Sensitive readers may have trouble with the treatment of special needs characters even though Malik’s intentions in this...
Proving the innocence of a special needs young man turns an amateur writer into an even more amateur sleuth.
As if Daisy Arthur doesn’t have enough to deal with, a late-night knock at her door while she’s reading the harsh criticism of fellow novice writer Dan Block ushers in a whole new set of problems. Daisy can’t possibly turn away her visitor, Ginny Caerphilly, her former special needs student and daughter of her sort-of boyfriend, Gabriel. When Ginny asks for help on behalf of her boyfriend, Brian, Daisy still can’t say no, though she has to lure Brian out from hiding in the trees before he’ll talk. Brian seems traumatized, and like Ginny, he has some developmental delays, so the most Ginny can get out of him is something about Mississippi. As soon as Brian takes off his coat and reveals that he’s smeared in blood, Daisy realizes that she has to call Gabe. Not only would he want to be there as Ginny’s father and Daisy’s whatever, but he’s also a Littleton police lieutenant. Daisy, Ginny, and Brian meet Gabe and his partner, Linda, at Gigantos, the grocery store where Ginny and Brian work. There, Gabe and Linda begin their investigation of Brian’s Mississippi—Cissy Melato—who's been found dead, with Brian as the key suspect. Determined to prove his innocence, Daisy’s convinced that Gabe is going after Brian only because he dates his daughter and that the only thing that will clear him is evidence she finds. But Gabe has been so stubborn and pigheaded lately that Daisy’s far from sure logic will help.
Sensitive readers may have trouble with the treatment of special needs characters even though Malik’s intentions in this series (Faith on the Rocks, 2013) seem more focused on a character-driven mystery aimed at women who can relate to Daisy’s imperfections.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4328-3077-9
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Five Star/Gale Cengage
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.
Too much free time leads a New Hampshire bookseller into yet another case of murder.
Now that Tricia Miles has Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett practically running her bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, she finds herself at loose ends. Her wealthy sister, Angelica, who in the guise of Nigela Ricita has invested heavily in making Stoneham a bookish tourist attraction, is entering the amateur competition for the Great Booktown Bake-Off. So Tricia, who’s recently taken up baking as a hobby, decides to join her and spends a lot of time looking for the perfect cupcake recipe. A visit to another bookstore leaves Tricia witnessing a nasty argument between owner Joyce Widman and next-door neighbor Vera Olson over the trimming of tree branches that hang over Joyce’s yard—also overheard by new town police officer Cindy Pearson. After Tricia accepts Joyce’s offer of some produce from her garden, they find Vera skewered by a pitchfork, and when Police Chief Grant Baker arrives, Joyce is his obvious suspect. Ever since Tricia moved to Stoneham, the homicide rate has skyrocketed (Poisoned Pages, 2018, etc.), and her history with Baker is fraught. She’s also become suspicious about the activities at Pets-A-Plenty, the animal shelter where Vera was a dedicated volunteer. Tricia’s offered her expertise to the board, but president Toby Kingston has been less than welcoming. With nothing but baking on her calendar, Tricia has plenty of time to investigate both the murder and her vague suspicions about the shelter. Plenty of small-town friendships and rivalries emerge in her quest for the truth.
An anodyne visit with Tricia and her friends and enemies hung on a thin mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0272-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A murder is committed in a stalled transcontinental train in the Balkans, and every passenger has a watertight alibi. But Hercule Poirot finds a way.
**Note: This classic Agatha Christie mystery was originally published in England as Murder on the Orient Express, but in the United States as Murder in the Calais Coach. Kirkus reviewed the book in 1934 under the original US title, but we changed the title in our database to the now recognizable title Murder on the Orient Express. This is the only name now known for the book. The reason the US publisher, Dodd Mead, did not use the UK title in 1934 was to avoid confusion with the 1932 Graham Greene novel, Orient Express.
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1934
ISBN: 978-0062073495
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dodd, Mead
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1934
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