Book Review - Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

 

In the summer of 1988, a small Maryland town community is shaken to it's core when the mutilated bodies of several young girls begin to show up. The police believe that there is a serial killer terrorizing the quiet suburban town. Local residents believe that there is an evil presence stalking young girls and that's its not entirely human. Law enforcement, however, is certain that the killer is human and that he is playing a game with the police. The once peaceful community is on edge because the police is no closer to find the killer and more bodies keep showing up.

Richard Chizmar is a recent college graduate who returns home right around the time of the murders. As Richard tries to focus on his upcoming wedding and his budding writing career, he finds himself entwined with the murders. Inspired by real events, Richard documents his personal account of the serial killer's reign of terror in his small community.

This was my first book by, the author and I am surprised on how much I enjoyed it. At first, I was kind of annoyed by all the small personal details about Richard's life as I wanted to know all the nitty gritty of the murders. However, after reading the author's note at the end, it added whole new layer to this book. The author seamlessly blended true crime and fiction in a book that was hard to put down once the murders started happening. I thought the novel was going to have some scary elements but, a scary house was mentioned and nothing came out it. There were some parts of the story that didn't get resolved in the end. The story ended with the author waiting for the second interview with the murderer but, I wish the author could have included more details about the numbers behind the murders. I feel like the story was a bit unresolved because we didn't know the entire story behind the murders. Overall, it was an interesting read but, I could have done without some of the extra details.

Book Review - The Stories You Tell (Roxane Weary, #3) by Kristen Lepionka

 

Roxane Weary knows a late night phone call is never good news. Andrew, her brother called to tell her that Addison, a one-time fling, turned up to his apartment frightened and requested to use his phone. After she made a phone call, she disappears and Andrew is worried. He asks Roxane to help because Allison never made it home and her friends and family are worried about her.

The police believe something happened to Roxane and they suspect Andrew might be involved.  Roxane decides to check Addison's digital footprint and finds herself getting more involved in her disappearance. When a cop is found dead on the opposite side of town, it makes the case more muddled. The staff at the dance club where Addison works goes missing suddenly, the case becomes more convoluted. Roxane tries to decipher the clues that Addison left behind, will she be able to find Addison in time?

When I first picked up this book, I didn't realize it was a part of a series. I was able to read the story and follow along without issue. However, I felt like there was some nuances I was missing between the characters. I thought the book was an interesting read but, I felt like it went a bit slowly. I was able to figure out the person behind the disappearance around half way through the book. I would be open to reading other books from the series.

Book Review - Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King

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Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes were enlisted to help an old friend find their missing aunt, who lives in an asylum. Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in Bethlem after her brother and father died in the Great War. While on an outing for her brother's birthday, Lady Vivian disappears.

Mary doesn't want to take on the case but, she can't turn down her friend, Ronnie. Together with Sherlock, Mary travels to Venice to find the missing woman. While at Venice, they discover the influence of Benito Mussolini is causing a disturbance in the city. When Mary and Sherlock begin their search for the missing woman, they are thrown into a whole different world.

I have seen Sherlock shows and movies but, haven't read the novels. Mostly because I wasn't much of a huge mystery fan but, the books are on my TBR list now. I was quite disappointed in this novel though. The characters were all dreadfully boring or wooden. Sherlock felt more like a filler than an actual detective and Mary was a bore. The ending felt juvenile and didn't seem like an ending had much thought put into it. I was surprised that there were no surprises or twists but, a straightforward runaway storyline. This was my first book of the series and maybe this book was a dud but, I am in no rush to find out.

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Book Review - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

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Susan Ryeland is the editor of popular bestselling mystery, crime writer, Alan Conway. When she receives his latest novel, she assumes is like his other novels. Conway's famous detective, Atticus Pünd is a fan favorite and Susan has to put up with his odd behavior if she wants to keep her job. His latest novel is about a murder at Pye Hall with an eccentric cast of suspects. However, the more Susan reads the novel, the more she realizes there is an overlap between Alan and Atticus's lives. What is the secret behind the Conway's last novel?

I was intrigued by the cover of this novel and it reminded me of "The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez", which I enjoyed.  (The similarity of having "murders" in the title). The telling of the story is from Susan reading about Atticus and the story about Alan Conway. Both of the stories read like they were written by two different authors and I personally found the Atticus Pünd story more interesting than Susan investigating Alan Conway's death. I found the portion with Susan to be drawn out and tedious to read. The ending was also a bit of a disappointment and one could see happening after all she mentioned it in the beginning before we even began to read the book. 

Book Review - God's Crime Scene for Kids: Investigate Creation with a Real Detective Currently Reading Rate this book 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars God's Crime Scene for Kids: Investigate Creation with a Real Detective by J. Warner Wallace

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One night, Jason comes across a mysterious box that has a note from his deceased grandfather along with a few other items. Jason enlist his friends at the Junior Detective's Academy along with Detective Jeffries to solve mystery. While trying to solve Jason's mystery, the students pick up other skills needed to exam the vast universe and the evidence of God's existence. Why did Jason's grandfather leave him the box? What treasure does the box hold?

The book took an interesting approach of blending two different types of mysteries together. However, I felt the approach was a bit lacking. I didn't see myself seeing the point of putting both mysteries together instead of creating a different story for each. I also thought it was weird that in random sporadic points of the story, he wrote the reader in . Although, I do like one point of the story, where the author wrote that God created both good and bad events because you can't have one or the other and it's nice to remember that during time of need. The book also has an online activities and activities involving the Bible. A good read for young budding Christians as does talk about God in an interesting way.

**Disclosure - I receieved a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Review - Sister Eve and the Blue Nun by Lynne Hinton

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While visiting her old monastery for a speaking convention on the Blue Nun, Sister Eve comes across a murder at the monastery. Sister Eve is a private detective with the uncanny ability to solve murder and she takes on the case when the victim is the sister of her friend. She must prove that the young monk isn't the killer when all the evidence points to him and he disappears. On her journey, Sister Eve is debating whether or not she should continue the life of the cloth or become a private detective with her dad.

The book was an interesting read but I can't say I am a big fan of it. The main character's father seemed sexist and the nun herself  has questionable values. The characters don't really seem believable and most of the book was a bit of fluff. Only towards the end you really find any of the excitement but it wasn't enough to redeem the book. Also, she can't really claim herself a detective since she had no clues to actually point to anything related to the murder other than one thing a person had said.

**Disclosure - I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review**

Book Review - Detective Strongoak and the Case of the Dead Elf by Terry Newman

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Private detective Nicely Strongoak goes about his day until he is asked to investigate the case of a missing surfer. The case seeming easy enough turns into a whirlwind of mystery and murder.  The book which is a mishmash between LOTR, mystery noir, humor and thriller takes readers to a fantasy world filled with colorful characters. 

While, investigating the missing surfer, Perry Goodfellow, is thrown into a chaotic world filled with murder, death, fire, drugs, magic and goblins. He awakens after one of his investigations next to a murdered elf with Nicely's weapon engraved into his skull. With death knocking on every door, Nicely must navigate the sticky world of politics while making sure he's not next.

The mysterious thriller is tinged with jokes and wildly creative characters that takes the reader for a wild ride.  It is a quick read but can be a bit wordy at times. A great read for anyone who likes fantasy books or who has a soft spot for private eye dwarfs!

Book Review - The Catch: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel

As a newcomer to the series, this is the latest book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series.  I wasn't sure what to expect especially with all of the fanfare from the other books. Thankfully, each of the novels are self contained and don't have to be read in a certain order unless you care about character development. With the mind of a goldfish, this didn't bother me.

The novel takes place in Djibouti, Africa where Munroe runs to escapes her past. But since when does running every take someone away from the drama? As expected, as Munroe runs from her past it catches up to her. She boards a freighter (albeit against her will) in the hopes that it would be a regular security detail but things are not always what they appear. They are shortly invaded by pirates and the ship is captured. She narrowly escapes but manages to bring the captain with her and will prove to be an important piece to the puzzle. While death is following Munroe she does her best to figure out all the pieces of the puzzle .

A deeply engrossing novel that had me captivated for the three days it took me to consume it. However, I felt the character and story line was a bit lackluster and predictable. I wanted more and this novel left me craving it. I was also confused on why Munroe risked her life many times over people that didn't seem to care or worry about her. At times, I didn't even think Munroe liked them but I sense that her bloodthirsty nature is probably what makes her seek the violence her body craves but her heart doesn't want. I would read the other Munroe novels hoping this one is the anomaly instead of the norm.

**I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion. This is no way affect my overall review of the book**