mystery

Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection

Posted by

0

The Engineer's Thumb by Stephanie Baudet

The Engineer’s Thumb (The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection, #14)
by Stephanie Baudet  (Adapted by), Arianna Bellucci (Illustrations)

An engineer comes to Holmes with a terrible story to tell. He was lured to a house in the middle of the night and attacked, and his thumb was cut off! Holmes and Watson listen to his story with horror, and they quickly get the police on the track of the criminals, but only Holmes can make sense of the strange circumstances.

A Scandal in Bohemia by Stephanie Baudet

A Scandal in Bohemia (The Sherlock Holmes Children’s Collection, #11)
by Stephanie Baudet  (Adapter), Arianna Bellucci (Illustrations)

When the royal family of Bohemia needs help, Holmes is on the case tracking down a photograph being used for blackmail. The blackmailer is the beautiful Irene Adler, and she might be the only person to ever fool Holmes and beat him at his own game.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Jackaby

Posted by

0

Jackaby by William Ritter

Jackaby (Jackaby, #1)
by William Ritter (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Abigail Rook comes to a new city looking for adventure and finds a job as an assistant to free-lance detective Jackaby. Jackaby has a rare gift as a seer. He can see magical residue and detect magical creatures that are otherwise invisible. He tries to assist the police in a murder investigation, but the police chief doesn’t believe in supernatural nonsense. Miss Rook tags along in the investigation, and she is intrigued by a young policeman named Charlie. The case becomes more and more dangerous until it is evident that they are tracking a serial killer with magical abilities of some kind.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The House of a Thousand Candles

Posted by

0

The House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholson

The House of a Thousand Candles
by Meredith Nicholson

4 out of 5 stars

If he wants to inherit his grandfather’s estate, John Glenarm must stay at a country house in Indiana for at least a year without leaving. His grandfather did not approve of his grandson’s wandering ways, so he devised this clause in the will to force his grandson to put down some roots. On his first night in the country house, John is shot at through the open window of the dining room. This begins an adventure that includes espionage, fugitives, hidden treasure, and a family secret that will change John’s entire life. In the middle of all the mystery is Marian Devereux, who will inherit the entire estate if John fails to stay in the country for the entire year.

Continue reading →

Book Review: A Nun in the Closet

Posted by

0

A Nun in the Closet by Dorothy Gilman

A Nun in the Closet
by Dorothy Gilman

3.5 out of 5 stars
When the abbey inherits a piece of land with an old house, Sister John and Sister Hyacinthe are sent to take an inventory of the property. They discover a wounded man hiding in a closet upstairs, and he begs them for sanctuary. The mysteries keep piling up when they find an old suitcase full of money, and there are jars labeled ‘sugar’ in the pantry that are definitely not full of sugar.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Crooked House

Posted by

0

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

Crooked House
by Agatha Christie

4.5 out of 5 stars

Charles and Sophia meet abroad and become engaged, but when Charles meets Sophia again in England, she refuses to acknowledge their engagement until the mystery of her grandfather’s murder is cleared up. Charles meets Sophia’s family, her aunts and uncles, and her step-grandmother. Each member of the family is suspicious of the step-grandmother because she was fifty years younger than her husband. They all think she must have gotten tired of waiting for him to die so that she could inherit his wealth. But Charles isn’t so sure, and Sophia is afraid that it might have been someone else in the family, someone close to her.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Royal Box

Posted by

0

The Royal Box by Frances Parkinson Keyes

The Royal Box
by Frances Parkinson Keyes

3 out of 5 stars

A group of people are invited to the theater to welcome the new American Ambassador and his wife. They are able to secure the Royal Box and have refreshments with the principal actors between acts. Lady Laura Whitford and her daughter are escorted by an attaché with the American Embassy and a French count who are both interested in Lady Laura’s daughter. The Ambassador from a Middle Eastern country tries to take the American Ambassador aside to talk about oil deals and political unrest in his country. The Ambassador’s wife embarrasses herself with her crass manners and drinking. At the end of the night, one of them is dead and everyone is a suspect.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway

Posted by

0

Hannah Edwards by Ashley Hards

Hannah Edwards: Secrets of Riverway
by Ashley Hards (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Hannah’s father has disappeared and the police don’t seem to be doing much to solve the mystery. Hannah and her friend Sam are determined to find out what happened and find Hannah’s father. Although Sam claims that he has seen a ghost that looks like Hannah’s father, Hannah is not ready to admit that her father could be dead. They begin exploring the occult, using a Ouija board to try to contact the ghost.

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Pale Horse

Posted by

0

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

The Pale Horse (Ariadne Oliver, #5)
by Agatha Christie

4 out of 5 stars

Ariadne Oliver’s friend Mark hears about the murder of a priest who had a list of names tucked into his shoe. He had written down the list after hearing a deathbed confession, and was promptly murdered in the street only moments later. Mark goes to Ariadne for advice as he becomes more and more deeply involved in this mystery. He hears rumors about a place called The Pale Horse, where witches and mediums call on dark forces. But surely that is all nonsense, and no one could believe that witchcraft would really kill a person with a mere thought.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Hickory Dickory Dock

Posted by

0

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

Hickory Dickory Dock (Hercule Poirot, #34)
by Agatha Christie

4.5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot’s efficient secretary Miss Lemon is upset and distracted, because there have been some strange thefts at the student hostel that her sister runs. Poirot agrees to investigate the petty thefts to help out Miss Lemon’s sister, Mrs. Hubbard. At first it seems like random little things that have gone missing, but there are a few items that stand out from the list: a valuable doctor’s stethoscope, a diamond ring, a rucksack that was slashed to pieces, and all the lightbulbs in the common rooms. Only Poirot can sift through the clues and find a connection between the missing items. He begins to find out more about the students who board at the hostel, wondering which of them could be thief, or perhaps… a murderer.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Appointment with Death

Posted by

0

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot, #19)
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

A family group are visiting Jerusalem, and they make the trip to see the ruins of Petra. Their fellow travelers notice that the family seem on edge, nervous, and even afraid. Their mother, Mrs. Boynton, controls every aspect of their lives, and she takes delight in cruelty, torturing them emotionally and mentally for years until they are almost crazed.
When Mrs. Boynton is poisoned at Petra, suspicion falls on each of her children. They are relieved that she is dead. They must have killed her to escape from her brutality. Only Poirot can discover the true killer and sift through the timeline of events that led to Mrs. Boynton’s death.

Continue reading →