DJINN PATROL ON THE PURPLE LINE (NovMys-Jai-India-Contemp) – Standalone – Deepa Anappara Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz. When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.
Cindy - VG+ - I was transported by this story. I imagined the place, sounds and smells of living there and the constant strain of poverty. I enjoyed the positive light moments and the tight friendship between Pari, Faiz and Jai. It was more an essay on Indian slum life than a mystery. I reminded me a little of Rohinton Mistry's "A Fine Balance" but it had many more upbeat tones. The nightmare of lost children amidst the corrupt "do nothing" police was so frustrating but the counterpoint came when the community stormed the hifi where they suspected the children had been taken. No resolution is unsatisfying as a reader, but it was pretty logical as people with no means could not possibly hunt down the children. We are left to wonder. Gabriel – VG - Well-developed characters, great, vivid sense of place. Well-developed characters; Some people wouldn't like all the Indian words and the glossary, but I did.I was anxious for the kids before I even started reading it--how long before something terrible happens to these naive kids, since they won't understand how much they're in over their heads? A little disappointed by the ending, but not the book's fault. I hadn't realized it was a "novel," not a mystery, so it didn't need to explain who was behind it etc. (Mysteries that don't provide an explanation, especially a motive, are incompetent, no matter how famous the author is.) Ginny – VG+ - The book was very well written. The stark realities of Indian life its inherent caste system, prejudice, lack of education was unsettling. And the heartbreak of child trafficking much less the indifference by authorities was mind numbing. I found Jai the bright light in the midst of Hell in his determination to find his friend. No child should be exposed to the realities of child trafficking and yet Jai’s heart was large and loving, and his hope eternal. Helen – DNF - DNF at about 25%. The setting was really depressing (I have a hard time reading about extreme poverty), and while the narrative voice of a young boy was charming at first, it quickly got wearing. There were too many characters introduced too quickly with not a lot to differentiate them. I skipped to the end and found it pretty realistic given the setting. This book may have worked better as a short story for me. Ron – VG+ - I loved this book not so much as a mystery but for all the elements it presents exceptionally well. The author succeeds in telling an interesting and appalling story based on an actually serious problem in India and does so from the point of view of the children in a realistic way. It is heavy in social commentary on the plight of India’s poor street children, the longsuffering of the poor at the hands of the rich, the corruption of the police, and the growing intolerance of India’s Hindus for the Muslims living among them. I particularly like the way the author wove in the personal story of each kidnapped child so they were not merely statistics. There is no happy ending and there is no clear solution to the crime or what actually happened to the children, and I thought that made an appropriate ending to the book.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG
THE MISSING AMERICAN (PI-Emma Djan-Ghana-Contemp) – 1st in series – Kwei Quartey Accra private investigator Emma Djan's first missing persons case will lead her to the darkest depths of the email scams and fetish priests in Ghana, the world's Internet capital.
Dianne – Good – Liked it. She read the "Ladies Detective Agency" books and found the way they talked to be similar. Fascinated by the role of the priest and found it interesting. Might read another book by this author.. Gabriel – Good - An interesting portrayal of a different culture. One of the ways that was shown was Emma's traditional-but-not-right-wing values. The Gordon Tilson chapters could have used some trimming and editing though. And the anachronic flashback chapters about him were confusing--I kept having to look back to the dates of earlier (in the book) chapters. Ginny – DNF - Learning about Ghanian life and its cultural knowledge was interesting, but the plot and the characters were poor and unsatisfying, especially Emma. The book was chauvinistic in tone which turned me off to the story. Helen – Good - This book is what can happen when someone is taken in by an internet scam and moves to vigilante justice. I did like Emma, although I wish she was less polite and stiff. I also liked her boss in the detective agency. The plot moved well and the characters were pretty good, although the mystery was not surprising (I figured out who the Godfather was pretty quickly; there are only a few obvious candidates). The resolution was a little too neat given the level of corruption in the police and government. But I think this is the first in a series, so maybe the next few books will bring out more of that corruption (would have been nice to see a hint of that at the end, though). Ron – VG - I like the setting of the book in Ghana and the lead characters—Emma, Bruno, and Yemo Sowah. As in the previous book, the corruption of the police is highlighted—an endemic problem in Third World countries still, but this book also highlights the growing sophistication of internet scam artists prevalent in that part of the world. I hadn’t known of the role of fetish priests in this regard, and I haven’t looked into whether this is a true picture of their influence. I thought the mystery itself was good, but I did find the book somewhat long and I was flagging at the end.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
THE DISTANT DEAD (Thriller-Multiple-Nevada-Contemp) – Standalone – Heather Young A young boy finds himself at the center of a murder mystery in this timely and twisty thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Lost Girls--a compelling and indelible story set in small town America that examines the burden of guilt, the bitter price of forgiveness, and the debts we owe our dead, both recent and distant.
Ginny – Okay - The beginning of the book held my attention due to the setting and the characters, but I never expected the story to move in a direction was so darker in tone. The ending was unsatisfying and depressing. So much for fractured and deadly family relationships. Helen – VG+ - There is a lot going on in this book. The characters are pretty complex and dealing with some very heavy issues, especially Sal, who has a terrible home life. I wasn't a huge fan of Nora, but her character was at least interesting. The author does a good job of switching character voices and pulling you into their lives. There are a lot of separate plots that are all drawn together into a cohesive whole at the end, and the end reveal is dramatic but not over the top. The pace made it hard to put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened; there are a lot of layers to pull back in this mystery. I did figure out some of what was going on, but there were a few things that I missed (it's hard to really shock me given the number of books I've read, so it's more down to me missing things). Overall I really liked this book Linda M. – VG - Having not read Heather Young before, I was pleasantly surprised! I enjoy a child protagonist, and I felt that Saul and the characters around him were developed nicely. Nobody is all good, or all bad. Everyone has their baggage, and most are trying to do the right thing from their own, often flawed, perspective. Addiction, regret, redemption, and grudges are pervasive. This was a quick, absorbing read, and I won't hesitate to read another from Ms. Young. Nancy – Good - The book’s most interesting parts were the development of two of its primary characters, Sal and his uncle Gideon. Sal’s story of survival and ultimate relative safety was interesting because of its general believability and his step-by-step development journey into teenage maturity. Gideon also grew, just much more slowly and almost imperceptibly, although he did seem to become more of a father figure for Sal, becoming more likable to me because of it. That being said, I’m sure there are many real life people living limited lives, just like the residents of Lovelock in this book. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t captivated by reading about most of them here. I really didn’t care about most of the book’s other primary characters. Perhaps more concise or more realistic stories about their lives would be more intriguing ones for me to read. Ron – Ex - I loved the story throughout, particularly the character of Sal. I thought the author had a strong sense of character and location, and her prose and dialogue flowed easily. The moral dilemmas for all the characters felt real and I believe readers will find themselves asking how they would react in the different situations presented. There was a wonderful lack of judgment about their decisions and a degree of empathy I found very appealing throughout the book.
Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz. When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth.
Cindy - VG+ - I was transported by this story. I imagined the place, sounds and smells of living there and the constant strain of poverty. I enjoyed the positive light moments and the tight friendship between Pari, Faiz and Jai. It was more an essay on Indian slum life than a mystery. I reminded me a little of Rohinton Mistry's "A Fine Balance" but it had many more upbeat tones. The nightmare of lost children amidst the corrupt "do nothing" police was so frustrating but the counterpoint came when the community stormed the hifi where they suspected the children had been taken. No resolution is unsatisfying as a reader, but it was pretty logical as people with no means could not possibly hunt down the children. We are left to wonder.
Gabriel – VG - Well-developed characters, great, vivid sense of place. Well-developed characters;
Some people wouldn't like all the Indian words and the glossary, but I did.I was anxious for the kids before I even started reading it--how long before something terrible happens to these naive kids, since they won't understand how much they're in over their heads? A little disappointed by the ending, but not the book's fault. I hadn't realized it was a "novel," not a mystery, so it didn't need to explain who was behind it etc. (Mysteries that don't provide an explanation, especially a motive, are incompetent, no matter how famous the author is.)
Ginny – VG+ - The book was very well written. The stark realities of Indian life its inherent caste system, prejudice, lack of education was unsettling. And the heartbreak of child trafficking much less the indifference by authorities was mind numbing. I found Jai the bright light in the midst of Hell in his determination to find his friend. No child should be exposed to the realities of child trafficking and yet Jai’s heart was large and loving, and his hope eternal.
Helen – DNF - DNF at about 25%. The setting was really depressing (I have a hard time reading about extreme poverty), and while the narrative voice of a young boy was charming at first, it quickly got wearing. There were too many characters introduced too quickly with not a lot to differentiate them. I skipped to the end and found it pretty realistic given the setting. This book may have worked better as a short story for me.
Ron – VG+ - I loved this book not so much as a mystery but for all the elements it presents exceptionally well. The author succeeds in telling an interesting and appalling story based on an actually serious problem in India and does so from the point of view of the children in a realistic way. It is heavy in social commentary on the plight of India’s poor street children, the longsuffering of the poor at the hands of the rich, the corruption of the police, and the growing intolerance of India’s Hindus for the Muslims living among them. I particularly like the way the author wove in the personal story of each kidnapped child so they were not merely statistics. There is no happy ending and there is no clear solution to the crime or what actually happened to the children, and I thought that made an appropriate ending to the book.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG
THE MISSING AMERICAN (PI-Emma Djan-Ghana-Contemp) – 1st in series – Kwei Quartey
Accra private investigator Emma Djan's first missing persons case will lead her to the darkest depths of the email scams and fetish priests in Ghana, the world's Internet capital.
Dianne – Good – Liked it. She read the "Ladies Detective Agency" books and found the way they talked to be similar. Fascinated by the role of the priest and found it interesting. Might read another book by this author..
Gabriel – Good - An interesting portrayal of a different culture. One of the ways that was shown was Emma's traditional-but-not-right-wing values. The Gordon Tilson chapters could have used some trimming and editing though. And the anachronic flashback chapters about him were confusing--I kept having to look back to the dates of earlier (in the book) chapters.
Ginny – DNF - Learning about Ghanian life and its cultural knowledge was interesting, but the plot and the characters were poor and unsatisfying, especially Emma. The book was chauvinistic in tone which turned me off to the story.
Helen – Good - This book is what can happen when someone is taken in by an internet scam and moves to vigilante justice. I did like Emma, although I wish she was less polite and stiff. I also liked her boss in the detective agency. The plot moved well and the characters were pretty good, although the mystery was not surprising (I figured out who the Godfather was pretty quickly; there are only a few obvious candidates). The resolution was a little too neat given the level of corruption in the police and government. But I think this is the first in a series, so maybe the next few books will bring out more of that corruption (would have been nice to see a hint of that at the end, though).
Ron – VG - I like the setting of the book in Ghana and the lead characters—Emma, Bruno, and Yemo Sowah. As in the previous book, the corruption of the police is highlighted—an endemic problem in Third World countries still, but this book also highlights the growing sophistication of internet scam artists prevalent in that part of the world. I hadn’t known of the role of fetish priests in this regard, and I haven’t looked into whether this is a true picture of their influence. I thought the mystery itself was good, but I did find the book somewhat long and I was flagging at the end.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
THE DISTANT DEAD (Thriller-Multiple-Nevada-Contemp) – Standalone – Heather Young
A young boy finds himself at the center of a murder mystery in this timely and twisty thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Lost Girls--a compelling and indelible story set in small town America that examines the burden of guilt, the bitter price of forgiveness, and the debts we owe our dead, both recent and distant.
Ginny – Okay - The beginning of the book held my attention due to the setting and the characters, but I never expected the story to move in a direction was so darker in tone. The ending was unsatisfying and depressing. So much for fractured and deadly family relationships.
Helen – VG+ - There is a lot going on in this book. The characters are pretty complex and dealing with some very heavy issues, especially Sal, who has a terrible home life. I wasn't a huge fan of Nora, but her character was at least interesting. The author does a good job of switching character voices and pulling you into their lives. There are a lot of separate plots that are all drawn together into a cohesive whole at the end, and the end reveal is dramatic but not over the top. The pace made it hard to put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened; there are a lot of layers to pull back in this mystery. I did figure out some of what was going on, but there were a few things that I missed (it's hard to really shock me given the number of books I've read, so it's more down to me missing things). Overall I really liked this book
Linda M. – VG - Having not read Heather Young before, I was pleasantly surprised!
I enjoy a child protagonist, and I felt that Saul and the characters around him were developed nicely. Nobody is all good, or all bad. Everyone has their baggage, and most are trying to do the right thing from their own, often flawed, perspective. Addiction, regret, redemption, and grudges are pervasive. This was a quick, absorbing read, and I won't hesitate to read another from Ms. Young.
Nancy – Good - The book’s most interesting parts were the development of two of its primary characters, Sal and his uncle Gideon. Sal’s story of survival and ultimate relative safety was interesting because of its general believability and his step-by-step development journey into teenage maturity. Gideon also grew, just much more slowly and almost imperceptibly, although he did seem to become more of a father figure for Sal, becoming more likable to me because of it. That being said, I’m sure there are many real life people living limited lives, just like the residents of Lovelock in this book. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t captivated by reading about most of them here. I really didn’t care about most of the book’s other primary characters. Perhaps more concise or more realistic stories about their lives would be more intriguing ones for me to read.
Ron – Ex - I loved the story throughout, particularly the character of Sal. I thought the author had a strong sense of character and location, and her prose and dialogue flowed easily. The moral dilemmas for all the characters felt real and I believe readers will find themselves asking how they would react in the different situations presented. There was a wonderful lack of judgment about their decisions and a degree of empathy I found very appealing throughout the book.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG