Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

I happened across this book on Amazon, and debated on whether to get it for quite a while.  I'm not really into non-series books, but this one kind of struck my interest - kid detectives investigating a haunted hotel, where a group of seemingly unrelated individuals are summoned by invitation.  The cover art is a bit cartoonish in nature, but the concept was enough to draw me in, so when I saw the book at a local independent bookseller, I decided to take a leap of faith and buy it.  While it is definitely a book for pre-teens, it was a rather enjoyable read.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel is written by Fleur Bradley and illustrated by Xavier Bonet.  I am not familiar with either of these individuals, but after reading this book, I'd say that both of them have talent in their respective fields.  Bradley's story is superbly plotted, with just the right amount of clues scattered throughout the story that the reader, if following closely, can figure things out along the way.  The writing itself is simple, with short sentences and clear, easy language that a youngster can follow and understand.  The art consists of black-and-white line drawings, often utilizing a lot of shadows and shading to keep the mysterious tone of the story, but in a style that could easily translate to a cartoon of today's standards.  The writing and art work hand-in-hand to provide readers with a fun story that's easy to read.

The story opens with Mr. Barclay sending out special invitations to five select individuals ... invitations to enjoy a weekend at his secluded Barclay Hotel.  Each of the five invitees were specifically selected for reasons known only to Mr. Barclay.  It was intended to be a very surprising weekend for everyone...

The author introduces each of the invited guests as they receive their invitations.  Jackie Jacobson, a hard working mother who rarely had time for vacations, receives the first invitation.  She doesn't want to go, but her son J.J. insists, with him tagging along.  Buck Jones, a cowboy working on a large ranch outside of town is the second to receive an invitation.  A weekend at a hotel could be just what he needs.  Chelsea Griffin, the third to receive an invitation, is the town librarian.  There's so much she wants to accomplish for children, but perhaps this weekend would offer her a bit of a respite.  Frank Walker is a retired detective, and with his young granddaughter Penny visiting, he's not sure what to do with the invitation he receives.  But it says there is no cell phone reception ... and a hot tub ... and Penny likes the idea of the huge library there.  And last, but not least, the actress Fiona Fleming, who also dabbles in the realm of psychic readings.  She nearly missed the opportunity by not reading her invitation.

And there are the five attendees - a busy CEO, a candy-loving Cowboy, a tired Librarian, a retired Detective, and a psychic Actress.  Oh, and the two stragglers, J.J. and Penny.  Seven guests who have no idea the weekend that is in store for them.  Nor do the realize that five of the seven guests have secrets that they would rather not have revealed.  Oh, and did I mention that their host, Mr. Barclay, happens to have been murdered, and they have been invited to the Barclay Hotel so that the murderer can be revealed?  And that the Barclay Hotel is allegedly haunted, where the ghosts like to come out when it is ... midnight at the Barclay Hotel!  (Gee, ya think that was an ominous way to fit the title of the book into this review?)

Of course, the guests aren't the only one with secrets.  It is revealed pretty early on that Mr. Clark, the butler for the hotel, has a secret.  As does the Chef.  The adults are none too happy about the ruse to get them there, but the children, J.J. and Penny, are more than excited - J.J. has a chance to investigate for ghosts (he LOVES ghosts) and Penny has the chance to be a real-life detective.  With the help of Emma, Mr. Barclay's young daughter, the two children set about to find out what really happened to Mr. Barclay (I mean, was he really poisoned by a cupcake?) and who had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill him.  The author does a fantastic job with subtly planting clues throughout the story, not just about Mr. Barclay's murder, but also with respect to the secrets that so many of the characters are carrying around.  But, as with any good murder mystery, the secrets all eventually come out, and after a couple of twists (that to an adult who has been reading mysteries for decades now were not really surprising, but for the age group at which this story is aimed, I'm sure they will be fun reveals), the truth comes out, and the killer's identity is revealed.

I do enjoy the way Bradley manages to throw in the ghostly elements in such a way that the reader can't really be sure whether the ghosts are real, or if there is an actual explanation for the so-called ghostly experiences (i.e., books falling of shelves, marbles rolling in from nowhere, an elevator stopping unexpectedly, something ticking a character's foot, etc.).  But, by the end of the book, the reader will know for sure whether Barclay Hotel is truly haunted, or if the murder mystery that has everyone on edge simply has people imaging the ghosts!

This was a truly enjoyable read, and although Bradley's next book has different characters and a different setting, I'm likely to pick it up to see if it is as much fun as this one!

RATING:  9 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of 10 for keeping it simple, but keeping it fun!

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld - a DC Graphic Novel

The character of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, first appeared in DC Comics back in 1983, in a special insert preview in Legion of Super-Heroes issue 298.  That preview told the story of a princess waging a battle against a dark overlord who was trying to take over all of her homeland, Gemworld.  But more than that, that special preview revealed that Amethyst was, in actuality, a barely-teen girl from Earth who traversed between the two worlds - living on Earth as a just-turned thirteen year old girl with regular problems, and living on Gemworld as a might princess with magical powers who just may be the only one who can stop the evil Dark Opal from taking over the land!  Written by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn, with very distinctive art by Ernie Colon, that preview had me hooked, and I anxiously awaited each of the 12 issue maxi-series that followed.  After that twelfth issue, I was disappointed that the series had reached an end, as I wanted more stories of Amy/Amethyst.

Well, I apparently was not the only one, as shortly after the maxi-series ended, DC Comics published an Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Annual in 1984, followed thereafter by an ongoing series.  Sadly, that series only lasted 16 issues, followed by a Special in 1986 that concluded the story.  The following year, DC gave fans a 4-issue follow-up mini-series that featured a very different Amethyst (and dropped from the title was the "Princess of Gemworld" tag).  This mini-series, though, was only the first of many changes that this character would see through the years.

Fifteen years after that mini-series, in 2012, DC brought the character back in a revival of the Sword of Sorcery title.  Once again, the character's appearance and her story were changed, as she was updated for the new century.  That series only lasted nine issues, and once again, Amethyst disappeared from the scene.  Seven years later, she popped back up in the newest incarnation of Young Justice, albeit with yet another new look and story.  At least this time, though, the writer gave a (flimsy) reason for why the character seemed to keep changing in appearance over the years.  She stayed with that series for all 20 issues, while simultaneously in 2020 starring in her own 6-issue mini-series.  Once both of those series came to an end, I thought so would Amethyst.

But nope, this is one character that clearly will not stay gone (for which I am grateful!).  In Fall 2021, DC Comics published a new tale of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld in their Graphic Novels for Kids line of comics.  I was a bit hesitant at first, looking at the art in the initial ads for the book, as it came across as a bit too childish perhaps.  But then I saw that the authors of the story were Shannon and Dean Hale, and so I immediately placed my order for a copy.  After all, the Hales turned out two truly fun-tastical Squirrel Girl books for Marvel, so I figured they would treat Amy a/k/a Amethyst with the proper respect, while still making it fun.  And I was right!

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld (2021) provides readers with yet another new take on the character.  This time around, Amaya (her real name in Gemworld) and her younger brother are playing practical jokes on the castle staff,  and when they are continually ignored by their parents, they decide to sneak into the treasury for Castle Amethyst - but their fun takes a wrong turn, and they end up not only damaging the castle, but also get poor Amaya sent to Earth (where there is no magic!) as a punishment.  Citrina, the chief mage, goes with Amaya, where they will assimilate into the Earth-life for one week before returning to Gemworld.  But, as fate would have it, the damage Amaya and her brother did to the amethyst powering the castle prevents the two of them from returning home!  Thus, they are stuck on Earth, with no magic, no powers, and no ability to get home!

Jump ahead three years, and Amy and her "Aunt Trina" no longer remember their life on Gemworld.  They have become fully immersed in their lives here on Earth, and Amy has even made friends at school.  Of course, she has enemies as well, and it is during a confrontation with two bullies that Amy and her friend, Autumn, get sucked into Gemworld, where the House of Amethyst has fallen, her parents and brother are missing, an interloper named Flaw is slowly doing damage to all of Gemworld, and the remaining eleven houses are in danger!  And who is the only one who can save Gemworld?  Why, Amethyst, of course!

Yes, some of the details have changed, and yes, the look for the characters is nothing like the original (no one can ever truly compare to Ernie Colon's original designs for the character); however, this story does stay true to the character - she is a young girl who has power thrust upon her, she is in awe of this Gemworld where she finds herself, and she has the determination and resilience to step up and save the 12 houses when all of the others are simply squabbling amongst themselves.  In this version, instead of taking someone from Gemworld to Earth, Amy brings someone from Earth to Gemworld - and reading Autumn's reaction to the magic of Gemworld and the fantastic things she sees there is thoroughly enjoyable! The inclusion of a young Topaz as Amy and Autumn's newfound friend on Gemworld, readers are treated to a trio of heroes who set out on an adventure of a lifetime to stop Flaw and save their homes.  Of course, the Hales provide another twist to the story when Amy/Amaya finds out exactly what happened to her parents and little brother!

While no story will ever truly measure up to the original Mishkin/Cohn/Colon story from 1983, I will say that this graphic novel is the probably the closest of any of the other incarnations to the fun and thrills of that original tale.  The art by Asiah Fulmore is definitely on the cartoon-y or almost manga side, but it fits for less-than-serious manner in which the story is told.  There truly is an almost "magical" feel to the story as you turn page after page, and I think that Fulmore captures the essence of the Hales' story in a way any other artist might not have been able to do.

Overall, the book was a success, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of them to find out what happens next with Amy and her friends!

RATING:  10 fountains of camel milk out of 10 for bringing Amethyst back into the comics and introducing her to a new generation of readers!

Hollywood Heroine - Book Five of the Heroine Complex

The superhero duo of the century return in their fifth adventure, as author Sarah Kuhn brings fans the latest tale of the mighty Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka - along with their rag-tag team of spouses, sisters, friends, and assistants!  I never imagined when I picked up and read the first book, Heroine Complex, that this would become an ongoing series, let alone that I would get so caught up in these characters that I would anxiously wait for each book to come out (and before you ask, yes, I've already checked, and there is a sixth book on the schedule!).  And one of the things that I have been enjoying about the series is that the books rotate the main character - first it was Evie, then Aveda, then Bea - then it returned to Evie, and with this book, Aveda, and the next book will once again spotlight Bea.  This provides Kuhn with the opportunity to not only spotlight different characters in the "family," but it also gives her the opportunity to present each book with a different style and feel.  And this latest entry in the series is no different.

Hollywood Heroine finds Aveda and Evie heading to Hollywood to watch the development and filming of the new television series based on their adventures as the superheros of San Francisco!  And when they meet the actresses who will be portraying them, they are surprised to discover just how much alike the women are to themselves.  The director, though, is a whole 'nother story!  The man has his own strange visions for the show, including the idea of having a vampire written into the story (which, as readers who have been following the series, have never been in any of the dynamic duo's adventures).  Aveda and Evie are put off by the man's attitude and his revision to their adventures - and when the man portraying the vampire takes his method acting a bit too far and actually bites the actress portraying Aveda Jupiter ... well, there's no hesitation that the real Aveda Jupiter is going to jump in and save the day!  Only - no one asked her to, and no one wanted her to, and her actions result in Aveda and Evie being thrown off the set and barred from watching future filming!  Something is definitely not right here, but is it supernatural in nature or just the way of Hollywood film makers?

Aveda is determined to get to the bottom of it, but also finds herself dealing with a plethora of other problems as well.  Scott (her scrumptious husband) has come out to Los Angeles with them to look into starting a surf club for teens there locally.  It is  dream come true for him, and Aveda wants nothing more than for her husband to follow his dreams. But does that dream also have to include the Magnificent Mercedes f/k/a Mercedes McClain?  Mercedes was a friend of Aveda's when she first began doing the hero thing - but it turned into a competition, and Mercedes had no problem taking credit for Aveda's heroics, stealing the limelight while trying to remind Aveda on a daily basis the only reason she got as far as she did was because of her race!  Now, years later, Mercedes has made a name for herself as Los Angeles' local hero, and she seems to have set her sights on Scott.  And if that weren't enough, Pippa, the Jupiter/Tanaka team's latest assistant, seems to be having issues with her best friend Shelby ghosting her (which is probably easy to do, since Shelby is an actual ghost!), and Aveda feels she has to help her by involving her in this latest adventure.  And there's also the odd issue of her mother sending her pictures of oranges, then containers, and then the weird phone calls to check in (which her mother never does).  With so much going on, so many problems to solve, Aveda Jupiter is pushing herself to the very edge...

Which is exactly what someone is wanting to happen!

Yes, if Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka are involved, you know the adventure is going to involve supernatural hi-jinks of some kind. Is it still that demon Shasta, bound and determined to get Evie's baby?  Or is it real vampires that have invaded Hollywood?  Or is it something else entirely?  Whatever it is, Aveda is on the case - but she's concerned that Evie does not seem overly interested in investigating; rather, she's more interested in taking in the sights and checking out the local food fare!  After all, this trip to Hollywood was supposed to be a vacation.  Is Evie slowly pulling away from the team, now that she is having a baby?  Will she and Nate move away and give up the hero job altogether?  Bea already moved to Hawaii, and Lucy and Rose had moved out of the headquarters, so was her team/family slowly falling apart, leaving Aveda all alone?  Was this what her future held?   Kuhn puts poor Aveda through the ringer as not only must she deal with the very real threat of the vampires in the city, but she must also figure out how not to push her husband away, deal with Evie's pregnancy and desire to step away from the heroing, her sister's absence, her weapons and tactical expert no longer on site and readily available, and her new assistant's self-esteem issues.  Oh, and what happens when Aveda realizes that she is .... nah, I can't say that, it would give away a huge part of the story!

This one has it all!  Secret underground tunnels, searches for the elusive tome, vampire bats, steamy dreams, huge supernatural battles, internal conflict, relationship problems, and a new, energetic assistant who is such a bundle of energy, for me, she personally stole a lot of the limelight away from Aveda - I absolutely LOVE Pippa and hope that Kuhn will eventually give her a book of her own (hint! hint!).  But on top of this, it also has something that feels very much like a soap box and less like a true story element - yes, I'm aware discrimination still occurs, particularly in Hollywood and more particularly when it comes to women of color.  And while that element certainly plays a part of this story, there are times where it feels less like the story and more like the author simply ranting about it, which became distracting after a while.  There were times where it flowed naturally into the story, and there were times where it simply read like a rant aimed at the readers.

But, aside from that, Kuhn does provide an amazingly fun story to read, and I still find myself thoroughly engaged with each of the characters.  Looking forward to the trip to Hawaii in the next book so we can see Bea shine!

RATING:  8 cheeseburger potstickers out of 10 for some fabulous Hollywood supernatural mayhem and the guts to even mention a weremervampire!!!

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen - Book Two: Peril at Owl Park

Book two in the Aggie Morton mystery series was just as enjoyable as the first.  Author Marthe Jocelyn has created a world of quirky characters that you can't help but love!  In the previous book, Jocelyn introduces us to twelve year-old Aggie Morton, whose father has recently died, and she must not only contend with his loss, but also her grieving mother, as well as her sometimes overbearing (but at the same time, over-indulging) grandmother.  While solving the murder of her piano teacher's sister, she meets the young Hector Perot who becomes her sidekick in the crime-solving business, as well as the enigma known as Augustus C. Fibbley, a reporter who is not at all what he seems to be!  After helping uncover the truth behind the murder in her small town on the coast of England, one can only anticipate what fate has in store for our intrepid sleuth next!

Peril at Owl Park follows only a few weeks after the events of the previous book, as Aggie is shipped off to her sister's new estate, along with Hector and her Grannie Jane.  Aggie's sister, Marjorie, is now the new Lady Greyson, having married a Lord.  Aggie and Hector are excited to explore the grand manor, with Lord James Greyson's niece, Lucy, as their guide.  It just so happens to be Christmas week, so there is also the anticipation of stockings and presents on Christmas morning!  But, the old Lady Greyson is not the most hospitable person, and the house is playing host to a number of other guests for the holidays - including Lord Greyson's college friend, Lakshay Sivam, and his wife; old Lady Greyson's physician, Dr. Musselman; and a touring theater group: Mr. Mooney, Ms. Day, and Mr. Corker.  They were brought to the Greyson estate to put on a show on Christmas Eve, to help celebrate the holidays, and some of the household even had the opportunity to participate.  It has all the makings for a wonderful holiday celebration, despite old Lady Greyson's rather dour demeanor...

Until the children wake up on Christmas morning and start the scavenger hunt for their stockings - an annual tradition in the Greyson house.  Aggie, Hector, and Lucy are thoroughly enjoying the adventures of following clues from one room to the next, until they get to the library, where instead of finding their latest clue - they find a body!  Poor Mr. Corker has been stabbed in the back, and is now lying dead on the floor of the library in a pool of his own blood!  Having already had experience with a murder, Aggie quickly begins taking note of everything in the room - until Lucy can hold back no longer and lets loose with a scream that brings the whole house running!

And so begins Aggie Morton's second foray into the world of solving murders.  Jocelyn provides a mystery full of twists and turns, hidden passages, red herrings, and lots of suspects with motives and opportunities.  Definitely a tale worthy of the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie!  The suspects include the footman, Frederick, who has a bit of a shady past; Mr. Sivam, who disappears directly after the murdered body is found, along with the cursed jewel he brought with him; Mr. Mooney, who does not appear too upset about his acting partner's death; Ms. Day, in whose shoe is found the missing cursed jewel; and even James Greyson himself, whose movements that night appear to have given him opportunity and means!  Aggie does not want to believe that her new brother-in-law could be a murderer, but she knows she must follow the clues to wherever they lead!

A secret passage that allows the children to view the study, the library, and other rooms; a fall down the back stairs into the kitchen; a letter opener with specks of blood on it; a pair of boots in the wrong place; a missing magnifying glass; a fake jewel; and a case of mistaken identity - so many pieces to the puzzle, and it will take all of Aggie's intuition and logical thinking, along with the help of Grannie Jane and Hector, to make the pieces fit to reveal the true identity of the murderer.  And just when you think they have the whole thing solved and the culprit caught - well, as with any good murder mystery, not everything is always what it seems!

I have to give the cover artist credit (or the publisher, if they are the ones who directed the idea) - but the cover, while depicting Aggie and Hector outside in the snow with a snowman on the ground, reveals a number of elements from the story - the snowman has a twig sticking out of his back, mirroring the knife sticking out of Mr. Corker's back in the library!  Aggie is holding up a magnifying glass, hinting at the missing glass from the library.  We even have the owl flying just over Aggie's head, a symbol of the letter opener with the owl carving on its handle.  I never thought about these kind of things when looking at the cover of the first book, but now I'll have to go back and take a look again to see if that cover offered up some clues to the story as well!

Oh, and lest I forget, Jocelyn, I think, has a lot of fun with that reporter, Augustus C. Fibbley.  Readers of the first book will remember that Fibbley has a big secret of his own - one that definitely comes in to play and is used to his advantage to help him get exclusive insights to the goings-on at the Greyson manor (since the family will not allow any reporters to come in and bother the family at this horrific time).  Fibbley once again proves to be a bit of a help to Aggie, even while pursuing her own ... er, I mean, his own agenda.  I do certainly hope Jocelyn plans to keep Fibbley around in future books, as I find him to be a rather fun character.

This is an enjoyable series that I would certainly recommend to any fans of children's mystery stories.  Sure, there is a bit of a stretch to think that a twelve year-old in 1902 would have all of the freedoms that Aggie does, but again - this is a work of fiction, so there has to be some suspension of disbelief to truly enjoy it (as with any work of fiction).

RATING:  9 plates of macaroni with melted cheese over it out of 10 for offering up a deliciously delectable holiday murder mystery that is on par with the master mystery writers of days gone by!

Wicked Things (a Boom! Box mini-series)

Wicked Things is not a comic book series I picked up when it first came out.  I had never even heard about it, let alone knew what it was about, until a friend at a local comic book store - who knows how much I love children's mystery series, and in particular, girl detectives - recommended the book, telling me the comic is about a girl detective who is trying to solve a mystery.  Well, that was enough to entice me to hunt down all six issues of the mini-series so I could read the story.  And frankly, these issues were not easy to find (at reasonable prices!).  I searched all the comic stores in my area and was able to pick up a five of the six issues at either cover price or just a little over cover price.  But, for whatever reason, trying to find issue 3 of the series was uber-difficult!  But, I was patient, and eventually I had an eBay gift card that allowed me to get that elusive third issue, albeit for a bit more than I would have paid if it had been out of my own pocket!  But at least it gave me the whole series so I could finally sit down and read it...

Wicked Things was created and written by John Allison, with art by Max Sarin.  The comic tells the story of Charlotte Grote a/k/a "Lottie" to her mother, a young teen detective who has finished high school and is getting ready to go to university.  Having grown up solving mysteries, like the "Case of the Jade Cartel," Charlotte believes herself to be one of the world's best teen detectives.  But apparently the folks of mystery magazine, National Solver, never thought so - at least, not until this year, when she finally discovers she has been nominated for Teen Detective of the Year (16-18)!  

 

Before you know it, Charlotte and her best friend, Claire Little, are on a train headed for London to attend the awards ceremony.  But she quickly discovers that the other nominees are not exactly friendly - Sif Svendsen (Norway), Norris Overton IV (USA), Paola Tosto (Italy), and Dieter Brummer (Germany).  However, they are all quickly forgotten when Charlotte happens to meet Kendo Miyamoto, the man she believes to be not just the greatest detective in Japan, but in the world!  That chance meeting, though, leads to an unexpected invite to Miyamoto's hotel room, where Charlotte discovers his body - and becomes the only suspect in his murder!  Of course, all of that causes her to miss the award ceremony, where she is announced as the winner and Claire has to accept the award on her behalf.  Charlotte knows she didn't do it, but how will she prove it from behind bars?

While readers may be expecting the next five issues to find Charlotte looking for ways to solve the murder, Allison instead takes us in a totally unexpected direction.  The police commissioner seems to know that Charlotte could not have possibly killed the detective; however, she offers Charlotte a chance to avoid jail - she is aware of Charlotte's penchant for solving mysteries, so instead of jail, Charlotte will have the opportunity to work with the police, assisting them with their cases.  She relents, and finds that not only is she the most hated person in the department at the moment, but she is going to be living in a boarding house with other criminals who are "assisting" the police!

Allison builds the story naturally, with Charlotte's new job not exactly what she was expecting - instead of reviewing case files and figuring out clues, she is pouring coffee and doing minor errands.  Even when she does figure out the solution to a crime that has yet to be solved, the officers refuse to believe she can be of any real assistance to them.  But when they realize too late that she really did have the solution to the stolen tech, she suddenly finds herself being a part of a sting operation at a local casino, where a criminal gang is expected to make their next heist!  Everything does not go as planned, however, and Charlotte discovers that someone she has come to trust has not only betrayed her, but masterminded the entire heist!

Of course, Allison did not forget the underlying mystery of who killed Miyamoto - while Charlotte is busy helping the police, Claire is on her own to try and figure out just who had it out for the Japanese detective and who had the means, motive, and opportunity to kill the man.  This mystery takes a backseat to Charlotte's adventures, but we do get moments here and there in each issue as Clarie tries to narrow down her suspects.  Unfortunately, Charlotte's sting operation at the casino gets a bigger climactic resolution that the whoddunit mystery involving Kendo Miyamoto.  In fact, the murderer never actually gets unmasked (although Charlotte does get cleared, albeit in-between panels!).  That was probably the only real let-down for me in the series, as I was hoping for a bigger revelation and an unmasking of the real killer, which never took place.

The art by Max Sarin is quite outstanding.  It is a bit cartoonish (sort of like the Goldie Vance art, another girl detective series published by Boom! Studios), but it fits the book.  Sarin certainly gives Charlotte character - from her times of stress and depression to her expressions of determination and deduction - Sarin manages to tell the reader exactly what Charlotte is feeling and thinking without any dialogue or text boxes needed.  The backgrounds are, for the most part, simple, allowing the reader to stay completely focused on the story and not be led astray by overly-detailed backgrounds that draw the reader's eye away from the characters and word balloons.  All-in-all, I think Allison and Sarin make an excellent combination for storytelling success!

I do hope that Boom! will allow Allison and Sarin to tell more adventures of Charlotte Grote, as I would definitely read them!!  (Oh, and one last thing to mention - Charlotte's last name of Grote also happens to be the last name of Grace Grote, an author who worked with the Stratemeyer Syndicate back in the day, ghostwriting Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, among others ... coincidence or no?  Hmmm......)

RATING:  9 butter and crumb-filled jars of jam out of 10 for introducing the world to another fantastic female sleuth, who proves she can solve crimes right up there with the best of them!

Katy Keene - Restless Hearts (a Prequel Novel of the CW TV Show)

I was never a "Katy Keen" fan before the CW television show.  I knew she was an Archie comics character, and I knew that she was involved with the fashion world - but that was literally all I knew about her.  I was never into romance comics, so "fashion" comics held very little interest for me.  And after watching just the first episode of Riverdale (the CW show based on the Archie characters), I never watched another episode of that show.  So, for reasons still unknown to me today, I did watch the first episode of Katy Keene on the CW back in February 2020 just to see what it was like.  And you know what?  I loved it!  So much so, that I watched that entire first season and was totally disappointed when it did not get picked up for a second season.  However, I did pick up the prequel novel written by Stephanie Kate Strohm when it was published in 2020 - and I just know finally got around to reading it.  I'm so glad that I saved it, because it was a thrill to re-enter the world of Katy Keene, even if it was for only this one book...

Restless Hearts was the only CW tie-in novel written in connection with the TV show, and it is a prequel novel that gives some background on the four main characters leading up to that first episode.  Strohm provides readers with alternating points of view, the chapters rotating between the four characters - Katy, Jorge, Pepper, and Josie; then back to Katie again for the rotation to repeat.  Had I not gotten so used to these rotating points of view with the Hardy Boys books over the past decade (has it really been that long?), it might have bothered me here.  As it is, I was able to enjoy it for what it was and not let the changes in points-of-view bother me so much.  Besides, it allowed Strohm to really delve into some of the characterization that the TV show did not have sufficient time to reveal.

Katy's story picks up after her mother's death, as she tries to cope with living alone.  She gets the chance of a lifetime, however, when Veronica Lodge (Archie cameo number one!) manages to finagle her a spot in a fashion show being held at Lacy's, sponsored by none other than fashion icon Rex London!  Katy is excited at first, but as the time draws closer and she can't seem to find her groove with a design that will actually be worth showing, she finds herself more and more lost without her mother...

Jorge, meanwhile, is dreaming of making it on Broadway!  He's been faithfully taking dance classes, and when an open casting call for a new show comes up, he waits in the long line of hopefuls to get his chance at stardom.  In that line, he meets up with Kevin Keller (Archie cameo number two!), who is also hoping to land a spot in the show.  Jorge's chances seem to get better when he gets called back not just once, but twice!  The only problem is, in order to clinch his place in the show, he will have to man-up and be something that he's not.  Just how much is Jorge willing to give up for his chance to be on Broadway?

Pepper's tale is about her arrival into New York City.  While Katy and Jorge are already friends, Pepper has not yet come into their lives.  Instead, her arrival is met with pomp and circumstance by all of the social media glitz, as everyone seems to want to know what is next for this shining social media celebrity's life.  But Pepper herself is not seven sure of that, as she goes from fling to fling, idea to idea, hoping to find something that will put her on the right course...

Finally, Josie is on the road with her father, singing alongside him for the experience of what it is like to be a traveling musician.  But his rules are strict, his criticism harsh, and his over protectiveness smothering.  When she meets a country singer who is on his own tour, and she gets the chance to sing away from her father, Josie finds that perhaps she really can make it on her own, away from her father, and be the star she always knew she could be.

 

Needless to say, KO is in the book, always supporting Katy (when he's not at the gym boxing alongside Jinx - Archie cameo number three!); Jorge's parents are in the book, trying to find their place in his life now that he is back home after being kicked out when he came out; Molly's Crisis is the bar to be for Katy and Jorge to sort out their problems; and Gloria Grandbilt makes her appearance before the story is over, ready to offer Katy the chance she has been waiting for.  Strohm provides readers with the perfect introduction to these characters, while giving fans a beautiful way to remember the cast from the show.  As I was reading the book, I could not only see each of the actors in their roles once again, but I could literally hear their voices speak each line and picture the settings of each spot - from Jorge's apartment to KO's gym to Lacy's store to Molly's Crisis.  It was almost like being transported right back onto the CW show once again!

Before I sign off for this post, I do have to give Strohm double kudos for managing to sneak in a Nancy Drew reference on page 90 when Jorge is talking to his mother about the way she sneaks him audition notices so his father won't see:  "You leave me secret audition notices like we're in some kind of Nancy Drew mystery..."  Gotta give props to any author who manages to put a reference to my favorite female detective!  Just a shame that this is my last time I'll get to enjoy the CW cast of Katy Keene...

RATING:  10 squashed bouquets of roses out of 10 for giving me one final chance to enjoy some time with Katy and her friends as they were brought to life so perfectly by the CW!