Book Review: Kitty Hawk #5

Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #5) 
by Iain Reading

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Kitty Hawk meets up with her old friend, Charlie, in Rome, and the two become involved in a mysterious international intrigue. They befriend a group of Italian siblings whose father has a dark past, and it’s up to Kitty to follow the clues through secret codes, hidden rooms, and the disturbing history of several long-lost paintings by famous artists.

As always, I adore Kitty’s character. She is better than Nancy Drew! Her incredible kindness and insatiable curiosity propel her into the most marvelous adventures. I love that her reaction to almost everything is, “Let’s go! Let’s find out! Let’s jump in!” She is such an energetic character, and that energy shines off every page.
Continue reading →

Book Review: Kitty Hawk #4

Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency, #4) 
by Iain Reading (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Kitty is traveling through Ireland, when she is asked to help with a family treasure hunt that has baffled experts for generations. Kitty and Andrew team up to unravel clues left by Bruce Ismay, a famous survivor of the Titanic disaster. Their search leads them to the home of his grandson, Thomas Ismay, and the mystery of a painting of the tragic Titanic shipwreck. But Thomas Ismay wants the treasure for himself, and will stop at nothing to prevent Kitty and Andrew from following the clues. He stalks them at every turn, causing trouble, and threatening to derail the entire treasure hunt.  Continue reading →

Book Review: Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost

Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency, #2) 
by Iain Reading (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


Kitty Hawk is vacationing in the Florida Keys where she encounters a mystery in the treacherous waters of the Gulf. Her adventures lead her to sunken shipwrecks, peculiar echoes of Hemingway’s typewriter, and strange lights on the ocean floor. The history of the Keys unfolds as Kitty’s curiosity propels her into danger and the uncovering of ancient secrets.

I loved every minute of this book! The plot takes many twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more. There is so much action and spying, and Kitty flies all over the Keys investigating every clue on the trail of each suspicious circumstance. One of the best things about the plot is the puzzling aspect of the mystery. I love plots that have some sort of puzzle to solve, with cryptic maps or symbols to decipher. Continue reading →

Book Review: Dead Man’s Folly

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
Dead Man’s Folly 
by Agatha Christie

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Poirot is invited to give away prizes at a staged murder mystery hunt planned by the scatter-brained Mrs. Oliver, but when an actual murder occurs, only Poirot can unravel the real clues from the fake ones staged in the game.

I really loved the cast of characters in this book! The three or four main suspects are quite interesting and strange characters with forceful personalities, but the remaining extra characters are fairly nondescript, staying in the background.
Poirot is absolute perfection, of course, and the delicious Mrs. Oliver is a wonderful oddball, full of imagination and half-finished thoughts.
Continue reading →

Book Review: Death on the Lizard

Death on the Lizard by Robin Paige
Death on the Lizard (Kathryn Ardleigh, #12) 
by Robin Paige

3 out of 5 stars

Charles and Kate are visiting Cornwall to take a tour of Marconi’s wireless telegraph station. There are spies and saboteurs who want to steal the latest wireless technology, and Charles is asked to look into the mysterious deaths of two of Marconi’s employees. Meanwhile, Kate is trying to comfort a friend whose daughter drowned months before, and she finds out that the child’s death may have some connection to the spies sneaking around the countryside.

The plot is slow in the beginning, but picks up with a little more action towards the end. I wanted more character development in this one, but I did enjoy some of the character arcs. It just felt like there could have been a deeper story there, and it wasn’t as thoughtful as it might have been.  Continue reading →

Book Review: Death at Blenheim Palace

Death at Blenheim Palace by Robin Paige
Death at Blenheim Palace (Kathryn Ardleigh, #11) 
by Robin Paige

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

 

In this book Charles and Kate Sheridan are visiting the Duke of Marlborough, and they start investigating the disappearance of a housemaid. But the other guests are up to all sorts of hijinks, and it’s difficult to sort out the clues from the red herrings.

The plot is a little thin and sometimes obvious, and every tiny detail is drawn out and repeated again and again. I do like the characters, and there is some good drama. I mostly enjoy reading about Charles and Kate doing their sleuthing, because they make such a sweet couple and a good team.

Book Review: Death in Hyde Park

Death in Hyde Park by Robin Paige
Death in Hyde Park (Kathryn Ardleigh, #10) 
by Robin Paige


1 out of 5 stars on GoodReads
I actually liked the mystery is this book a great deal, and was fascinated by the characters. I would have given it 3 stars if it were not for one thing…
A young woman character is date-raped, and the man gets away with it. He is never confronted with his crime. Her life is basically ruined, and he goes tripping along without a care in the world.
 This made me so angry I could spit!!! The whole subject was handled very badly, and it made me sick to read about it. It also served no purpose whatsoever in the plot. It was just added for extra drama, and was completely unnecessary.

UGH!!! Hateful nasty book!!