The long-awaited mystery review

December 5, 2013Leave a comment

itsaom Today I’m taking a look at In the Shadows by Susan Finlay. I met her through Facebook and when news of her impending release was announced, I pledged my time to a review. But first, the blurb:

There is a stranger amongst the residents of the cave-riddled village of Reynier, France. Suspicious, they believe there’s only one reason Maurelle Dupre would be lurking in their small village – she’s a gypsy, a thief. But a former Chicago detective turned mystery author, Dave Martin, who happens to be visiting his French grandmother, isn’t so sure about the beautiful stranger when happenstance causes them to meet. He wonders why she seems so frightened and distrustful. He knows he shouldn’t get involved. The last time he trusted a woman in distress, the consequences resulted in the loss of his detective’s shield and his wife. But, as always, the detective in him can’t seem to leave well enough alone.

However, what Dave couldn’t know is how persuading Maurelle to reveal herself will ultimately unveil something far worse than mere theft.

In the Shadows is a story of trust, belonging, and murder.

I’d like to start by saying that I don’t read a whole lot of mysteries. I probably have a few in my massive TBR pile, but I think the last book I read that could properly be called a mystery is Mary Higgins Clark‘s Where Are the Children?. It’s not that I don’t like a good mystery – I do. It’s just not a genre I’ve read widely. Also, this review may contain mild spoilers. Read further at your own risk.

The Banned Underground: The SatNav of Doom

October 14, 2013October 14, 20131 Comment

The latest installment in The Banned Underground series, The SatNav of Doom definitely holds up to the standard set by the first four novels (you can read my reviews of them here, here, here, and here). Chock full of humor as always, I laughed my way through The SatNav of Doom at an admittedly slower pace than the previous books, but that was due to my overwhelming open house (and moving) preparation and is in no way a reflection on this fine novel. Indeed, settling down with Fungus and the gang for a rockin’ gig was a welcome relief from my moving stress. 🙂

The discerning reader will find many gems along the way to the Edern’s enchanted Fairy Hill hideout. From wonderful musical jokes to brilliant pop culture references, there’s plenty here to make you giggle, grin, and even guffaw. For example:

The Banned Underground: Bass Instinct

April 13, 20136 Comments

Today, a little later than my last several posts but better late than never, I have the honor of reviewing the latest release in The Banned Underground series, Bass Instinct. The boys are back in town with a new friend in this book, and – hell’s bells! – it’s a g-g-g-girl!

Dai the drinking dragon has been kidnapped by the Dark Lord for nefarious purposes, and by his receptionist for even less reputable reasons. Without their bass player, The Banned Underground are in deep trouble with their record label. They have to produce the recordings for an album, and someone has stolen the tapes from the last gig. Can they make some more recordings, or will Freya, the renegade dwarf bass player, distract the boys while the Dark Lord’s evil schemes come to fruition?

The Dark Lord has found some thugs to help him in his latest plan to invade the Dwarf Mansion, but they have other things on their minds – like looting and pillaging – and it’s all going wrong again.

Will record-producing Adam set his Ants on the Banned? Or will it all come good in the end? Time is Tight on this one for The Banned Underground…

With a blurb that focuses on Dai, I expected the story to focus a bit more on him. To the extent that he had a larger role than in previous books, I guess you could say that it did, but it really did focus on him as much as I had expected. That said, I loved the bits between Dai and Gloria, the Dark Lord’s receptionist, and I do hope that what started in this book will be continued in future installments.

The Banned are back in town and between the lack of tapes (from their last gig), the lack of gigs, and the lack of funds, trouble is the only thing they don’t lack.

The Banned Underground: The Vampire Mechanic

April 12, 2013April 11, 20137 Comments

Today I’m having a look at the third book in The Banned Underground series, cleverly titled The Vampire Mechanic. In book three, the guys help out new friends Santa’s Little Helpers, who have wrecked the sleigh…

Oh, dear. Santa’s not-so-little helpers have “borrowed” his sleigh on their way to a Banned Underground concert – and crashed it on the way. Can the Banned help them before Santa finds out? But the mechanic who services the sleigh is a vampire, and getting the job done could be a challenge. If that’s not enough, the Dark Lord’s Mercedes is getting a bit long in the tooth, too, and he fancies the sleigh as a replacement. And will Grizelda, the off-white witch give back the reindeer after using one to win the local show-jumping competition?

With the vampire mechanic in the clutches of the apprentice Dark Lord and Grizelda’s dreams of blue ribbons, the Banned will have to go like a Bat Out of Hell this time. . .

The vampires in this story definitely don’t sparkle; they’re too depressed. And at over six feet tall, Santa’s Little Helpers are anything but little. The satnav makes a hilarious return, with the help of its Prescient Predictive Progression function, or PPP, and naturally Grizelda makes frequent use of her people to frog spell. The Watches mix it up with some local Druids on their way to stealing Santa’s sleigh, and end up with Notsanta’s Notsleigh instead. I definitely wouldn’t want to end up on his naughty list. . .

This series gets better with each book I read. I feel like I’m a broken record saying that I laughed my head off and that I couldn’t put it down, but I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true. This book is a must-read. So go on, already! Read it! Then we can discuss our favorite parts at length over a nice cup of tea and maybe a nice slice of cake or ten. 😀

The Banned Underground: The Amulet of Kings (suddenlytheyalldied.com)
The Banned Underground: The Mystic Accountants (suddenlytheyalldied.com)

The Banned Underground: The Mystic Accountants

April 10, 2013March 30, 20136 Comments

And now, Day Two! Next up on the hit list, we’ve got The Mystic Accountants, the second book in The Banned Underground series. The Banned’s hilarious adventures continue in this book as they set out to obtain a new throne for Lakin, Archlord of the Helvyndelve:

In the mist-haunted Dwarf Mansion, the Banned Underground has played another gig. But this time the feedback has blown the Throne of the Mountain King apart, and the Banned must find a replacement on pain of, well, pain. The junior dark lord is out for revenge, if his satnav doesn’t keep him from following the band. Grizelda, the off-white witch and occasional aunt to the teenagers, is busy with some mad monks who want to conquer the world, starting with Wales.

Maybe Dai, the drunken dragon, can help? Will the Tuatha stay out of the pub long enough to render assistance? If not, Jailhouse Rock looms for the Banned Underground…

Once again, the jokes fly fast and furious. There’s a lot going on in this book, between the Ben Buddhists who are trying to take over the world, Grizelda and the teenagers who are trying to stop them, the dwarves in search of a throne, and the Watches out to stop them. But it never feels bogged down in details. The pace is lively and keeps right on moving. As with the first book, I couldn’t put it down.

But wait, there’s more!

The Banned Underground: The Amulet of Kings

April 9, 2013April 8, 20135 Comments

Well, it’s Day One of Banned Underground Week here in my little corner of the interwebs, and today I’m going to review The Amulet of Kings, the first book in The Banned Underground series by Will Macmillan Jones. What’s it about, you ask? Fix your peepers on this then and find out:

What could be worse? Having to take a holiday in the (rainy) Lake District in the North West of England with an aunt who turns people into frogs for a hobby? Or battling the local dark lord, whose attempt at world domination starts with the nearby underground dwarf mansion and its enormous collection of used pizza boxes? Or getting involved with a jazz-loving bog troll and his dwarfish R&B band? Or is it being miles from a McDonald’s? Join the teenagers and find out in this comical adventure where jazz and magic make a tongue-in-cheek laugh riot!

In the first book of the series, we meet the goodies (Chris and Linda, Ben and Grizelda, Fungus and the Banned), the baddies (Ned and the Watches, the Grey Mage, Caer Surdin), and an assortment of other characters (the Edern, the Tuatha, the Bodgandor, and various dwarves and trolls) who all take part in a war to seize the Helvyndelve, home of the dwarves, and the Amulet of Kings, the power source for the whole place. Naturally, chaos ensues and, just as naturally, the results are hilarious.

Full of jokes both good and bad (which makes them all the better, in my opinion), as well as a whole slew of rockin’ tunes, this book has it all: good food, good friends, good fun, and a good baddie in need of defeat (unless, of course, you ask him). I first encountered this book – and its brilliant author – when it was up on authonomy, so I was beyond excited to find out that it had been picked up for publication. I read it in only a few days – I couldn’t put it down.

Tomorrow, I’ll be reviewing the second book in the series, The Mystic Accountants. It’s another goodie. 🙂

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

February 20, 20136 Comments

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So way back in November, my book club had its very first meeting. The book we were supposed to read was The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I completely forgot to check it out until about a week before the meeting. Naturally, my local library didn’t have it. Neither did the one the next town over. Fortunately, the library where I work had it. Unfortunately, it was already out. So, with a week to spare, I asked them to put it on reserve for me and prayed it would come in with enough time for me to read it before my meeting. Then I headed to Barnes & Noble to see what ridiculous price they wanted to charge for it. I left the store empty-handed, my hopes of reading the book before the movie crushed even further.

A couple of weeks ago, the library called. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was in – did I still want it? Despite the fact that the meeting I’d wanted it for was three months passed, I figured, why not? I’ve heard great things about it and I’d really like to see the movie, so let’s see what it’s all about. . . behind the cut!