Archive for the 'Mystery' Category

Next Entries »

Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander

Published August 29, 2007 Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment

 

Genre:  Mystery

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages: 189 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

Kerri believes that she has psychic visions from time to time, many of which include visions of her now deceased father who died under mysterious circumstances.  Her father, a police officer, was believed to have killed himself, but everything Kerri believes coupled with her psychic visions tells her otherwise.  Unfortunately, no one wanted to hear about her psychic visions at the time and the experience was so painful she has tried to block them out ever since.

Kerri’s luck does not improve as she accidentally stumbles over a body in the woods one night.  She believes the man looked at her and asked for help before she passed out.  The police confirm that he was murdered, but several hours before Kerri found him which means he couldn’t have talked to her.  Kerri decides to use her powers for good and tries to investigate the crime more carefully.  She is convinced her visions will help her solve the murder and maybe give her some closure on her father’s case as well.

This book has an exciting ending, but it seems a bit rushed at times as the mytery unfolds and ties everything neatly together.  Also, it is a little ambiguous as to how much help her visions actually were in the solving of this crime.  There is some closure given to the characters at the end, but it still seems a little unclear as to how everyone around her can move on so easily after everything they have been through.  Fans of mysteries will enjoy it, but don’t expect too much depth or surprise.

 

Dead Connection by Charlie Price

Published August 27, 2007 Mystery , Realistic Fiction 2 Comments

Genre:  Mystery

Age Level:  14 and up

# of pages: 225

 

This story is told from many different perspectives.  First, there is Murray who can speak to dead people when he sits on their graves.  As a social outcast, he thinks of these people as his friends.  One day, though, he hears an unfamiliar voice that appears to be lost.  He begins to wonder if she was murdered and if so, how he can help her without ending up in the psych ward.  Other characters include Deputy Gates who is trying to solve the case of a missing high school girl, Mr. Janochek, the caretaker of the cemetary, and his daughter, Pearl, and Robert Barry Compton who was recently released from a mental facility and is trying to get on with his life.  Robert feels that he may have seen something in the past that he should tell someone, but his meds make it hard for him to remember.

The idea of talking to the dead is not new, but this story puts a new spin on it as Murray must go to the grave in order to see and hear the people buried there.  He is not psychic, but has a way of reaching beyond to talk to these people.  The characters in this story and well developed in a short amount of time so that you know who they are, what their motives are, and why they act the way they do throughout the story.  The mystery takes longer to solve than it first appears and will keep readers guessing right up until the end.

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Published August 23, 2007 Fantasy , Mystery , RAC Leave a Comment

Genre: Fantasy and Mystery

Age Level:  12 and up

# of pages:  759

RAC Book: Yes

Other books in the series:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of  Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

         In this final installment of Harry Potter, Harry is on the run trying to find the remaining horcruxes that will enable Voldemort to die.  Ron and Hermione accompany him, after they all attend Bill Weasley’s wedding.  At this time, the wizarding world is a dark and desolate place to live as everyone constantly lives in fear.  Snape is now the Headmaster of Hogwarts, which makes life hard for everyone Harry has left behind.  As Harry begins to put together the past that makes up Voldemort he begins to learn a lot about his own past as well.  The life Harry has chosen for himself this year is very difficult due to the constant danger, frustrations, and isolation.  Also, he is always unsure of who he can trust.

     Rowling shows that the wizarding world is ready to defend itself against the imminent threat of evil and reveals the inner strengths of all the characters, some of which have not been tested before.  Some favorite characters are not depicted as much in the book as some readers would like, but their contributions to the outcome are meaningful.  The ending is exciting, surprising, suspenseful, and gratifying all at once.  Readers will come away from this story feeling happy about how they are leaving life in this magical world.  Rowling manages to pull everything together into a lovely, if not maybe a little too long, story. 

Archives

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started