The Devlin Quick Mysteries - Book One, Into the Lion's Den

It appears that perhaps mystery series are starting to make a comeback in the young adult / children's sections.  Wells & Wong mysteries.  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency mysteries.  the Curious Cat Spy Club mysteries, the mysteries of Maisie Hitchens, Young & Yang mysteries, the Friday Barnes mysteries, the Amanda Lester mysteries, and now ... the Devlin Quick mysteries!

So far, I've been fortunate.  The series that I have picked up have, for the most part, managed to be well-written with great plots and interesting characters.  A couple of friends read this first Devlin Quick mystery before I did and had good things to say about it. So, I went into it with a bit higher hopes than I probably should have.

Into the Lion's Den is not something I would call "off to a good start" as far as mystery series goes.  The plot is actually interesting - a friend of Devlin's is a witness to a thief cutting a map from a very valuable book in the New York Public Library, but no one believes her.  Devlin, of course, does and helps her friend not only prove that she was telling the truth, but track down and reveal the identity of the culprit (who, as it turns out, has been stealing maps from antique books in libraries for some time).  Devlin is quick-thinking and determined (similar to Nancy Drew), but as with many of the young adult mysteries these days, she is only 12 years old.

Maybe I'm dating myself here, but I remember reading children's mysteries about older teenagers (anywhere from 16 to 18 years old), which, in a way, gave me something to look forward to when I got that age.  They inspired me, in some degree, to strive to do better, to help others, and to realize I could do anything I wanted.  Sure, the teenage detectives were somewhat rebellious in nature, bucking the system that told them they couldn't do these things with adults who did not take them seriously.  But this trend in recent years to have detectives who are 12 years old, or thereabout, just doesn't work for me.  Yes, the stories may be good, but the idea that 12-year olds have as much freedom as these kids to and are able to get around and do things without parental supervision is stretching the line of believability.  Perhaps that is the trade off for all of today's technology that the teenage sleuths of yesteryear didn't have - computers, internet, cell phones, etc.

Regardless, the book does have the obligatory Nancy Drew reference (as every mystery about a female sleuth set in the present time has to do).  While investigating the library, they come across a sign up sheet for WOMEN IN CRIME FICTION: NANCY DREW TO JANE MARPLE (p. 196). Then, just one page later, when Devlin's friend shows signs of being scared, Devlin remarks, "Really?  Do you think Nancy Drew let every little thing scare the daylights out of her?"  Still nice to see that Nancy Drew remains the icon when it comes to female sleuths.

Unfortunately, none of that was enough to make me enjoy the book.  The author, Linda Fairstein, weaves a pretty good plot, but sadly, she seems to rely so heavily on having Devlin explain everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING!  From explaining who Teddy Roosevelt was, to what a facial recognition system is (in excrutciating detail), the fact that the library holds things other than just books, what carbon paper is (seriously?), what a subpoena is and how it is used, who Andrew Carnegie was, and so many other things.  In fact, it got to the point where any time an historical person or a technological item was mentioned, I could count on an overly-detailed explanation to follow.  Clearly, Fairstein does not give her readers credit for knowing things they should know - - either that, or she had a certain page count she wanted to read and figured padding the story with needless explanations would fill those pages.  Either way, it became distracting and, quite honestly, ruined my enjoyment of the story overall.

And editing seems to be a thing of the past (as my reading friends and I have discovered in recent years).  Not exactly sure what editors do these days, but it appears not to be actual editing.  For instance, one of the suspects is said to own a bookstore called "Blogett Books" on page 183 - - yet, just 23 pages later, that same suspect is said to own a bookstore called "Buckhead Books."  Honestly, how hard is it to remember a name you've given a bookstore, especially within 20 pages of each mention?

Would I recommend this series to mystery fans?  I doubt it.  Will I purchase a second book in the series if one comes out?  That remains to be seen...

RATING:  4 marble lion statues out of 10 for centering a mystery around a library and for giving Devlin a grandmother who is one to be reckoned with!

Courtney Crumrin, Volume Four - Monstrous Holidays

The dark and lonely world of Courtney Crumrin seems to get darker and lonelier with volume four of this graphic novel series.  Writer and artist Ted Naifeh takes his little sorceress on a journey through Romania and old Germany as she travels with her Uncle Aloysius, who, rather than teaching her about her powers, seems intent on holding her back - particularly when it comes to helping those she knows to be in need!

The first story in Monstrous Holiday finds Courtney trying to help two lovers escape the bigotry and hatred of a superstitious townsfolk.  When she discovers the daughter of the man she and her uncle are staying with is not in love with her fiance, but rather, has true feelings for a gypsy (who also turns out to be a werewolf), Courtney makes it her mission to confront the townspeople about their prejudices and help the young woman realize that following her heart and being true to herself (and her lover) is more important than abiding by her father's wishes to marry someone of means and stature.  Of course, love can't always conquer all, as poor Courtney finds out the hard way, and she leaves the village behind her with a growing bitterness to the emotion that seems so elusive.

The second story, though, shows Courtney what true love - and sacrifice - is all about.  While touring a castle that may or may not have been once owned by Courtney's own ancestors, she meets a young man who seems to share the same loneliness that she does.  The two become fast friends, but gradually Courtney, as well as her uncle, begins to suspect there is more to Wolfgang than meets the eye.  When she finds he casts no reflection, she first thinks he's a ghost ... but quickly discovers he is so much more than that.  Her Uncle Aloysius, on the other hand, takes the necessary precautions, which Courtney throws to the wind to be with her newfound friend.  And then the marks on her neck appear.  And just when all hope seems lost for poor Courtney - - well, I'm not going to spoil it, but let's just say that true, sacrificial love saves the day!

I am truly amazed at how varied these stories of Courtney Crumrin are.  Naifeh is able to craft unique, stand-alone tales, while at the same time, weaving an ongoing tale of this little witch and her growth in not just her powers, but in her understanding of human nature (as well as the nature of the supernatural beings that dwell around us).  These are not just tales of horror and supernatural - they are tales of human nature and makes you wonder, who is truly darker - man or monster?

Each volume I read of Courtney Crumrin makes me all the more glad that I picked up this series.  It's just a shame that there are only three more volumes left...

RATING:  10 sacred wafers out of 10 for making the reader question their viewpoints on good and bad, right and wrong, saint and sinner.

Shadow House Volume 1 - The Gathering

I actually debated about buying this series for quite a while - so long, in fact, that I didn't pick it up until the second book had come out.  I had some coupons for Barnes & Noble, didn't find anything else, so figured, what the heck?

Definitely a good choice!

I didn't realize when I bought that book that I already had other books by the author (although that explains why his name sounded familiar to me).  Dan Poblocki had previously written a three book series about "The Mysterious Four," a mystery trilogy about four young kids who decide to form a detective squad to solve mysteries in their town.  Fun reads, but definitely for the pre-teen crowd.  Not this series!  This series is dark, filled with supernatural and creepy horror, and most definitely for the early teen readers.

Shadow House: The Gathering introduces readers to its five protagonists - the shy orphan, Poppy; the musical genius, Marcus; the surviving sister, Azumi; and the precocious twins, Dash and Dylan.  Five pre-teens who couldn't be more different if they tried. Yet, they soon discovery they do have something in common - they have all been summoned in one fashion or another to the Larkspur house.  Poppy discovers a letter from an unknown relative; Marcus receives a scholarship to a new school of music; Azumi finds a boarding school that would take her away from her grieving family; and Dash and Dylan are hired to star in a new horror movie - all of them at the Larkspur house, otherwise known as the Shadow House.

As soon as the kids arrive at the house, the find themselves targets - from shadowy creatures, to masked ghost children, to the house itself.  Rooms and hallways change without notice, and once inside, the five kids find themselves locked in with no way out.  Of course, each of them is harboring a secret.  Poppy sees a ghost girl in every mirror.  Marcus hears music that no one else hears.  Azumi left her sister behind to disappear in a Japanese forest.  And Dash and Dylan - - well their secret was actually a big surprise, so I'm not going to spoil it here.  Suffice to say, it will not be what you expect!  From there, things only get worse, and the five of them must put aside their differences and band together if they want to survive whatever is happening in that house!

Poblocki definitely writes one heck of a scary tale!  The story itself is enough to give any pre-teen, or possibly even teenager, reading it the heebie-jeebies, but the ghostly photos throughout the book only cause readers even more uneasiness.  The images in the photos are not only ghostly, but downright creepy and disturbing.  Mix the story and the photos together, and you get a truly engaging story that will make you uncomfortable at times, make you jump at times, and make you want, above else, to read more and get these kids out of there!

By far, this has truly been my biggest surprise read of the year - did not initially hold out much hope for this to be all that great, but it far surpassed any expectations I had.  Not at all what I was expecting, and certainly scarier than some of the horror tales I've read lately aimed at adults.  Would definitely recommend this to any horror fans, young and old alike!

RATING:  9 ghostly girls in the mirror out of 10 for knowing how to tell a true tale of horror!

Model Undercover, Book 3 - London, Deadly by Design

While directing an upcoming play has eaten into my free time, it hasn't stopped me from reading completely - particularly when I have the third book in the superbly written series Model Undercover series.  This is definitely one of my favorite series.  Author Carina Axelsson has created a smart, lovable detective in Axelle, the wanna-be detective who is thrust into the world of modeling, where she manages to find mysteries galore to solve!

After Paris and New York, Axelsson brings her young detective back home to London in Deadly by Design.  And while her previous mysteries involved a kidnapping and stolen property, Axelle finds herself looking into a decades old murder when a friend of one of her model friends comes to her asking for help.  It seems this woman's brother was attacked and is now in a coma, and Axelle's friend, Ellie, referred the woman to her for help.  Having had no mystery to solve since her adventure in New York City, Axelle jumps at the opportunity.

The only clue she has to work with is a thumbdrive with the young man's last photo shoot - numerous "day in the life" shots of famed fashion designer Johnny Vane, as well as one very out of place photo of a picture with two young boys who appear to be twins.  Axelle knows the clue must be somewhere in that extra photo, but she doesn't know what.  With the help of her very own "Watson," the always faithful boyfriend, Sebastian, Axelle sets out to discover just what that photograph has to do with the attack on the young man, and how Johnny Vane and the tragic death of his mother and brother fit into it.

Weighing in at 349 pages, there is never a dull moment in this book.  Axelsson maintains a steady pace with her storytelling, providing a great build-up to the huge reveal at the end.  Yes, any true fan of mystery series books will figure out at least part of the solution to this mystery pretty early on, but seeing how Axelle and Sebastian get there is half the fun.  Plus, Axelsson provides a pretty good twist with the actual identity of the culprit, and the big reveal at the end when Axelle pulls all of her suspects into the same room before confronting them is sure to bring a smile to your face - it did mine!

And, of course, no good mystery series book about a young girl detective would be complete without a reference or two to Nancy Drew, the original girl sleuth:

"...all I wanted to do was solve mysteries--and I'd always felt that way.  Well, ever since my granny started spoon-feeding me detective stories:  Nancy Drew before I could read..." (p. 2)

"That, Nancy Drew, is on a need-to-know basis." (p. 31)

"All right, Nancy Drew, then what else do I have on my mind?"  (p. 342)

If only the Nancy Drew books of today were written as well as the Model Undercover books, then Simon & Schuster might actually have a best-selling series once again.  For now, though, I have the MU books to satisfy my well-written girl sleuth mystery series - and thankfully, there is a fourth book on its way (set in Milan, as the ending of this book hints).  It is already published overseas, so I can only hope it will eventually makes it way for sale here in the States this year.

RATING:  10 mudlarking adventures out of 10 for mingling the fashion world with the mystery genre in such a way as to make them both interesting!

Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 1 - Technophobia

I've been waiting for these Doctor/Donna full-cast audio CDs to come out for a while.  But after the let-down when reading the recent book that came out with these two, I started listening to this with a bit of trepidation.  Thankfully, the author (Matt Fitton) and the cast (including David Tennant and Catherine Tate) proved more than up to the challenge of bringing back this dynamic duo as the 10th Doctor and his best-ever companion, Donna Noble.

Donna Noble has always been (and will always be!) my favorite Doctor Who companion.  She is quick-witted, sarcastic, and never afraid to dress someone down if they disrespect her.  She's also never afraid to call the Doctor out on things if he isn't exactly handling things the way she feels they need to be handled.  And Fitton definitely 'gets' Donna.  Her characterization in this story is spot on, as is the 10th Doctor, with his fun-loving quirkiness that never takes himself too seriously and always offers any alien threat an opportunity to walk away before he does whatever he has to in order to protect the lives of the innocent.

In Technophobia, the Doctor and Donna pay a visit to London's Technology Museum, where they discover something is not quite right.  The technology seems to be attacking the visitors and employees of the Museum, and no one seems to be able to control any of it.  In fact, the more terrorizing the technology becomes, the more afraid people grow, to the point where they refuse to go anywhere near anything that is technologically based.  Except for the Doctor and Donna, of course.  And the receptionist, who just got back from a three-month back-packing trip. Which raises an alarm in the Doctor's mind, as he and Donna slowly come to the realizing it is not the technology that is doing anything - rather, it is actually the people who are changing.  They are losing their ability to understand and cope with the technology around them - from even the simplest coffee maker to the elevators and escalators to the high tech laptops.  The human race has sudden devolved in their intelligence and growing dumber by the second.

In true Doctor Who fashion, it is up to the Doctor and Donna to save all of humanity.  But how? And when the Doctor becomes infected with the virus and finds his own intelligence dwindling by the minute, it is up to Donna to put her noggin to good use and figure out how the bloody hell she's going to stop an alien race intent on wiping out the minds of the human race and creating a population of mindless slaves!

Excellent writing, fantastic characterization, and brilliant reading by the cast.  The Doctor and Donna are back and just as good as, if not better than, ever!  Can't wait to see what the second story holds in store...

RATING:  10 subway trains out of 10 for bringing this Donna Noble fanboy some great new stories of his favorite companion!

DC Super Hero Girls: Batgirl at Super Hero High

The series of books about DC's female super heroes continues with this third volume starring Batgirl.  Picking up at the exact point where the second book ended, Batgirl at Super Hero High tells the story of a hero without powers - a hero who uses her quick-thinking, super intelligence to outwit, out-maneuver, and out-smart her enemies.

Admittedly, the story starts off rather slowly - rather than a superhero battle or even a superhero origin tale, readers get more of a teen drama of "I'm not like all the other girls, I don't fit in, why won't my dad let me go with the other girls, etc, etc"  More than half of the book drones on this way, with only a tv show contest that Barbara (a/k/a Batgirl) wins to break the monotony.  It's not until Batgirl helps Harley Quinn create a three-dimensional HarleyGrams (instant messages that pop out of your computer in three dimensions!) that the battle comes into play.  Someone has tinkered with the HarleyGrams and turned them into HarleyWhams, bringing the messages to life so that they can not only cause damage to the individual computers, but ultimately bring down the entire internet!

The culprit is pretty easy to figure out, and it does provide a nice set up for the introduction of a new villain to the DC Super Hero Girls universe - one easily recognizable to the Barbara Gordon fans in her Oracle/Birds of Prey days.  (And speaking of which, Yee provides a nice nod to the BOP, as the "Birds of Prey" is a music group that Barbara listens to in her down time.)  The showdown between Batgirl and her arch-nemesis is fun to read, and I could easily picture it translated to comic book format as I was reading it.  While Yee does engage in some tech-savvy dialogue and such, she does not weigh down the book with so much technical blabber so as to bore the reader.  Plus, once Batgirl begins her campaign to defeat her nemesis, that is the time when we see the REAL Barbara Gordon / Batgirl come to life.  Prior to that, she's simply another whiny teenager.

While the story focuses on Batgirl, her friendship with Supergirl is a large part of the story (which is a nice throw-back to the pre-Crisis DC days when Supergirl and Batgirl were the best of friends in the comics) and Beast Boy actually gets some pretty good page time.  Wonder Woman takes a back seat, while lesser known character Katana sees more of the light (and well she should, since the epilogue would seem to indicate that she will be the star of the next book in this series).  If this series continues, I hope they will spotlight some of the lesser known characters - would love to see books on Starfire, Amethyst, Terra, Halo, Hawkgirl, and so on.  I suppose only time will tell.

RATING:  6 baby bats out of 10 for keeping the female super hero genre alive and for melding nicely Barbara Gordon's personas as both Oracle and Batgirl.

Twisted Dark TPB - Volume Five

The next installment in Neil Gibson's series of graphic novels, Twisted Dark, continues his tradition of short stories that not only interconnect in various ways, but also bring to light the darker side of humanity, both in good ways and in bad ways.  The first four volumes in this series have introduced a number of characters that have appeared here and there in scattered stories throughout the four graphic novels, and several of them return in this volume for readers to learn even more about them and the events that shaped them into the people they become.

I normally do not like the rotating artists that a lot of DC and Marvel titles have, as every artist has a tendency to draw the characters differently (sometimes very drastically), and so it detracts from the reading enjoyment of the story. For Twisted Dark, however, Gibson's decision to utilize different artists for each of his short stories works wonderfully. He manages to select artists that can perfectly portray the mood of the story, and thus, it adds a flavor of emotion and horror to each of the stories that otherwise would not be there if only one artist were to draw all of the stories.

"Embarrassment" and "Sunflowers" tell the story of Mark and his coming out - and how that affects his family and friends - including his first crush, his father, and ultimately, his mother (and even how it affects Mark himself). This one was probably the most touching for me, as it so brutally hits the mark (no pun intended) on the broken families that so many young men and women face when they come out to their families.

"Preparation" and "Interview" and "Art" tell the story of El Nudillo and Liam Chapman - the first from El Nudillo's point of view, the second from Liam Chapman's point of view, and the third from an omniscient point of view. By taking three different perspectives of this continuing story, the reader sees the warped psyches of each of the characters and sees how the depravity of one feeds off the other.

"Duty" and "Yubitsume" were only so-so tales - the first about a father-in-law's warning to his son-in-law about the duty he has to his wife and what will happen if he shirks it again, while the second deals with just how far two people will go to prove their love to one another.  I wouldn't call either story very "dark" per se, but they definitely made some valid points.

But, by far, my favorite tale from this volume was "The Secret War" (not to be confused with nor in any way connected with the various Marvel Comics series by the same name). This story delves into the truly twisted logic of some minds - how one woman, whose husband, and later son, were taken from her due to the government's repeated bombings of foreign soil. So she sets out to teach people how to defuse the remaining bombs and incendiaries that were left behind, un-triggered, so as to avoid any horrible accidents. However, her class field trips to the very area where the bombs remain turn into a horror story of accidents, mishaps, and lost limbs - all so she can use the horrific photos as a means to spark special interest stories in the situation and raise funds to put an end to it. How often in real life do people and corporations use the misfortune and losses of others to further their own goals?

Gibson admits in the introduction to this volume that even he has a difficult time keeping track of the characters from his various stories, and yet his fans are able to track them and repeat them to him in a clear and concise timeline.  Yet, from my reading of these first five volumes, he has flawlessly weaved these stories into one another, some subtly and some blatantly, all the while making each short tale a stand-alone story that will make the reader think.

This series is not for the casual reader, is definitely not for kids, and is not for anyone who simply wants a fun story to read - be warned: these graphic novels will make you stop and think!

7 Darth Vader helmets out of 10 for not being afraid to tell some extremely dark tales about our society and, yet, make them engaging to read.