skip school to answer an ad in the paper that is searching for decoders and puzzlers.  Jose is so excited, and she is so sure of herself, that she is actually the first person to finish the test!  But then she notices something odd - the man giving the text places all of the boys' tests in one pile, all of the girls' tests in the other; and when the last person finishes, he discreetly pushes the girls' tests into the trash!  The man even has the gall to ask Josie about her friend Emmett - but Josie knows something is up and refuses to give him the information he is looking for.

And while Josie and her two newfound friends (Mae and Akiko) are discussing the matter with the mysterious Mrs. Boudica, all hell breaks loose in the hall.  It tuns out the man giving the test was actually a supervillain, and one of the few superheroes left is trying to stop him - when he is suddenly vaporized and the villain escapes!  All that remain are the hero's cape, mask, and boots.  The girls pick them up and feel an odd sensation.  And soon enough, they discover there is a reason that the mysterious Mrs. Boudica singled the trio out - they discover that they have superpowers, and with great effort, they transform into violet, emerald, and orange clad heroes who can fly and fight crime!

But, remember, these are kids in the 1940s!  While they love their comic books and they are fascinated by the heroes who haven't been seen in years, they don't know the first thing about super powers or how to use them to defeat a villainous criminal who can turn into a huge snake.  Hannigan plays this for real - these kids are not sure of themselves, but they have their own squabbles and their own family dramas - plus, in the era they live in, Hannigan doesn't hold back from the discrimination that both Mae (being Black) and Akiko (being Japanese-American) faced at that time.  And, as can be expected with middle-school children, there are also bullies their own age to deal with.  Plus, throw in some German spies, some uncertain allies, and a double-agent as well, and there is no doubt that you'll get a great read.

What is surprising, and I did not realize until I reached the end and read the Author's Note - some of the supporting characters in the story are based on actual people from World War II, and the secret computer being worked on by Josie's cousin and her associates was a real-life project!  I've always said that mixing in some real facts and true stories in with the fictional tales of a good book can only increase its readability and enjoyment.  Hannigan does a flawless job mixing the real with fiction, and it definitely makes for a fun-filled, adventurous, exciting story!  (And having asthma myself, I can certainly identify with Akiko, who struggles with her allergies and breathing issues.)

 The League of Secret Heroes is not to be missed, and I am hoping it will be more than just a three-book series (as most seem to be on today's market...)

RATING:  10 secret messages made with milk out of 10 for introducing a new group of super heroes into the world that are fun to read!

Short Lived Comic Series #15 - Vengeance Squad (Charlton Comics)

As a kid, I remember seeing Charlton comics on the bottom shelf of the magazine racks at convenient stores, but I never paid them much attention.  To me, they seemed like nothing more than cheap rip-offs of DC and Marvel, and they were basically the "poor man" comics (just like I always viewed Trixie Belden books in my youth as being "poor man" knock-offs of Nancy Drew).  Thus, I never picked any up or read them growing up.  Flash-forward to the present, and as comics have become more focused on flashy splash pages and are more focused on art and less on story, I have found myself searching for older comics from the 60s, 70s, and 80s to fill my desire for good comic reads.  I managed to get Charlton's Bionic Woman run a few years back, and it was actually not too bad.  This made me wonder if some of Charlton's other books might be good.  I remember enjoying E-Man during its First Comics run, so I tracked down the Charlton issues of that series and enjoyed them as well.  Thus, when I came across the entire run of Vengeance Squad at a convention a year or so ago, I figured I'd give it a chance.  Having finally pulled them out and read them, I can say I'm glad I did!

Vengeance Squad is a sort-of vigilante-style book about three friends who have learned that the only way to get true justice is by stepping outside the boundaries set by the law - Eric Redd, a treasury agent who was framed and put into a federal prison by the very man he was investigating; Candy Orr, a former police officer who learned that good does not always win when you follow the letter of the law; and Tulsa Coyle, an ex-military man who served in Vietnam, only to return and find that his proclivity for violence is best served by tracking down true villains.  The three form a team to help rid the world of criminals that the justice system can't seem to touch.

The series was created by writer Joe Gill and artist Frank Bolle (who stayed on the title for only one issue - starting with the second issue, the art chores were taken over by Pete Morisi (who was identified in the book solely as "PAM," which I can assume are his initials).  Unlike modern comics, where an origin story would be spread out over 6 to 12 issues, Joe and Frank basically introduce readers to the team on the very first page - from there, it's all action and story!  Each of the issues in this six-issue run is a self-contained story, and within each issue's 13 to 16 pages, Gill and Bolle/Morisi manage to pack in a heck of a lot of story!

In the first issue, the team must help rescue their neighbor in the Palisades who finds himself at the mercy of a criminal mastermind intent on taking his fortune.  Of course, Redd, Orr, and Coyle sneak their way onto the estate and save their neighbors from certain death.  The second issue finds the team working overtime to save the daughter of a mob informant, whose life is being threatened to keep the informant from testifying.  The third issue gets a little personal, as Orr returns home, only to find that her small hometown has been taken over by a villainous man known as the "Octopus." When her parents are threatened, she calls in Redd and Coyle to help her end the terror.  In the fourth issue, the story borders on science fiction, as a mysterious Princess Alexa, who never seems to age, invites the team to her island - only to reveal that Orr will be a part of an experiment that will prolong the princess's life!  The fifth issue has the team chasing after a hooded crime lord, whose identity is a mystery, and they travel around the globe chasing after this hooded criminal - and when he takes Orr captive, Redd and Coyle throw caution to the wind to rescue her!  In the sixth and final issue of the series, the team is called out to the island of the "Diamond Queen" to help protect the wealthy guests at a posh party - but when it turns out the staff are working for the criminals intent on robbing these rich society men and women, Redd and his team play along until they can turn the tables on the crooks and take back the fortune that the villains stole.

The stories are not complicated, and honestly, there are no major subplots that are threaded from issue to the next (with the minor exception of Orr's apparent interest in Redd, which goes unrequited). But the tales are fast-paced and fun, and they make for enjoyable reading.  You may be wondering, though, why the page count for the stories are less than the standard comic of the time?  Well, that would be because each issue has a 6 to 8 page back-up story starring none other than ... Michael Mauser, Private Eye!  Yes, it's the same Michael Mauser that first appeared in E-Man, and the stories are written and drawn by Nicola Cuti and Joe Staton, the character's creators.  And while those back-up tales may be short, they are gritty and goofy, in typical Cuti/Staton style, and inevitably, each story ends with a bit of irony.

But, wait!  That's not all!  In addition to the lead feature starring the title characters and the back-up tales featuring the diminutive detective, each issue also has a 1 to 2 page prose story.  These prose stories sometimes feature a character from the Vengeance Squad, or even Mauser, while others feature characters wholly unrelated to the other two features.  I'll be honest - I didn't take the time to read these (and I may do so at a later date) - I figured, I enjoyed the main stories and the back-up features well enough, that I'd save the prose tales for another day.

Running from mid-1975 to mid-1976 (Vengeance Squad was a bi-monthly title, published every other month), this series, as with most Charlton comics, does not have the best reviews online.  However, I would have to disagree with those findings, as I thought the series was actually pretty good.  In a few ways, it reminded me of the '70s television show, The Mod Squad - three outcasts of sorts (one woman, two men) who work outside of the law to mete justice.

For fans of '70s and '80s comics, I would definitely recommend this series.  It's not superheroes, it's not flashy, and it's not steeped in decades of continuity - it's simply some good, fun stories that make for great reading!

RATING:  9 grenades thrown in a safe out of 10 for good, clean comic fun with more than enough story to make the price worthwhile!

A Blake Harte Mystery, Book 6 - Flatline

It's another impossible mystery for our intrepid sleuth, Blake Harte, to solve in this sixth installment of Robert Innes' mystery series.  Detective Sergeant Blake Harte has become one of my favorite sleuths, and Innes' has without a doubt become my definitely favorite author of gay mysteries for three simple facts:  (1) his mysteries are unique and mind-boggling at times, with impossible situations that keep the reader guessing the whole time; (2) the characters are very real and the reader can easily identify with them; and (3) Innes does not need explicit sex scenes to sell his stories - they are so well-written and engaging, they stand on their own!

Flatline finds Harte in the hospital to have his appendix removed. The poor guy is not only frustrated at being stuck in the hospital while his professional rival, Detective Sergeant Michael Gardiner, takes over his case load, but just before he collapsed in pain at home, he had been having quite the fight with Harrison (the love of his life) about the amount of time Harte has been spending at work.  Of course, there is that pesky little unsolved case of the woman who died the previous year, a victim of a hit-and-run.  Plus, Harte is convinced that Harrison knew what he was getting into when he moved in with him and began a relationship with him.  And he is convinced that Gardiner cannot possibly do as good a job as him.  So, to say he is a problem patient is putting it mildly.

Of course, Nurse Kelsey Richards has other things on her mind than Harte's obstinance. She and her boyfriend, Dr. Joe Tilsley, have a dark secret - one they have kept for exactly one year now. But as the anniversary of that secret arrives, so do the phone calls. And the text messages. And the videos. Someone knows their secret. Someone saw what they did and is out to extract justice once and for all. "The Watcher," as he calls himself (or she, they really can't tell), is watching them.  And that's when Dr. Tilsley turns up dead!

Now, remember, this is a Blake Harte mystery, so you know that death is going to be anything bur ordinary. Oh, no - Dr. Tilsley is found dead when the elevators door open. No gun, no knife, no wounds whatsoever. There is, however, traces of water around his mouth and nose (no water or dampness anywhere in the elevator, though). It turns out he died by drowning.  In a closed elevator with no one else in there with him?!?! Yes, this definitely looks like a case for the master puzzle-solver, D.S. Blake Harte. The only problem is, he is confined to the hospital bed following surgery to remove his appendix!  (Anyone who knows Harte, though, knows a little appendicitis isn't going to stop him from solving this case!)

Author Robert Innes provides yet another mind-boggling murder mystery with a seemingly impossible murder - it makes you wonder just what kind of research and planning Innes does in order to come up with these impossible crimes!  Innes provides some truly wonderful character development for the cast in this books - Harte, Gardiner, Harrison - they all learn some things about themselves and the people around them, and it truly makes the reader feel like they are a part of the family as you watch the characters develop more and more with each book.  And as for the mystery itself - it is definitely a doozy!  While it might not be overly difficult to figure out how he was murdered, it is the "whodunnit" that is the real puzzler this time.  Plenty of suspects, plenty of opportunity, and just when you think Harte has the murderer in his grasp, Innes throws in an unexpected twist that will definitely surprise you!

The Blake Harte mysteries is an ongoing soap opera of the lives of Harte, his partner, his friends, his co-workers, and the citizens of Harmschapel - the stories are engaging, the murders are unique, and the mysteries are creative.  This may very well be one of the absolute best murder mystery series on the market today, and I look forward to reading each and every one!

RATING:  10 surgical caps and masks out of 10 for keeping me on my toes until the very end trying to solve this one!

Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 21 - A Treacherous Tide

The Hardy Boys come to Florida! Nancy Drew has already visited the Florida Keys three times before - the first two times in the original series: The Clue of the Black Keys and Mystery of Crocodile Island (thanks Jim, for reminding me of this one!), and later in the Girl Detective series, The Orchid Thief.  Now, Frank and Joe Hardy finally make their way down to the Florida Keys in this latest book in the Hardy Boys Adventures series.

A Treacherous Tide finds Frank and Joe joining a research group to study sharks in the area, particularly Tiger Sharks.  Under the tutelage of marine biologist Dr. E. Ella Edwards (or "EEE" as she is affectionately called), the boys plan to learn all about how sharks help the eco-system, and that the killing of sharks places the entire ocean eco-system in danger.  But, of course, there is more going on at Lookout Key than just research.

(Side note - there is no such place as Lookout Key; however, there is a rental home know as "The Lookout" on Siesta Key - whether that is where the ghostwriter of this mystery got the name for his or her Key, or if that is just a pure coincidence, is unknown)

Anyway, while the Hardy brothers are not in the Keys to solve a mystery, as usually happens, a mystery falls right into their lap.  Dr. Edwards goes off to check on some baby sharks when a thick fog rolls in just as a storm hits.  Someone screams shark, and a huge fin in seen in the water, not far from where Dr. Edwards was just paddling out into the water!  Moments later, there is a horrific scream, and everyone assumes the worst - Dr. Edwards was attacked by the very creature she was determined to save.  Everything is not necessarily as it seems, as the Hardys soon discover.

The town is currently in a debate over whether to allow a developer to build a huge new resort.  Yes, the resort would bring in tourists and add much needed financial support to the struggling businesses in the area; at the same time, where the resort is planning to build would destroy the preserve where Dr. Edwards is protecting some baby sharks.  Coincidentally enough, Dr. Edwards disappears the night before the city council is to vote on whether to allow the developer to build.  Meanwhile, the mayor is worried about losing the upcoming election, so he will do whatever it takes to keep people voting for him - even if that means offering a huge reward for anyone who kills any sharks in the area that may have killed Dr. Edwards!

Frank and Joe are unsure if Dr. Edwards is truly dead, but then her paddleboard turns up on the beach with a huge chunk taken out of it.  The Hardys smell something fishy, and it isn't the sharks.  They start digging deeper into everything and everyone and soon discover that nothing is what it seems!  The fin in the water was a fake, the mayor is being blackmailed, and the paddleboard bears an uncanny resemblance to the one owned by the former owner of Chuck's Shuck Shack.   Frank and Joe find themselves sent out into the ocean on a houseboat without a motor or an anchor, they face down a villain with a harpoon gun in an abandoned lighthouse, and nearly plunge to their own deaths from a faulty staircase that is coming loose from the lighthouse walls!

While there are not too many dangerous situations the boys face in this mystery, the plot itself is actually pretty interesting.  It involves kidnapping, blackmail, fraud, and so many other criminal acts, while at the same time addressing the very real need of protecting ocean wildlife from becoming extinct at the hands of poachers and human misunderstanding about sharks themselves.  The author provides a number of verified facts about sharks and their natures, and while it comes across a bit much at the beginning, it gradually evens out and the story itself takes over.  I do like the fact that the books lately have referenced previous mysteries - not necessarily by name like in the "olden days," but by description of the mystery itself.  It provides a bit of continuity to the series, while at the same time gives a nice nod to the Hardy Boys series of yester-year.

Interestingly enough, the next book also features a cover with the boys on turbulent waters, but instead of paddle boats, they are in an actual boat (with a third person on the cover!). I had originally wondered if the two stories might be connected, but after reading this one and looking at the description for the next one, there is no relation between the two.  Just a coincidence....

RATING:  8 baskets of shrimp poppers and whale fries out of 10 for bringing the boys to Florida for an eco-mystery filled with plenty of villains!

Ms. Tree - One Mean Mother (The First Ms. Tree Graphic Novel)

I first "met" Ms. Tree in 1982 while browsing comics at The Great Escape, the only comic store in Louisville, Kentucky of which I was aware as a 13-year old budding comic fan. Already a fan of female detectives (having grown up on Nancy Drew), and having an insatiable appetite for new comics, particularly the direct-market comics that I had only recently discovered, I could not pass up this amazing new title that showed a dark-haired women in a blue trenchcoat getting shot at.  From the very first page, I was hooked.  Absolutely LOVED Terry Beatty's art style, and for odd reasons I can't explain, I loved the lettering in the book - done exactly like a typewriter rather than the standard lettering by hand that all other comics used.  It gave the book a very hard case, gritty feel to it, and it definitely worked.  (Sadly, that lettering changed after the first few issues, and it joined the rest of the comic world with regular hand lettering.)  I was unaware that there had been a previous story serialized in the magazine, Eclipse Comics, and I later tracked those issues down.

Anyway, Ms. Tree always stuck with me, and I with her, from her transition from Eclipse Comics (her original publisher) to Aardvark-Vanaheim, and later to Renegade Press.  When Renegade cancelled the series with issue 50, I was disheartened, but later thrilled when I learned that DC Comics was picking up the series as a quarterly title with more pages!  Unfortunately, that only lasted 10 issues, and in 1993, Ms. Tree appeared to have left the world forever...

In 2007, her creator Max Allan Collins brought Ms. Tree back with a novelized version of Ms. Tree's first story (although it is not an exactly copy of the comic story) under the Hard Case Crime label of books. I'm not sure how well that did, but no further novels were published, so I'm guessing it did not do so well.

Flash-forward to 2019, and Titan Comics, which publishes a number of creator-owned works, as well as licensed products such as Doctor Who, Tank Girl, and others, finally picked up the mantel and published the first collection of Ms. Tree stories in comic form in over 25 years!  Interestingly enough, rather than start at the beginning with the Eclipse Comics' stories, Collins decided to start off with the DC Comics' stories (as Collins puts it, he wanted to lead off with his best stories).  One Mean Mother gives readers a look into the gritty world of Ms. Tree after she has been at this for years - her husband gone, his son now her own after his mother was killed, her vendetta against Dominic Muerta seemingly over since he was dead, and her private investigation business flourishing. But, of course, nothing ever stays calm for long in the world of Ms. Tree...

This first collection features the stories from Ms. Tree Quarterly #1, #4, #7, #8, and #9.  The introduction by Collins indicates that the remaining five stories from the DC Comics' run will be included in the second collection, along with a key story from the Renegade Press run that helps with the flow of continuity for those tales.  I find this to be a bit odd, since the Ms. Tree stories have always been sequential - while each multi-part story (in the pre-DC years) and each issue (in the DC years) held a complete story in and of itself, there were always subplots that continued within the book from issue to issue, and elements of one story definitely had repercussions in future stories.  However, Collins has proven his strength as a writer with this series over the years, so I trust his judgment.

The first story, "Gift of Death," features the return of Dominique Muerta, the sister of mafia crime lord Dominic Muerta, the man who orchestrated the death of Ms. Tree's husband all those years ago.  The story is rooted in Ms. Tree's history, and in a twist of fate, when Dominique is murdered, it is up to Ms. Tree to find out who killed her.  It's the second story, thought, "Drop Dead Handsome," that really sets the overall theme for this collection - in this story, Ms. Tree comes face-to-face with a man from her past - an old high school sweetheart that she thought was long-gone history.  He shows an interest in her once again, and it is clear that his wife has some emotional issues.  William Powers tells Ms. Tree his marriage is all but over, and she sleeps with him - only to be confronted by his wife, who pulls a gun on them both.  Protecting herself, Ms. Tree shoots and kills the woman.  Of course, every story has its twists and turns, and Ms. Tree soon finds that William Powers is not everything he pretends to be. 

The next story, "The Family Way," drops the most unexpected bombshell that Ms. Tree readers would ever see.  She faces a case that is very personal, as her son Mike's girlfriend has been kidnapped.  It happens that his girlfriend is the daughter of the late Dominique Muerta!  But that doesn't stop Ms. Tree from doing what must be done, and after facing down the madman behind the kidnapping, she discovers something in the very last panel that I have no doubt stunned readers when it was first published. "Why, Ms. Tree," said the doctor, "surely you knew...you're at least three months' pregnant..."

Wow, talk about a major, life-changing cliffhanger!  That was issue 7 from the DC run, and this collection features the remaining two issues, 8 and 9 - "Maternity Leave," in which a very pregnant Ms. Tree must try and determine who is out to kill her, and "One Mean Mother," in which Ms. Tree has to track down the man that shot her sister and kidnapped her child. Even pregnant and then a mother, Ms. Tree never changes in her true character - she still protects the innocent, she still has no problem making criminals pay, and she will always do whatever is necessary for the sake of her family (both literal and figurative).

It was such a joy to re-read these stories, and while I remember so much of the earlier runs of Ms. Tree being topical (pornography, rape, child abuse, etc.), the more personal stories of this collection still have the Ms. Tree feel to them - and they certainly have the violence and vengeance in full spades!  I'm honestly surprised that over the years we have never seen a movie or television series based on this character, as these stories definitely feel cinematic in nature.  Who knows, maybe with these collections coming out, someone will pick up on it!

Now if we can just figure out a way to get Collins and Beatty to work on some new Ms. Tree stories...

RATING:  10 class reunion themed parties out of 10 for bringing Ms. Tree back into the comic world and giving new readers an opportunity to enjoy this amazing work of writing and art!

The Tomb of the Honey Bee - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 2

Posie Parker is back for another mystery in the second book of her series by author L.B. Hathaway. For those who don't recall from the first book, Posie recovered a priceless family jewel, and as a result, she received a very, VERY handsome reward - large enough to set her up for life. With that money, she fully funded her private detective agency. But at the same time as all of this good news, she had to face some bad news - her blooming romance with business partner Len Irving had to be put on hold as he left town to go be with his father, who had fallen seriously ill. And with that in mind, Hathaway begins Posie's second adventure...

The Tomb of the Honey Bee takes Posie on some rather unexpected adventures in France, Italy, and finally, Egypt.  Posie has the money now, so Hathaway doesn't hold back in letting her spend it. Posie is hired by the very famous Lady Violet Boynton-Dale to locate her brother, the equally, if not more, famous Alaric Boynton-Dale. Alaric is a known adventurer and explorer, and it is not uncommon for him to take off and be gone for months at a time, so Posie questions Lady Violet's concerns. But then Lady Violet shares her reasons - Alaric had recently announced that he was changing his will to leave all of his fortune to Lady Violet - thus cutting out his brother, Roderick (who has a gambling addition); his sister-in-law, Lady Eve, who will do anything to maintain her lifestyle as rich and famous; the family's valet, Codlington, who seems willing to do anything for Roderick and has been acting suspicious; and then there is Ianthe Flowers, a prolific author who has come to Boynton Hall to write a story based on the family, but has ultimately fallen madly in love with Alaric.  Of course, there is also Alaric's secret love affair with the very married Lady Cosima Catchpole and her husband, Hugo Marchpane, who found out about the affair!

With so many suspects, all of whom have motives to have not only burned down all of Alaric's beehives on the property, but to have done away with him altogether, how will Posie sort it all out and discover the truth behind Alaric's disappearance?

While the story starts off fairly slow, it begins to build momentum when the first real body shows up - the author, Ianthe Flowers! Murdered on her last day at Boynton Hall, and the last page of her just finished manuscript missing, it is clear Ianthe knew what happened to Alaric and was going to reveal it in her novel.  But someone stopped her before she could, and now Posie has both a missing person AND a murder to solve!  The clues lead her to France, where she has a chance meeting with her almost-boyfriend, Len Irving (and discovers the real reason why he stopped writing her for so many months!), and then to a small island off the coast of Italy. The island of Ortigia is home to the most mysterious group of monks and their just-as-mysterious honey that they claim has healing properties - but is also hosts a masked villain who seems to be following Posie and who ultimately murders someone who tracked Posie down to the island in order to obtain the valuable coin she has in her possession (which coin belonged to Alaric and is the only clue she has to find him).

With two murders now under his or her belt, the murderer will clearly stop at nothing to get to Alaric.  So, it's off to Egypt and an archeological dig, where a case of mistaken identity leads to a third murder - which, while unfortunately for the victim, is fortunate for Posie, as it gives her the perfect way to lay out bait for the killer to reveal him- or herself!  So, it's back to Boynton Hall for the final revelation, and while not totally unexpected (on my part), it was definitely a fantastic twist.

Hathaway has a way with her characters that makes them believable, despite some of their stereotypical personalities.  The dialogue reads naturally, and there is nothing cardboard about any of them.  In fact, as I read the book, I could "hear" each of the voices and literally feel the desperation, fear, concern, anger, and other emotions coming from each character as they spoke.  That is certainly not an easy thing for a writer to do, but Hathaway manages it with apparent ease, which makes her books true page-turners.  Plus, this book comes with a couple of surprises at the end, one of which pretty much indicates that Posie is going to have her own major nemesis throughout the series.

And, oh, in case you are wondering the title of the book does not come from the bee hives that were all burned down on the grounds of Boynton Hall; rather, it is actually the title of Ianthe Flowers' book that held the final clue to the identity of the killer.

Looking forward to book three!

RATING:  9 cold glasses of frozen granita out of 10 for penning a mystery that is chock full of surprises and twists!