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Silkstone Comedic Mysteries #1
Zo White and the Seven Morphs
400 Baby Turtles? Huh? Zo White, aerial dancer and star performer in the Grimm Brothers’ Cirque is stalked by an unknown assassin. The Seven Morphs acrobatic team tumble to her rescue while preparing to leave on a covert mission. What secrets are hidden by their bright colored spandex body suits and will Zo find love with Green Morph? Romantic Suspense on the light side.Throw in outrageous plot twists, a magic mirror, 400 baby turtles, a giant python, Miami mobsters, and a few murders on the side, and it all adds up to a zany whodunit that keeps you laughing and guessing till the end.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Silkstone
63 books312 followersBarbara Silkstone is the best-selling author of the Wendy Darlin Tomb Raider series that includes: Wendy and the Lost Boys, London Broil, Cairo Caper, Miami Mummies, Vulgarian Vamp, Wendy Darlin Tomb Raider Boxed Set. Her Criminally Funny Fables Romantic Suspense series includes: The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters; Wendy and the Lost Boys; Zo White and the Seven Morphs. For a squirt of paranormal comedy try: Cold Case Morphs. True fiction fan? Try: The Adventures of a Love Investigator.
New: Mister Darcy Series
Book One: Mister Darcy's Dogs
Book Two: Mister Darcy's Christmas
Book Three: Mister Darcy's Secret
Silkstone’s writing has been described as “perfectly paced and pitched – shades of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen – without seeming remotely derivative. Fast moving action that shoots from the hip with bullet-proof characterization.”
New: Mister Darcy Series
Book One: Mister Darcy's Dogs
Book Two: Mister Darcy's Christmas
Book Three: Mister Darcy's Secret
Silkstone’s writing has been described as “perfectly paced and pitched – shades of Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen – without seeming remotely derivative. Fast moving action that shoots from the hip with bullet-proof characterization.”
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 10, 2012
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy. I must say that I enjoyed it very much. Of course, I've also read and enjoyed all of Barbara Silkstone's other books as well. Maybe it's her quirky sense of humor or the outlandish situations her characters find themselves in. Don't know, don't really care. All that matters to me is I enjoy reading it. I got to laugh and escape into a world of circus performers and murder mystery. The turtle farm was a nice touch too as was the python wrestling. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll leave you with this. I found the characters to be fun and funny. I thought the plot was ridiculous and hilarious. It kept me reading "just one more page" long after I should have been in bed asleep. Sherlock Holmes? No. Pleasant read for those with a warped sense of humor? Absolutely.
November 13, 2019
#1 in the Silkstone mysteries series
This is very cute. I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars, if I could. I really liked it at the beginning, it got bogged down a little in the middle, but then the ending had a very satisfying surprise twist. I should have probably guessed what was coming, but I actually had no idea and found it to be such a perfect finish. Zo is an aerialist with a Cirque de Soleil sort of show; she's the beautiful acrobat who gracefully moves around on those long silks high above the ground. When she has an accident and her partner is killed (it's not a spoiler since it happens on the first page), she becomes embroiled in a mystery. Well, actually three mysteries, which is what made it somewhat confusing and a little too complicated for me. Not to mention the Magic Mirror, which is an invention she and her techie friend Greg are working on. There's a lot of humor, much of it dry and clever, making me smile throughout. Zo meets an abundance of silly characters, especially the Morphs, a gymnastic group also with the circus who dress up in a rainbow of body suits, never showing their faces, even to her, so she has no idea of their real identities. There's also Zo's sister, who runs a turtle rescue operation, drives a beat-up car with a gigantic turtle replica on top, and also sings with a group of women who all dress up like I Love Lucy. Not to mention Louis DeLipp (a local gangster), Kit Kennedy (her gay friend who owns a drag club), Adam (python catcher), and Ed and Fred (a security guard and his dog). Lots of light-hearted fun, although there are a few sad moments as well when a friend is caught in the middle. I'm not actually sure why the book has this title since it doesn't seem to have anything to do with Snow White--I guess the title just sounded funny. Great cover, as well, that really catches the eye.
This is very cute. I'd probably rate it 3.5 stars, if I could. I really liked it at the beginning, it got bogged down a little in the middle, but then the ending had a very satisfying surprise twist. I should have probably guessed what was coming, but I actually had no idea and found it to be such a perfect finish. Zo is an aerialist with a Cirque de Soleil sort of show; she's the beautiful acrobat who gracefully moves around on those long silks high above the ground. When she has an accident and her partner is killed (it's not a spoiler since it happens on the first page), she becomes embroiled in a mystery. Well, actually three mysteries, which is what made it somewhat confusing and a little too complicated for me. Not to mention the Magic Mirror, which is an invention she and her techie friend Greg are working on. There's a lot of humor, much of it dry and clever, making me smile throughout. Zo meets an abundance of silly characters, especially the Morphs, a gymnastic group also with the circus who dress up in a rainbow of body suits, never showing their faces, even to her, so she has no idea of their real identities. There's also Zo's sister, who runs a turtle rescue operation, drives a beat-up car with a gigantic turtle replica on top, and also sings with a group of women who all dress up like I Love Lucy. Not to mention Louis DeLipp (a local gangster), Kit Kennedy (her gay friend who owns a drag club), Adam (python catcher), and Ed and Fred (a security guard and his dog). Lots of light-hearted fun, although there are a few sad moments as well when a friend is caught in the middle. I'm not actually sure why the book has this title since it doesn't seem to have anything to do with Snow White--I guess the title just sounded funny. Great cover, as well, that really catches the eye.
August 8, 2022
I'm trying to clear out a bit of my original 2013 tbr from goodreads When I started I was taking every free book available and this is one of them. It was fun but there was a bit too much of the romance theme to this for me. I don't expect to continue the series but I'm glad I read this.
Read
February 23, 2013Zo White is graceful. She is petite, athletic, limber--great qualities to have for a silk dancer in a circus. Holding onto those ribbons of fabric while performing aerial feats high in the air takes a lot of strength.
So why does her fellow performer, a young man with twice her muscle mass, plummet to his death during a practice run? Who put the thorns into the silks that caused his hands to be shredded as he slid down the ribbons?
Zo wakes up in the hospital, seriously wounded in the fall that she takes when she witnesses her partner's death. She is surrounded by the Morphs--colorful, acrobatic members of the circus's ground entertainment. They are completely hidden in full-body suits, from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes, and known only by the colors they wear.
They inform Zo that her life is in danger. With no time to ask "why?", they whisk her out of the hospital and to her sister's turtle ranch to hide out.
What follows from there is a circus in and of itself, with everyone involved looking for motive, a gangster intent on taking over several properties, a python wrangler and his dog, a Mirror that attracts the interest of more than one murderous individual, and a young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Not to mention a drag queen and a familiar nemesis who will stop at nothing to destroy Zo and her Mirror.
This was such a fun read. It is the fourth book in a series the author calls "Fractured Fairy Tales by Silkstone". I am planning to read the others at some point, especially "The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters".
The best part of the whole story was searching for names from the original "Snow White" story. And there are a lot there--even Doc, who is a psychiatrist that Zo's sister, Rose (another name!) takes Zo to for help in curing her new issue with vertigo.
Ms. Silkstone takes an old fairy tale to a new level. The Morphs are nothing like their height-challenged counterparts, and they do not dig for gems. But they have their secrets, and those secrets are nothing the reader would have expected.
So many different storylines, but crafted so well that they are seamless. There is a bit of romance, some third-party jealousy, a murder, espionage, dogs with bone fetishes, horny singing Lucys in a VW bug--the list could go on all day. But I think I should stop here and let you drool. And perhaps pick up a copy of "Zo White" yourself...
So why does her fellow performer, a young man with twice her muscle mass, plummet to his death during a practice run? Who put the thorns into the silks that caused his hands to be shredded as he slid down the ribbons?
Zo wakes up in the hospital, seriously wounded in the fall that she takes when she witnesses her partner's death. She is surrounded by the Morphs--colorful, acrobatic members of the circus's ground entertainment. They are completely hidden in full-body suits, from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes, and known only by the colors they wear.
They inform Zo that her life is in danger. With no time to ask "why?", they whisk her out of the hospital and to her sister's turtle ranch to hide out.
What follows from there is a circus in and of itself, with everyone involved looking for motive, a gangster intent on taking over several properties, a python wrangler and his dog, a Mirror that attracts the interest of more than one murderous individual, and a young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Not to mention a drag queen and a familiar nemesis who will stop at nothing to destroy Zo and her Mirror.
This was such a fun read. It is the fourth book in a series the author calls "Fractured Fairy Tales by Silkstone". I am planning to read the others at some point, especially "The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters".
The best part of the whole story was searching for names from the original "Snow White" story. And there are a lot there--even Doc, who is a psychiatrist that Zo's sister, Rose (another name!) takes Zo to for help in curing her new issue with vertigo.
Ms. Silkstone takes an old fairy tale to a new level. The Morphs are nothing like their height-challenged counterparts, and they do not dig for gems. But they have their secrets, and those secrets are nothing the reader would have expected.
So many different storylines, but crafted so well that they are seamless. There is a bit of romance, some third-party jealousy, a murder, espionage, dogs with bone fetishes, horny singing Lucys in a VW bug--the list could go on all day. But I think I should stop here and let you drool. And perhaps pick up a copy of "Zo White" yourself...
August 25, 2012
No on can twist a fairy tale like Barbara Silkstone. In Zo White and the Seven Morphs, the latest of her Fractured Fairytales, Zo is an aerial silk acrobat, working, of course, for the Grimm Brothers' Cirque show. The action starts right off the bat with a murder and Zo being whisked away by the seven mysterious morphs. In this book, the craziness never ends. I don't want to give anything away by mentionining anymore of this creative cast, but whenever another strange character or scene came into play, it gave me the giggles! It had tones of Monty Python humor mixed in; pure silliness, and it was so much fun. Along with that silliness was a really good mystery plot involving an innovative, computerized magic mirror (of course!) being developed by Zo and her computer techy friend,the bad guys who want the mirror, murderers, the bullies out to take over the little guys, and the morphs running around in a blur of color here and there. I must confess, morphs kind of creeped me out before this book, but not too far into Zo White, Silkstone had developed fun personalities for all of these rainbow colored characters and the morphs had won me over. This was yet another fun, funny mystery from Barbara Silkstone!
February 18, 2013
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Zo White is an aerialist in the Grimm Brothers Circus, performing routines on huge silks suspended from the ceiling. When a fellow acrobat is killed during a practice run, and Zo is hurt, the Morphs charge in to protect her and keep her safe. Turns out, it was sabotage and murder, and Zo and the Morphs go into hiding to figure out who's behind it all. Cue the crazy sister, the drag queen bestie, Crocodile Dundee, and the Singing Lucys (my favorite), and you've got a recipe for an awesome version of a classic fairy tale.
This story is hilarious from start to finish; I don't think I've ever laughed so hard because of a book. The conversations between Zo and her sister, or Zo and the Morphs (especially Green) had me close to tears, as did some of her inner thoughts. ("Despite the hit on the head, I could still recognize hot when I saw it, even if it was packaged like a crayon.") This is only the first in the Morphs series, but I might have to wait a little bit to recover before I read the next one. Not too long, though ;)
Great story, awesome humor, and a wonderful start to a series. Bravo!
5 stars
Zo White is an aerialist in the Grimm Brothers Circus, performing routines on huge silks suspended from the ceiling. When a fellow acrobat is killed during a practice run, and Zo is hurt, the Morphs charge in to protect her and keep her safe. Turns out, it was sabotage and murder, and Zo and the Morphs go into hiding to figure out who's behind it all. Cue the crazy sister, the drag queen bestie, Crocodile Dundee, and the Singing Lucys (my favorite), and you've got a recipe for an awesome version of a classic fairy tale.
This story is hilarious from start to finish; I don't think I've ever laughed so hard because of a book. The conversations between Zo and her sister, or Zo and the Morphs (especially Green) had me close to tears, as did some of her inner thoughts. ("Despite the hit on the head, I could still recognize hot when I saw it, even if it was packaged like a crayon.") This is only the first in the Morphs series, but I might have to wait a little bit to recover before I read the next one. Not too long, though ;)
Great story, awesome humor, and a wonderful start to a series. Bravo!
5 stars
October 18, 2012
I can always depend on Ms. Silkstone and her fractured Fairy Tales to take me away on a delightful light-hearted trip. I am not a big mystery reader because I find them stressful, but hers are so full of comedy I find them refreshing. There is murder and mayhem and quirky characters galore to entertain in this story. The singing Lucy's cracked me up, this author's imagination is truly limitless.
The story grabs you from the very beginning and never lets up. Despite mobsters, murder, mystery, and mayhem this is a quick read that also has a little romance, which I enjoyed. Zo White is no shrinking violet; she has a lot of spunk and is determined to solve all the mysteries that twist together in this story. If you need a break between heavy reading or just looking for an enjoyable story, this book may be what you are looking for.
The story grabs you from the very beginning and never lets up. Despite mobsters, murder, mystery, and mayhem this is a quick read that also has a little romance, which I enjoyed. Zo White is no shrinking violet; she has a lot of spunk and is determined to solve all the mysteries that twist together in this story. If you need a break between heavy reading or just looking for an enjoyable story, this book may be what you are looking for.
March 24, 2013
Zo White and the Seven Morphs by Barbara Silkstone was an interesting interpretation of the classic fairytale.
COVER DESIGN: A little strange, but it sort of works for the story. Still, it was a little off putting for me. Until I started reading, I was a little nervous about the book, based on the cover. Also, based on the cover, I was not expecting a murder mystery.
WHAT I LIKED: The mystery of the morphs was my favorite part of the book; I did not see that coming in the end. Even though the cover is a little iffy, the title works really well for the story. Between the setting (circus) and the twist on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the title is appropriate. I also, really enjoyed the references to celebrities- “Lady Gaga in a convent.”
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: I would have liked a bit more of a description of the inner workings of the magic mirror.
COVER DESIGN: A little strange, but it sort of works for the story. Still, it was a little off putting for me. Until I started reading, I was a little nervous about the book, based on the cover. Also, based on the cover, I was not expecting a murder mystery.
WHAT I LIKED: The mystery of the morphs was my favorite part of the book; I did not see that coming in the end. Even though the cover is a little iffy, the title works really well for the story. Between the setting (circus) and the twist on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the title is appropriate. I also, really enjoyed the references to celebrities- “Lady Gaga in a convent.”
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: I would have liked a bit more of a description of the inner workings of the magic mirror.
March 9, 2013
The characters are quirky (to say the least) and the story pretty simplistic, but if you are in the mood for a fun, tongue-in-cheek fast read than this book is for you.
Appearances from the original story are made by Snow White, the 7 dwarfs, the Snow Queen, Doc, the Mirror, Mirror on the wall and the Prince. There are probably others that I missed, but you get the idea.
There are also a group of characters called the Singing Lucy's, which I never did understand. They could easily have been left out of the book. I think they were just there for comic effect.
All in all, it is not great literature, but a good was to pass the time.
Appearances from the original story are made by Snow White, the 7 dwarfs, the Snow Queen, Doc, the Mirror, Mirror on the wall and the Prince. There are probably others that I missed, but you get the idea.
There are also a group of characters called the Singing Lucy's, which I never did understand. They could easily have been left out of the book. I think they were just there for comic effect.
All in all, it is not great literature, but a good was to pass the time.
June 22, 2013
Wildly entertaining
I have no idea how you can fit so many things into one book and make it work so well. From a silk dancer, to spandex clad performers in the circus, to gangsters, techies, turtle ranch, snake wranglers, a bomb or two, cosmetic tycoons? Whew that a a lot just to write. And of course there is a love interest/maybe 2. The imagination and ability to make it all work is astounding. I laughed and it kept me wanting to know what trouble she was going to get into next. Although I got this on a free day...I think it's worth more then the listed price for the length.
I have no idea how you can fit so many things into one book and make it work so well. From a silk dancer, to spandex clad performers in the circus, to gangsters, techies, turtle ranch, snake wranglers, a bomb or two, cosmetic tycoons? Whew that a a lot just to write. And of course there is a love interest/maybe 2. The imagination and ability to make it all work is astounding. I laughed and it kept me wanting to know what trouble she was going to get into next. Although I got this on a free day...I think it's worth more then the listed price for the length.
April 1, 2016
A very zany tale. I have to admit, I didn't notice the connection to Snow White & Seven Dwarves til late in the book. It was a free kindle title that I nabbed for mention of aerialist & circus and various quirky aspects. My kind of fun!
Definitely requires some suspension of disbelief, it's not really a "fantasy" tale but some liberties are taken with realism. But considering the characters and the setting... girls just gotta have fun!
Definitely requires some suspension of disbelief, it's not really a "fantasy" tale but some liberties are taken with realism. But considering the characters and the setting... girls just gotta have fun!
April 21, 2015
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Barbra Silkstone!! Her books are witty, and fun.... Lots of adventures going on!! When someone is out to murder
Zo, the Morphs want to put her in hiding.. while they try to find out who is behind this.
The Morphs have such cute personalities had me giggling out loud..
There has not been one story by Barbara that I didn't absolutely enjoy!! I'm waiting to see what she comes up next!!
Zo, the Morphs want to put her in hiding.. while they try to find out who is behind this.
The Morphs have such cute personalities had me giggling out loud..
There has not been one story by Barbara that I didn't absolutely enjoy!! I'm waiting to see what she comes up next!!
June 15, 2015
Not my sort of book, a light-hearted rom-com
I know plenty of gals who would probably enjoy this book. A unique and fun take on the fairy-tale spin-off. I found the quality of plot-development and flow rather off. I am also not big on random titillating comments. If you are an avid romance reader and in the mood for a mystery, this may be for you.
I know plenty of gals who would probably enjoy this book. A unique and fun take on the fairy-tale spin-off. I found the quality of plot-development and flow rather off. I am also not big on random titillating comments. If you are an avid romance reader and in the mood for a mystery, this may be for you.
October 22, 2012
Awesome book truly enjoyed reading it. Would definitely love a sequel. I couldn't put the book down, but then felt sad when I finished reading it.
May 1, 2013
a fun read
August 18, 2013
This was an entertaining and somewhat crazy mystery. I'm still having issues with the Morphs and how they became part of a circus. Could be a parody of The Blue Man Group. But it was enjoyable.
October 1, 2013
I loved this book. I want to read everything by Barbara Silkstone. If you are like me and love the modern adult versions of the old fairy tales we learned as children, you will love Barbara's books.
October 25, 2013
a delightfully lunatic relief from Books Of Great Import
July 7, 2018
I enjoyed it.
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January 17, 2019When this book started out there was two flying circus people performing. Somehow the man fel and ended up dying. Then it get weird , Red, Blue , Orange were they just colors or were they actually circus people. The book keep getting more ridiculous I think . Read a few more chapters till the next sensible thing to me was they suspected that it was the girl trapezest they said was suppose to fall. It was silly stuff . After about 6 chapters I gave up - I felt it was a waste of my time. I don't usually give up on a book till I read so much of it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews