A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE (Charlotte Holmes Novel) (Myst-Charlotte Holmes/Jamie Watson-Connecticut-Contemp) – 1st of trilogy – Brittany Cavallaro Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices—and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends. But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
Gabriel – Good – Enjoyed it as a whole. He had trouble suspending belief in the beginning but was able to work with it. It was interesting. Liked the information on Charlotte's messed up family. LJ – Okay - Cavallaro does have a good voice. However, there is a contradiction when Cavallaro refers to the Sherlock Holmes stories having been written by Arthur Conan Doyle while we are to believe these two characters descended from Doyle’s Homes and Watson. Watson’s confusion over how he feels about Holmes is refreshingly and delightfully normal. This would be unremarkable except for how abnormal the characters are in so many other ways. For a YA book rated as being for G9 and up, there is a lot of violence and drug use, and even the suggestion of drugging a girl in order to rape her. One really must question whether they would want their under-18 children to read this. The bullying and relationships of the characters does seem valid, but not appealing. In fact, Watson and his father were really the only likable characters in the story. “A Study in Charlotte” had an interesting concept but was not a particularly enjoyable read. Susan – Okay - While the author clearly has excellent writing skills, I had trouble finishing the book. After a cute start, the plot seemed to lag, with the focus being on the character development, especially that of Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson. Eventually, descendants of the Moriarty clan also appear. Since I never read books from the original Sherlock Holmes series (but I have seen the Basil Rathbone depictions in the movies, as well as some of the more modern versions and spins), I grew tired of hearing how certain scenarios were reminiscent of original plots from the mysteries concerning Sherlock Holmes. Obviously, Charlotte and Jamie were not intended to represent typical teenagers, but I still considered her sleuthing skills to be not very credible. At times, the initial murder of the male student seemed to be forgotten. The resolution seemed non-plausible, and I did not find the rapport between Jamie and Charlotte to be cute. I just could not get into the fantasy.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay
SAVAGE SEASON (A Hap and Leonard Novel) (Thriller-Hap/Leonard-Texas-Contemp) – 1st in series – Joe R. Lansdale Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best friends, yet they couldn't be more different. Hap is an east Texas white-boy with a weakness for Texas women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. Together, they steer up more commotion than a fire storm. But that's just the way they like it. So when an ex-flame of Hap's returns promising a huge score. Hap lets Leonard in on the scam, and that's when things get interesting. Chockfull of action and laughs, Savage Season is the masterpiece of dark suspense that introduced Hap and Leonard to the thriller scene. It hasn't been the same since.
Susan - G+ - I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and his characterizations. Maybe my admiration stemmed partially from the fact that I attended UC Berkeley during the late 1960s and early 1970s to earn my bachelor’s degree. So, I was around during the Free Speech Movement and while the hippies lived in the Haight-Ashbury. The suspense moved slowly, at first, but then gained speed in the last third of the book. Descriptions of the graphic violence were well-crafted, but if a reader is squeamish, perhaps this book would not appeal. The language was sometimes coarse, and there was some sexual content, but the sex scenes were tastefully described, in my opinion. The coarse language suited the characters being depicted. This book might please a male audience more than a female one, but I did think the author did a very good job, and the book was a quick and enjoyable read for me.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: G+
SPEAKERS OF THE DEAD (Hist/Jour-Walt Whitman-NYC-1843) – 1st book – J. Aaron Sanders The year is 1843; the place: New York City. Aurora reporter Walt Whitman arrives at the Tombs prison yard where his friend Lena Stowe is scheduled to hang for the murder of her husband, Abraham. Walt intends to present evidence on Lena's behalf, but Sheriff Harris turns him away. Lena drops to her death, and Walt vows to posthumously exonerate her. Walt's estranged boyfriend, Henry Saunders, returns to New York, and the two men uncover a link between body-snatching and Abraham's murder: a man named Samuel Clement. To get to Clement, Walt and Henry descend into a dangerous underworld where resurrection men steal the bodies of the recently deceased and sell them to medical colleges. With no legal means to acquire cadavers, medical students rely on these criminals, and Abraham's involvement with the Bone Bill—legislation that would put the resurrection men out of business—seems to have led to his and Lena's deaths.
Gabriel – Okay – Has a lot going for it but it's a bit of a hard read. Linda F – VG – Really liked that it dealt with Whitman as a newspaper reporter, and with the controversy of women doing autopsies. Liked that Elizabeth Black and the resurrection men were a major part of the story. She really liked all of it. LJ – G+ - The opening certainly captures one’s attention, both in the fact of women training to be doctors in 1943, and the events of the story themselves. Most know Whitman as a poet. However, it is fascinating to learn more of his history, life, sexuality, and faith. He ends up being an interesting protagonist, with a wonderful mixture of fact and fiction, along with Elizabeth Blackwell, the first women in America to earn an M.D. However, it is the young Azariah Smith who nearly steals the story. Sanders provides excellent descriptions and a strong sense of place and time. There are also occasional flashes of humor. Sander’s New York is one of poverty, corruption, cruelty, and death. It is a hard place where some, a few, are trying to bring knowledge and enlightenment. It is not an easy book to read due to its content. But it is well done. Do read the author’s notes at the end.
Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices—and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends. But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
Gabriel – Good – Enjoyed it as a whole. He had trouble suspending belief in the beginning but was able to work with it. It was interesting. Liked the information on Charlotte's messed up family.
LJ – Okay - Cavallaro does have a good voice. However, there is a contradiction when Cavallaro refers to the Sherlock Holmes stories having been written by Arthur Conan Doyle while we are to believe these two characters descended from Doyle’s Homes and Watson. Watson’s confusion over how he feels about Holmes is refreshingly and delightfully normal. This would be unremarkable except for how abnormal the characters are in so many other ways. For a YA book rated as being for G9 and up, there is a lot of violence and drug use, and even the suggestion of drugging a girl in order to rape her. One really must question whether they would want their under-18 children to read this. The bullying and relationships of the characters does seem valid, but not appealing. In fact, Watson and his father were really the only likable characters in the story. “A Study in Charlotte” had an interesting concept but was not a particularly enjoyable read.
Susan – Okay - While the author clearly has excellent writing skills, I had trouble finishing the book. After a cute start, the plot seemed to lag, with the focus being on the character development, especially that of Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson. Eventually, descendants of the Moriarty clan also appear. Since I never read books from the original Sherlock Holmes series (but I have seen the Basil Rathbone depictions in the movies, as well as some of the more modern versions and spins), I grew tired of hearing how certain scenarios were reminiscent of original plots from the mysteries concerning Sherlock Holmes. Obviously, Charlotte and Jamie were not intended to represent typical teenagers, but I still considered her sleuthing skills to be not very credible. At times, the initial murder of the male student seemed to be forgotten. The resolution seemed non-plausible, and I did not find the rapport between Jamie and Charlotte to be cute. I just could not get into the fantasy.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: Okay
SAVAGE SEASON (A Hap and Leonard Novel) (Thriller-Hap/Leonard-Texas-Contemp) – 1st in series – Joe R. Lansdale
Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best friends, yet they couldn't be more different. Hap is an east Texas white-boy with a weakness for Texas women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. Together, they steer up more commotion than a fire storm. But that's just the way they like it. So when an ex-flame of Hap's returns promising a huge score. Hap lets Leonard in on the scam, and that's when things get interesting. Chockfull of action and laughs, Savage Season is the masterpiece of dark suspense that introduced Hap and Leonard to the thriller scene. It hasn't been the same since.
Susan - G+ - I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and his characterizations. Maybe my admiration stemmed partially from the fact that I attended UC Berkeley during the late 1960s and early 1970s to earn my bachelor’s degree. So, I was around during the Free Speech Movement and while the hippies lived in the Haight-Ashbury. The suspense moved slowly, at first, but then gained speed in the last third of the book. Descriptions of the graphic violence were well-crafted, but if a reader is squeamish, perhaps this book would not appeal. The language was sometimes coarse, and there was some sexual content, but the sex scenes were tastefully described, in my opinion. The coarse language suited the characters being depicted. This book might please a male audience more than a female one, but I did think the author did a very good job, and the book was a quick and enjoyable read for me.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: G+
SPEAKERS OF THE DEAD (Hist/Jour-Walt Whitman-NYC-1843) – 1st book – J. Aaron Sanders
The year is 1843; the place: New York City. Aurora reporter Walt Whitman arrives at the Tombs prison yard where his friend Lena Stowe is scheduled to hang for the murder of her husband, Abraham. Walt intends to present evidence on Lena's behalf, but Sheriff Harris turns him away. Lena drops to her death, and Walt vows to posthumously exonerate her. Walt's estranged boyfriend, Henry Saunders, returns to New York, and the two men uncover a link between body-snatching and Abraham's murder: a man named Samuel Clement. To get to Clement, Walt and Henry descend into a dangerous underworld where resurrection men steal the bodies of the recently deceased and sell them to medical colleges. With no legal means to acquire cadavers, medical students rely on these criminals, and Abraham's involvement with the Bone Bill—legislation that would put the resurrection men out of business—seems to have led to his and Lena's deaths.
Gabriel – Okay – Has a lot going for it but it's a bit of a hard read.
Linda F – VG – Really liked that it dealt with Whitman as a newspaper reporter, and with the controversy of women doing autopsies. Liked that Elizabeth Black and the resurrection men were a major part of the story. She really liked all of it.
LJ – G+ - The opening certainly captures one’s attention, both in the fact of women training to be doctors in 1943, and the events of the story themselves. Most know Whitman as a poet. However, it is fascinating to learn more of his history, life, sexuality, and faith. He ends up being an interesting protagonist, with a wonderful mixture of fact and fiction, along with Elizabeth Blackwell, the first women in America to earn an M.D. However, it is the young Azariah Smith who nearly steals the story. Sanders provides excellent descriptions and a strong sense of place and time. There are also occasional flashes of humor. Sander’s New York is one of poverty, corruption, cruelty, and death. It is a hard place where some, a few, are trying to bring knowledge and enlightenment. It is not an easy book to read due to its content. But it is well done. Do read the author’s notes at the end.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: G+