Credible with well-defined characters and more hits than misses.
A professional couple asked to solve a missing-object mystery stumbles into a murder investigation.
Psychologist Constance Leidl and husband Charlie Meiklejohn are hired by members of Howard Bainbridge’s family to find a cache of $5 million in cashier’s checks, allegedly hidden by him in his home prior to his demise. An FBI-trained detective agency already failed to find the checks. But Constance and Charlie have cracked a few hard nuts in the past, and so they head to the college town of Stillwater to begin their search. Interested parties include Howard’s sister, Tricia Corning; her nephew, Stuart; Stuart’s stepmother, Pamela; and college president Dr. Debra Rasmussen, among others. According to local lore, the “Bainbridge curse” is responsible for the death or disappearance of several women, including Howard’s fiancée, who drowned in a tragic boating accident. Although once on cordial terms with his family, Howard cut them off after her death; hiding the money may be his ultimate beyond-the-grave revenge. Soon, two more people are dead, perhaps due to the curse, and the search for the checks becomes but one component in a larger puzzle. The author writes in a smooth, crisp style, with great economy, using a minimum number of words to establish character and setting in a relatively short piece. None of the characters seems interchangeable; even the minor player who runs a local B&B has a distinct manner of speaking. Along the way, there are some winding plot twists, one of which involves one-hit literary wonder Earl Marshall. Unfortunately, there’s nothing particularly captivating about this group of estranged relatives anxious to bag some bucks. The story, although plausible, lacks suspense. Central to the plot are long-married Constance and Charlie, sexually attuned and able to artfully blend their styles and skill sets to get the answers. Through their respective methods, they deftly manage to crack the veneer of a dysfunctional family, unearthing more than one family secret in the process. But the murder motive and an inexplicable act of carelessness on the part of the murderer early in the tale don’t quite hold together well. Nonetheless, solid writing and a smooth presentation make this tale worth a look for mystery buffs.
Credible with well-defined characters and more hits than misses.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 125
Publisher: InfinityBox Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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