Mystery Crime Books

This is an ok book. A girl named Cara (which I do not know how to say) is the nobody of her school. Nobody knows who she is until one day she posts a newsletter on the wall of her teacher's classroom. The teacher, Mr. Larson is a really lazy teacher who doesn't do much while he is teaching. He just sits around and reads the newspaper. So to shorten most of it, Cara writes something mean about the lazy teacher Mr. Larson and he gets mad. Cara then apologizes and then Mr. Larson realizes he is a bad teacher and he decides that the class project will have to make a school newspaper.He then puts Cara in charge. Then the pricipal,Dr. Barnes finds a problem in the newspaper that he doesn't like and then tries to get Mr. Larson fired and they go to court and blah blah blah.
For me it was way too easy. There really isn't many characters just the girl and the teacher. This book is ment for kids younger then twelve to read. The ending was good but in the end I didn't care what happened. The pros would be little nice short story that makes you feel good. Cons areit was just too easy and when in the part of when he seus him, you already know that it will be a happy ending.

In my opinion The Landry News was a great book because it was so realistic.It had problems that could happen to any kid.Everybody has school problems,and it's talking about a girls problem with her principal and teacher.For these reasons I thout that The Landry News was an exiting and fun book to read.
by,
Reid

I think The Landry News is a truly inspiring story. For instance, when Mr. Larson knew that there was a possibility he could get fired instead of panicking he just started teaching and turned the emotional stir into a journalism unit for his class. The Landry News is one of the best kids books I have ever read! It just feels like you are going through the whole adventure with Cara and Mr. Larson. I think Andrew Clements has an amazing way of grasping the thoughts that go on in kid's heads during school. This story is a great one to read and if you have the opportunity you should definitely read it. I reccomend this book for anyone else who is interested in reading thr Landry News.
(Made by an M.B student)

I think this is a good book for 4th-6th graders. I didn't think that this was a hard story to read. Any kid that can get their hands on it should. This is a good story because it has an interesting problem. The book had a lot of characters, so that made it fun to read. Read This Book!

I liked this book because it had a lot of different emotions - from Dr. Barne's anger at Mr. Larson to Cara being sad about her parent's divorce. It is a great lesson on free speech. I highly recommend you read this book.

Just finished it.... not so good. The writing really gets jumbled at times, and the plot is a bit shaky. Overall, the finished product was decent, but it just did not live up to the standards set by the first 2 books. I found myself saying "what the f'k" and "who the hell's talking" way too many times. Hopefully the next one improves on an interesting set up at the end of this one.

While I also enjoyed this book, it was harder for me stay interested in than the other Huston books I have read. There was a whole new clan of vampires introduced and I felt like a lot of time was spent on this new group without much to show for it (they were basically all killed off!). It was also hard to keep track of who was speaking as there were a lot of characters contributing dialog in a short span of text. I am intersted in seeing where the new leader of The Enclave will take his group as well as to see how the story line of Lydia, Evie and Joe will play out.

Certainly not the best of Mr. Huston's novels but one I guess you should read so as to be prepared when the next one (hopefully back on track) is available.

Well, kids, the gloves are off. Sure, ALREADY DEAD and NO DOMINION were pretty tough books - lots of heartless jockeying for power, lots of bones breaking, a few corpses at the end of it all - but by the end of HALF THE BLOOD IN BROOKLYN those were the good old days.

First of all, Joe's taken a job with the Society. It's the safe way to go, but Joe just isn't cut out for that kind of teamwork. His pride has suffered - and so have his morals. He's back to being a hired gun, and for the first time we see him killing indiscriminately. The bodies pile up fast.

Second of all, Evie is dying. She's physically a wreck, and she's not all there mentally, either. The crisis we've seen coming for the past couple of books has arrived: Joe has to let her die, or try to save her by making her a vampire. Naturally, things don't go as planned.

Meanwhile, Joe's sent across the river to Brooklyn. The Society is reaching out to the boroughs for allies and they've found a rag-tag band of carnival freaks who need support. They find out why soon enough: a clan of conservative Jewish vampires is well on its way to owning Brooklyn, and the circus freaks are getting in the way. Sounds simple enough - but when the Coalition and the Society are both involved, everything is complicated. Wheels within wheels.

I read with my heart in my throat for most of the book - too anxious about what would happen next to put it down for even a minute. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger - and I look forward to finding out what happens next.

did not like the style of writing. plot was hard to follow. not worth the money

Joe Pitt is going through a rough time. His girlfriend is dying of AIDS, he's lost his independence and is working as enforcer for the Society, and then there's the little matter of being a vampire--with the attendant need for blood. Fortunately, Joe doesn't have much by way of morals, which helps take care of the blood issue. Less fortunately, there's something going on in New York--something dangerous. When his boss asks him to look into possible alliances with a group of vampires living in Brooklyn, Joe wants nothing more than to walk away. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy and Joe ends up walking into a bloodbath.

Between the Docks, the Freaks, and the Chosen, Brooklyn is a mess, but it's a mess that seems doomed to impact the vampire communities on Manhattan. Of course, once Joe finishes with them, there are a lot fewer to impact.

Author Charlie Huston continues his Joe Pitt hardboiled vampire fantasy with another fast-paced and violent adventure. Joe is something of an anti-hero. He's practically an equal opportunity hater, and manages to create a lot of negative feelings back at him. Using broken phrases, obscenity-laden speech, dialect tags reflecting the ethnic origins of his characters, and the continual threat of violence, Huston kept me involved in the story, reading just one more page, even when I had a hard time finding anyone to cheer for.

Pitt chooses to use a dash (--) rather than quotation marks to mark out dialogue and, I have to say, I found this distracting and slowing down my reading. The casual murder of a pan-handler and the less casual but still amoral murder of the 'Docks' gang, coupled with more justified but still gruesome violence against other characters will put off some readers, especially as Pitt seems going through the motions, not driving toward any goal, not even seeing a possible way out of the cycle of death he's caught in. Even the Enclave, which once held a bit of (unlikely) hope now is closed to Pitt.

HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN serves as a sort of ending for Pitt's relationship with Manhattan. He's burned his bridges with just about every organization on the island and will now need to create a new world for himself. When he does, it's certain to be violent, amoral, and dangerous.

I love both the JP Beaumont and the Joanna Brady series. I have read every one in order and each one has captured my attention (not easy to do) from beginning to end. I can't wait from one to the next to see what scrapes they will get into next.

This is a novel that deviates from the norm for this author. Jance usually delivers compelling mysteries with good accompanying personal developments in the life of the main characters. In this case, there is a lot more focus on what is going on in the life of J.P. Beaumont and on the political games within the police department. In turn, the mystery is not nearly as interesting and the conclusion feels rushed and does not include all the necessary details.

Beau is working babysitting a movie crew when a body turns up in the water by the location where filming is taking place, which means that he is not part of the case, but his interest is piqued. Since one of the lead detectives on the murder case is obnoxious and pedantic, Beau gets involved, in an effort to bring justice to the victim and show his newly found nemesis how to perform good police work. This in turn will generate tension within the department and pose challenges for carrying out the investigation. For the reader, this implies that we do not get a full picture of the facts, and therefore, find it harder to make sense of who the culprit is and why the events unfolded in the way they did.

Even though this is a subpar effort for J.A. Jance, I think that it is a slightly above average novel for this genre. I found myself reading almost nonstop and finishing the book quickly, but the most interesting part was Beau's interactions with other characters, not the murder case. I think that this means that for those people that are not familiar with the series, it is going to be a lot more interesting to look elsewhere. Those that have been reading this series in order though, will probably find that they like the story, and that it represents a change of pace from the previous installments. However, now it is time for this author to come back strong with another exciting and fast-paced mystery!

If JA Jance is Seattle's Dashiell Hammett, I am moving to San Francisco. This is pretty OK. But keep in mind I read Louis LaMour sometimes too. I am just not proud of it.

"J P Beaumont"-known as "Beau"-is a Seattle homicide cop with a private income ,a man whose job fills a need in him more emotional and psychological than monetary.While acting as technical adviser on a movie being shot near Lake Union,he stumbles across a body floating on the lake.Tha case is officially the provenance of the ultra ambitious cop "Paul Kramer"who insisits it is an accidental death;Beau is unpersuaded and continues to delve into the case.
The body is that of an ironworker-one of the people who put up iron girders on skyscrapers-and soon another ironworker is killed,by a fall on the job.
Beau's delving into the vase earns him official displeasure but he is vindicated when the deaths turn out to be murder and related one to the other.The bulk of the book concerns his unravelling of the case and it winds its way to a smooth but predictable climax.
These words sum up my view of the book0it is neat and tidy in execution but ,for me ,it never really took flight and transcended the functional level of being an agreeable time passer.
Beau is a character I have problems with mainly because in many respects he resembles the gifted amateur sleuth beloved of the "golden age "writers,and who just happens to be a cop.I could not swallow porsch driving cop with an apartment in Seattle's more upmarket area.
Polished and professional this will most likely be enjoyed by lovers of the "medium boiled "crime story

This J.P. Beaumont novel was not up to the same standards as the others I have read. There was no emotion. I also am seeing the same M.O. Beau tries to do some sleuthing on his own time, gets accused of murder and then goes to jail where the officers are hateful to him. Beau then makes a few phone calls and the officers apologize for their behavior and all is well.

In this novel Beau is investigating the Iron Workers Local after several workers die under mysterious circumstances. In order to work on the case he has to beg Kramer to let him on. How thoroughly sad.

The highlight of this book is that even when J.A. Jance isn't at her best, she is still better than most.

Kinsey Millhone is an absolute delight in 'E is for Evidence'. This is the second-time around in rereading most of her mysteries in the alphabet series ... and she was great the first-time round & continued her fantastic story-telling with EVIDENCE. If there is any criticism, perhaps she is often too unnecessarily descriptive with her environs; nonetheless, I highly recommend most of her novels as totally fun, intriguing 'reads'.

There is evidence everywhere lost or planted, but no real evidence. Kinsey must find some evidence to solve this case or loose it all. This is another one of Grafton's fast moving detective stories. Her protagonist, Kinsey gets your attention and you cannot put this book down. Take a little time to read it. It is a good read. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and Natchez Above The River

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersTravelersThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

I've been reading these in order, obviously beginning with "A". I especially like the main character, Kinsey. She is so down to earth and I love how she unravels mysteries and I admire how organized she is in her work. This series does not need to be read in order by any means. I just like to do it if I can. They always keep me guessing about what is going on as I try to unravel the clues along with Kinsey. I do not always like the way the books end. I would prefer a little more of a wrap-up, particularly in this one (I just didn't quite "get it" at the end). The books are short enough that I can read them very quickly and they always keep my attention (which isn't at all easy).

This is my favorite of the alphabet mysteries I have read so far. I highly recommend it.

How can i review this product if it still has not arrived, this contrary to the other two books, which you sent later.

Under normal circumstances, this book would probably warrant a 1-star review, but I'm feeling in the holiday spirit.

UGH! I cannot believe Fluke's writing. How on earth do her editors let her get away with these totally unbelievable plot lines? I feel like she wrote herself into a corner on this one and came up with the double Santa explanation to get herself out of a hard spot. It just does not hold up at all. And why don't Mike and the Sheriff just retire and let Hannah, Andrea, et al, take over fighting crime? The way the medical examiner would provide info to them at the drop of a hat??? Whatever.

The other two stories weren't bad. The Lucy Stone one was actually kind of cute, seeing some of the regular characters in their early days of meeting each other. But that story was pretty lame, as well.

The middle one -- whew. What can I say except it rivals Fluke's for sheer unbelievability? (If I were arrested for suspicion of murder, my first call would be to an attorney, not to the chick who wrote my Yellow Pages ad).

Read this if you are desperate for some Christmassy murder. But don't expect too much.

To begin with, the badge name is incorrect,I am Laura Larkin.
I have read all of Ms Fluke's cookie mysteries and enjoyed them - I even tried some of the recipes and a couple became part of my holiday cookie baking. BUT this book was disappointing, the brevity of the story was the first disappointment, secondly, in the Chocolate Candy Cane Cookie recipe, Ms Fluke explains how to melt the chocolate and butter then never says to add it. The story seemed rushed, and not well thought out. The second story by Ms Levine was trite and annoying-especially the "comments" by her cat. One gets the feeling Ms Levine never owned a cat and blended the personality traits from Garfield and Heathcliff comics. The last story by Ms Meier was well constructed and an enjoyable read. The publisher should have proofread the manuscripts and advertised the book as being three short Christmas mysteries rather than another Fluke mystery novel with other authors.

I didn't realize - even after I started reading it - that this was three stories in one book! I simple saw `Joanne Fluke' and snatched up the book. Hence I was a little shocked when her mystery - the first one - came to a rather abrupt halt. While the first three-quarters of the story was intriguing and well written, with all the characters fans of the series know and love (or hate), the end seemed so fast and unsatisfying. Like a sitcom 30-second wrap-up. The recipe for making cookies out of cake mix and cool whip, on the other hand, is incredible.

I actually enjoyed the other stories more than Fluke's. They seemed more balanced and well-paced for short stories. I particularly enjoyed the heroine (Jaine) in "The Dangers of Candy Canes". She was likeable for her imperfections and had a great attitude. The mystery was simple enough, straightforward and enjoyable. The final story was much slower, told as a flashback, and there was no real sense of tension or doom - still, it was interesting and well-written.

Overall, each of the stories was very different in atmosphere and pacing, and all of them were good in their own way. Even if you're not a huge fan of Fluke, I'd suggest reading the other two if you're a fan of simple, light mysteries and good characters.

I am not the biggest fan of short stories. I want more content to sink my teeth into. However, this book was the exception. I loved it! Hannah was in her usual keen sleuthing mode. I liked how the second short story referred back to Joanne's story and recipes. I am especially thrilled to be introduced to Leslie Meier. I enjoyed her story and I plan to read more of her books.

This is one of the most wonderful, charming, interesting, and fun books that I have ever read. I was very satisfied when I finished it. This book is three books in one, by three different authors. All three books are fun, very well-written, clever, and entertaining.

"Candy Cane Murder" by Joanne Fluke:

The first book is by Joanne Fluke. Anybody who reads my reviews knows how crazy I am over the Hannah Swensen series, and this book is no exception.

This book starts out with Hannah at the Christmas party, dressed up as an elf. They are having a dinner and invited the children at the children's home. Hannah has a bucket of miniature candy canes for the children, and is looking forward to making candy cane cookies with the leftovers. When leaving the party, Hannah and her sisters find a miniature candy cane. . . Hannah also finds a body. I will not say more about the candy cane because I do not want to ruin the book.

There are lots of clever clues and fun adventures. The final solving of the mystery is very interesting and clever. And the recipes really look good. On a scale of 1 to 5, a hundred stars would not be enough for Joanne Fluke's part.

"The Dangers of Candy Canes" by Laura Levine:

While putting a huge, decorative neon candy cane on a roof, the person falls off because a shingle is loose. Was the roofer negligant in making sure the shingle was in place, or did someone deliberately loosen the shingle? Jaine is determined to find out. She goes on some interesting investigative adventures until she finds out who did it. The mystery solving was interesting.

This book was fun and funny. I had never read anything by this author before. By itself, this book would definitely have been 5 stars. Actually, a lot more than that. Five stars would not have been enough.

"Candy Canes of Christmas Past" by Leslie Meier:

Lucy, the main character, reflects on her first Christmas in Tinkers Cove, Maine as a young wife and mother. She makes friends with Miss Tilley and Sue Finch (and others). A glass candy cane makes Miss Tilley remember the death of her mother, which was many years ago. I will not say how the candy cane makes her remember, because I do not want to ruin the book for those who haven't read it. Lucy solves her first mystery that year: she solves the mystery of Miss Tilley's mother's death, even though it was many years ago. I enjoyed the mystery solving; it was really clever.

I love the atmosphere of this book. Lucy is taken back in time when she was a struggling new wife and mother. Her little boy, Toby, is sweet and adorable. Their house needs a lot of costly repairs. Even though those times seem hard and bad, those were actually the "good ole days". I know this because I have been reading the Lucy Stone series, and as the series progresses, and the kids get older, and Lucy and her husband are doing better financially, the atmosphere isn't quite as good and sentimental. But this story is more like one of the original books of the series, back when it was one of my favorite series.

On a scale of 1 to 5, a hundred stars are not enough.

This entire book as a whole:

This is one of the best books I've ever read. All 3 novellas were wonderful, clever, fun, interesting, and entertaining. If you like fun, warm, comfortable cozy mysteries, I highly recommend this book.

Not your average mystery. The infusion of the quilting makes this mystery a step above the rest. The characters are intriguing and I couldn't put the book down. It left me wanting to know more about the residents of Foggy Point. Hope there are more!

Quilt as Desired melds the world of quilting with the cozy mystery genre in a delightful way and is a must read for any quilter.

This was a super book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and any mystery lover would.

An engaging mystery, of special interest to quilters (I'm puzzled by the review from someone who refers to "arm quilting" which is really long-arm quilting, as any quilter would know), but certainly a mystery which stands on its own and has broad appeal. My 91-year old mother, who is an avid reader with an active and alert mind, loved it, and like Ms. Sachitano's other fans waits impatiently for the next book in the series.

Reviewed by J. Edwards for ReviewYourBook.com, 1/08
Harriet Truman began her new life five years after losing her husband to a terminal illness. She returned to Foggy Point, Washington to visit her aunt Beth. Beth gave her the house and the Long-Arm Quilting Studio. Aunt Beth planned for a long extended cruise to Europe. Harriet was shocked and upset; she had not planned to stay more than a month. Her Aunt's friend, Avanell Jalbert, introduces her to all of the members of their quilting group, "Loose Threads." She also meets Aiden, Avanell's youngest son, who has just returned from Africa and plans on opening a veterinarian clinic. Harriet is responsible for getting all of the shop's quilts entered in the quilting competition. Things began to happen, the shop was burglarized, quilts were damaged, and Avanell was murdered.
The plot of Quilt As Desired has great potential, unfortunately it is a stitch short. There were too many people introduced into the story line. Quilt As Desired is filled with details about arm-quilting and different quilt patterns. I like quilts but this was too much. The descriptive words were dull and choppy. Nothing flowed smoothly. I had trouble staying focused on this book. I wanted to know who committed the murder and had to restrain myself from just jumping to the end of the book. Quilt As Desired lacked some stitches...

Randy Wayne White is an outstanding writer and his novels are usually quick reading page turners. North of Havana is a little different because it is set in Cuba and the character dynamics are different. Tomlinson seems laregly insane and Dewey Nye (who accompanies Doc to Cuba against his wishes) does not seem to fit into this story very well. For some reason North of Havana bogs down a little. It's not a bad read but didn't pull me in the way Randy's books usually do. That being said, you need to read this one in sequence with the others if you want to fully understand the story of Doc Ford's relationship with Dewey, Pilar, and his son.

Like the rest of the Doc Ford novels, it's well worth the time.

I have been interested in reading the reviews of this book. I read widely, and have read all of RWW's books and I am surprised at some of the negative reviews here. I read "North of Havana" last (of RWW books including nonfiction) and liked it as well as any other. I did not think the book slowed at all and I found it interesting until the end.

The reviews on this page turned me off from reading "North of Havana," but having no other RWW to read, I picked it up. I am glad I did. If you are a fan, don't let negative reviews keep you from enjoying this one too.

RWW is always excellent! I have read his 1st five books this last year-
normally I get bored with authors and will not read more than 2 a year.
Each story is very different from the previous yet is very much part of the series.
Each character seems authentic and with a voice unique from the others.
Most authors seem to have trouble doing this - their characters talk from the roughly the same voice or perspective.
This story might have been a little slow but RWW writes so well I don't mind. Plenty of suprises big & subtle. As always good characters, fast paced dialogue,action and emotion. Once again I'm dissappointed to be finished. On to book 6!

I'm a big RWW fan and enjoyed this book as well, but as stated by an earlier reviewer, I thought "North of Havana" lost a little steam midway through. It may have been the fact that Tomlinson, whose eccentricities are normally a source of mild consternation for Doc Ford, are the cause of some major problems, both to Ford and to his female companion. That those character flaws lead indirectly to several deaths makes Tomlinson less quirky and more downright irritating.

Otherwise, an action-focused entry in a great series of novels.

I have read every one of Hillerman's books and now I am working my way through them as books on tape. Gil Silverbird read this book and he did a fantastic job.

"The Dark Wind" is one of Hillerman's best. He gives you a good solid bit of Native culture with a murder and a drug deal gone bad and it makes an unbeatable combination. Excellent.

well this gook was really good.it was about an indain man named Jim Chee who was walking on a trail in the middle of the desert and found a boot lying in the middle of the trail and a few steps later he saw a dead man with his hands and feet skined.and one late night at a little little air strip Jim heard a plane flying realy low but could not see any lights from the plane that had crashed but a "white" man told him not to get into it.and this is a start of a religos peroid.but other bad thigs happen withch i dont want to spoil it for you.

"The Dark Wind" is a very interesting book. It has a lot of suspense and Hillerman takes you into the book with his descriptions. This book is a murder mystery that keeps you thinking. It also keeps getting weirder as you read.
The book starts with three Hopi Indians walking up a trail and discovering a boot lying in the middle of it. They walk up the trail a little ways more and discover a dead body. The body was reported and picked up some time after the three Hopis discovered it. by the time it was recovered it couldn't be identified. Later in the book Jim Chee (the main character) is told to watch a windmill that has been vandalized two times before. in the middle of the night Chee hears a plane flying low, but cant see any lights from it. a short while later he hears a crash and goes to investigate. When he gets there he finds two people dead and one that is almost dead. He trys to find out what happened form the one that is alive, but he dies before he can say anything.
The book keeps going like this getting Chee mixed up in all of it. Chee knows he didn't do anything wrong, but he is the only one that thinks that he is innocent. Over all I would recommend this book to any body that likes mysteries or that just wants a book that makes you think and makes you feel like your right there with the characters

Recently I read THE SHAPE SHIFTER by Tony Hillerman and was disappointed by the overall shoddiness of the writing and story. It just wasn't what I had come to expect from, arguably, one of the best writers to come along in recent years. So I went back and read THE DARK WIND. I suppose I wanted to see whether my expectations had become unfairly high or if there really was an appreciable difference between one of Hillerman's early novels and his latest.

What I discovered was absolutely striking. Here in THE DARK WIND was the detail, the thought, the word-smithing excellence and the professionalism that made Hillerman a sensation. Here were the various single threads of plotline that seem, at first, to be so disconnected and unrelated but that, in the hands of the master, are then woven into the fabric of a splendid story. I rediscovered that THE DARK WIND is what I have come to expect from a Hillerman tale and its characteristics are to be found in many of Hillerman's most esteemed works. Here are the allusions to Navajo culture, with its simplicity, charm and mysticism, interspersed with the trappings of the modern world as Jim Chee comes face to face with mystery, murder and witchery. Here were the colors, scenery and the splendor that Hillerman invariably sets as the backdrop to his stories. Here was the literary integrity that I have missed in Hillerman's more recent offerings.

If you've just read THE SHAPE SHIFTER and have determined to take an indefinite break from Tony Hillerman, think again and pick up one of his earlier stories. You might want to do what I did and reread THE DARK WIND!

THE HORSEMAN

"Enemies unseen... Fears unspoken...... A dark wind has entered his soul"

Navajo Tribal Police Sgt. Jim Chee seems to be batting zero; so far he has not been able to solve a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. In an area that was joint use land between the Navaho and the Hopi (now Hopi) Sgt Jim Chee is given the task of finding the vandal that keeps destroying a windmill placed there to make Hopi life easer. He hears an airplane landing in the dark of night with no lights. The plane crashes and leaves a dying pilot. Also a dead man sitting up against a rock with a note in his hand saying if you want it back contact...

Sgt Chee is told that it is probably drugs and federal jurisdiction. Chee is not supposed to go anywhere near or have anything to do with the case. He has his own problems with the mill, a missing thief, and a mysterious ritual death. Naturally he listens, and can not help it if they overlap.


One of the reasons for reading Hillerman's books maybe more important than the overlying mystery is the descriptions of the area and the Ways of the Navaho and Hopi. Hillerman suggests you also read "The Book of the Hopi" by Frank Waters.

Not as intricate as the book but still fun is the movie "Dark Wind" (Lou Diamond Phillips as Officer Jim Chee, Fred Ward as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn)