Books

Review of All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

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All Together Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 7
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: January 20, 2016
Date Finished: January 21, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)all_together_dead
Betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must now not only deal with a possible new man in her life—the oh-so-handsome shapeshifter Quinn—but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit. With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for a takeover. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

Review:
Sookie became useful… so much more useful than she likely wishes she had become.

While she learns some things about Quinn, what she learns more is that she has quite the loyalty to one particular vampire, and a large loss of respect or desire to help another. The mysteries in this novel mostly have to do with vampire politics, but it also revealed important revelations about Sookie’s romantic interests and just how much they cared for her.

The mysteries were well done, and while I managed to figure one out, I hadn’t figured out the second one in entirety. Unfortunately, part of my ability to reckon what was going on may have been highly influenced by the acknowledgements, which would have been much better off in the back of the book and not the front, considering the spoilers within.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

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Definitely Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 6
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 342

Date Started: January 20, 2016
Date Finished: January 20, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)book06definitelydead
As a person with so few living relatives, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never guessed that it would be her cousin Hadley—a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. After all, technically speaking, Hadley was already dead. And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers the inheritance definitely comes with a risk.

Someone doesn’t want Sookie looking too deeply into Hadley’s past—or for that matter, Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. But who? The range of suspects runs from the Rogue Weres who reject Sookie as a friend of the Pack to the Vampire Queen herself, who could be working through a particularly vulnerable subject—Sookie’s first love, Bill.

Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous—and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…

Review:
No matter her thoughts, Sookie is going to end up deeper into vampire politics than she ever wanted to.

Relationship wise, this book hits the jackpot. We have so many new faces introduced with good characterization, and you also get to see some already known faces and watch as their relationships with Sookie shift and deepen.

I had guessed of what the king might be trying to do, but what really blindsided me and made me truly sympathetic towards Sookie was the betrayal she learned of. As for the second side of the mystery, I figured it out far too soon, but I sure was glad Quinn was there to help Sookie deal with it (Eric too!)

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

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Dead as a Doornail
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 5
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 19, 2016
Date Finished: January 20, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)200px-dead_as_a_doornail
Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

Review:
There were a few discontinuities in this novel, things that didn’t match up with previous books, like mention of Sookie never having a dishwasher before, when in a previous novel Arlene had put dishes in the dishwasher when looking over her, but this didn’t disrupt the overall novel.

I only had a tiny idea of who to suspect at all, and it was a very very faint one. Like the rest of the novels, this one had not just one but two rather good mysteries. Thank goodness Sookie has a fairy looking out for her!

While Sookie remains unattached in this novel, it’s interesting to see the relationship dynamics between she and the vampires she is familiar with, especially with Bill starting to see someone else.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

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Club Dead
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 3
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 258

Date Started: January 18, 2016clubdead
Date Finished: January 19, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Sookie’s boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she’s off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill—caught in an act of betrayal—she’s not sure whether to save him…or sharpen some stakes.

Review:
It was good to see Sookie forced out of her comfort zone and although I didn’t necessarily like what happened with Bill, it was good for her to realize even people that seem perfect can falter.  The new people introduced are interesting and have great depth.

The mystery in this one was very much purely supernatural, and I have no complaints about it.

One thing that does get annoying is Sookie’s constant mention of no one asking her to marry them. She and Bill were only dating a few months, and he’s a vampire. A bit of an unrealistic expectation, but since her only previous relationship experience is reading romance novels, I suppose it’s understandable.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 2
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 290

Date Started: January 16, 2016
Date Finished: January 18, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)livingdeadindallas
Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it). The point is: they saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges – and soon Sookie’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that’s easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly…

Review:
Finally, in this book we see that Sookie has to honour a commitment she made too lightly in the first book to a certain vampire, which shows that you should not agree to do something continually if you have no desire to do so.

The relationship dynamics in this book series continue to evolve and it was interesting to see Bill and Sookie’s relationship shift throughout.

The human mystery in this novel was far harder to have any grasp on before getting to very far into the rising action. The climax was completely unexpected, and very intriguing, making me anxious to see what other creatures Sookie might encounter in the future, as well as if her supernatural friends will be able to continue keeping her safe.

 

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

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Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood 1
By Charlaine Harris

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 336

Date Started: January 15, 2016
Date Finished: January 16, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)dead-until-dark
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much – not because she’s not pretty, she’s a very cute bubbly blonde, or not interested in a social life – she really is …but Sookie’s got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he’s tall, he’s dark and he’s handsome – and Sookie can’t ‘hear’ a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he’s fussy about his food, he doesn’t like suntans and he’s never around during the day …Yep, Bill’s a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble – of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie’s colleagues at the bar is killed, and it’s beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim …

Review:
In the beginning I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this novel. Sookie is the epitome of a dumb blonde. Between the constant references to what she was wearing to the amounts of times people had to tone down what they were saying because she couldn’t comprehend adult situations I hadn’t been sure I’d ever like her. Luckily, she began to develop as she met Bill.

All of the characters are well developed, and the mystery is slow burning. The mystery made perfect sense although it was hard to pinpoint which person it could possibly be given the large amount of people that seem to dislike the undead.

All in all, I picked up book 2 as soon as I was finished with this one.

charlaineAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
For information on Charlaine Harris, please view her Amazon author page here.

Review of Dead and Gone by Norah McClintock

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Dead and Gone
Mike & Riel Mysteries
By Norah McClintock

Star Rating: 
Genre: YA Mystery

Number of Pages: 224

Date Started: January 12, 2016
Date Finished: January 14, 2016dead-and-gone

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
A shallow grave. Human remains. An unsolved murder from years ago. It looks like the past is coming back to wreak havoc on Mike’s new life. What’s making the usually unshakeable Riel so rattled, and what does a beautiful but manipulative girl have to do with it all?

Review:
From the first page I was hooked. I hadn’t read the other books that started Mike and Riel Mysteries, but that didn’t stop me from getting right into this one. All of the characters were well developed with strong personalities and moral compasses (or lack thereof). Mike, despite his faults, is easy to empathize with, because he doesn’t always consider the big picture when deciding to do things, which is something that everyone has to learn.

While this book is a mystery, I found that there were plenty of clues along the way that would lead a critical thinker to the conclusion, while still having far too much more to read. Despite that, I still read to the end, waiting to see if any of the characters might have a dramatic explosion over the major reveal.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
Norah McClintock has won an unprecedented five Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Fiction for Mistaken Identity, The Body in the Basement, Sins of the Father, Scared to Death and Break and Enter. McClintock has also been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for her non-fiction title Body, Crime, Suspect; No Escape was nominated for the White Pine Award; and Hit and Run was nominated for the Red Maple Award in 2004.

Review of Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

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Teen Idol
By Meg Cabot

Star Rating: 
Genre: YA

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 4, 2016
Date Finished: January 5, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)teen-idol
High school junior Jenny Greenley is so good at keeping secrets that she’s the school newspaper’s anonymous advice columnist. She’s so good at it that, when hotter-than-hot Hollywood star Luke Striker comes to her small town to research a role, Jenny is the one in charge of keeping his identity under wraps. But Luke doesn’t make it easy, and soon everyone – the town, the paparazzi, and the tabloids alike – know his secret . . . and Jenny is caught right in the middle of all the chaos.

Review:
Like so many Meg Cabot books, this novel shows that sometimes it’s easier to get along with everyone and blend in than it is to speak up and be yourself. Jenny was an extremely likeable character, and even the characters that were somewhat annoying grew during the novel, developing into people you could empathize with and care about.

Another amazing lesson that this novel shows is that relationships, even chance meetings between people, can be very touching to all involved. No matter age or occupation, there is always something you can learn from others, and what that something is can often be surprising.

Although this book originally came out in 2004 it seems a bit dated, perhaps because technology has evolved and cell phones have become almost essential to today’s youth. Despite that, the book was still a pleasure to read, and had great morals.

meg-cabotAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Meg Cabot was born in Indiana during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign, but has been working hard ever since to give herself a happy ending. Her books for both adults and tweens/teens have included multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers, selling well over 25 million copies worldwide. Her Princess Diaries series has been published in more than 38 countries and was made into multiple hit films by Disney. Meg’s numerous other award-winning books include the Mediator series and the Heather Wells mystery series. Meg Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming”) currently lives in Key West with her husband.

Review of The Red Box by Rex Stout

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The Red Box
A Nero Wolf Mystery (4)
By Rex Stout

Star Rating: 
Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Number of Pages: 454

Date Started: December 27, 2016
Date Finished: January 4, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)the-rubber-band-red-box
Murder by chocolate? That’s the premise Nero Wolfe must operate from when a beautiful woman is poisoned after indulging in a box of candy. It’s a case that the great detective—no stranger himself to overindulgence—is loath to take for a variety of reasons, including that it may require that he leave his comfortable brownstone. But he and Archie are compelled by a mystery that mixes high fashion and low motives…and a killer who may have made the deadliest mistake.

Review:
How can you not love the crazy characters in this novel? This story showcases many characters with different personalities and they are all quite in depth. Starting with a trick to get Mr. Wolfe interested, it is impossible not to want to learn more as the story progresses and we learn more about the Frost family.

Once again, I saw the characters as they were on the show A Nero Wolfe Mystery, and again I had an inkling what the end result would be– though I had no idea who the murderer was. Wolfe was absolutely genius in this one, and I didn’t see the ending coming.

rexAuthor Biography:
Rex Todhunter Stout (/staʊt/; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction, particularly the 33 novels and about 40 novellas that featured the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin between 1934 and 1975.

In 1959, Stout received the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award. The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon XXXI, the world’s largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century.

In addition to writing fiction, Stout was a prominent public intellectual for decades. Stout was active in the early years of the American Civil Liberties Union and a founder of the Vanguard Press. He served as head of the Writers’ War Board during World War II, became a radio celebrity through his numerous broadcasts, and was later active in promoting world federalism. He was the long-time president of the Authors Guild, during which he sought to benefit authors by lobbying for reform of the domestic and international copyright laws,[specify] and served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by CBS Radio and photographer uncredited [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Review of Hex on the Beach by Gina LaManna

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Hex on the Beach
The Magic & Mixology Series Book 1
By Gina LaManna

Star Rating: 
Genre: Mystery

Number of Pages: 254

Date Started: December 27, 2016
Date Finished: December 29, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)hex-on
Welcome to The Isle… Lily Locke has never believed in witches and wizards, ghosts and magic, shifters and vampires—especially cute blonde vamps with blood-intolerance issues. A rising star at a hotshot marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, all Lily knows is that she’s a PowerPoint guru, an Excel ninja, and a coffee-maker extraordinaire. Not to mention she’s next in line for a huge promotion. All that changes when Lily’s assistant delivers a strange quiz to her, one titled A Magical Assessment for Normal Folks. With it comes the promise of a land she’s never known existed. A land where Lily not only discovers her biological family for the first time, but a place where she can make a difference, change lives, and step into the role she’s destined to fulfill. But first, Lily must admit she’s a witch. Then, she has to acknowledge that the tall, dark, and mysterious man who offers his help is strictly focused on business…at least, for now. When a body turns up dead and the next target is Lily, she must trust her powers and accept the help of her newfound friends. Otherwise, she’ll never survive the trials of the magical island tucked far, far away in the frigid waters of Lake Superior. Welcome to The Isle.

Review:
I really like the premise of this book, but the characters and the situations really seem more written for YA than an adult crowd. The characters weren’t very well developed and seemed much more like stock teenagers than adults. None of the characters ever demonstrated any interests.

This book felt as if it was a constant state of expedition. What should have been climatic wasn’t really worrisome, and absolutely nothing was solved by the end of the book. There are lots of questions and absolutely no answers, that, of course, leads you to the next novel…

What irks me most is that this book is considered a mystery. Sure, there are mystery elements, but there is no big mystery here; nothing is solved. If this was under Romance and Mystery it might be excused, but this is under Mystery and a mixture of various supernatural creatures– not all of the creatures it is listed as a mystery of actually make an appearance in the novel!

ginaAuthor Biography: (From Amazon)
Gina LaManna is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Magic & Mixology series, the Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries, The Little Things romantic suspense series, and the Misty Newman books. Stop on by and say hello on Facebook!
Link: https://www.facebook.com/authorginalamanna