The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)

By: Stephen King

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Survival

While on a day hike with her mother and older brother, nine-year-old Trisha McFarland leaves the trail and falls behind. Attempting to catch up, she thinks she is taking a shortcut, and ends up getting lost in the Maine woods. As night falls, she has to rely on her own instincts and what little supplies she has to withstand the elements. She has to be brave despite her fears. She listens to Boston Red Sox baseball games on her walkman in an attempt to keep her connected to society. She imagines her hero, closing pitcher Tom Gordon, is there beside her as the days wear on and an enemy closes in.

I had a hard time getting into this novel. I liked the heroine, Trisha, fine, but I couldn't really relate to her. I had a really hard time putting myself in her situation. I thought she was very smart in her efforts to survive out in the woods. She knew to conserve her food and water supplies, and follow streams to civilization, yet she never thought about trying to retrace her steps back to the trails she originally left? That didn't make sense to me. I understand that if she had found the trail, there wouldn't have been much of a story, but she could have tried and maybe gotten lost along the way.

The days that she’s lost in the woods seem to drag on, and many of them contain her walking through different parts of the woods and picking berries. There are a few slightly scary moments when she finds some mangled animals, but other than that the story is more about her surviving in the wilderness with nothing but a radio to keep her sane. The only somewhat scary part is the climax of the novel, and even then I wasn’t too worried about what would happen to our scrappy little heroine.

The baseball jargon was hard for me to follow as well. I just found the parts involving baseball and Trisha’s love for it so boring. That is mostly because I find the game itself dull and sleep-inducing. I understood that it was her only link to the outside world, but that didn’t make it easier for me to read about.

It really just wasn't the thrilling novel I was expecting from the cover. I found it to be more about survival and a love for baseball than horror, so I had a hard time really enjoying it. Overall, it is not one of my favorite Stephen King books, but it is still a decent read if you’re not expecting many scares.

6/10

The Cold One (1995)

By: Christopher Pike

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Supernatural

Los Angeles police are baffled by two strings of murders linked only by one fingerprint. Half of the victims are ripped apart and the other half seem to have suffocated. Journalist Peter Jacobs is pulled into the investigation when he gets a call from a mysterious man who may or may not be the killer. Julie Moore, a graduate student investigating near death experiences, becomes involved when Jerry Washington contacts her about the weird behavior of his girlfriend who nearly drowned a few days prior. Meanwhile, in India, Govinda Sharma is sent on a mission by his Hindu Master to follow Rak, a powerful, five-thousand-year-old demon, as he leaves his home in the mountains and heads toward civilization. All of these people are linked to each other as they get dangerously close to The Cold One – a being with no feelings whose very existence threatens to destroy humanity.

I have been a huge Christopher Pike fan since I was in the eighth grade and discovered his young adult thrillers. This is the first adult novel that I have read of his, and I found it just as enjoyable as his young adult books, if not more so. When writing for adults, Pike doesn’t hold anything back, while his young adult offerings are a bit more censored. Here, the violence is very graphic, as is the sex, and anyone could be on the chopping block. There were a few scenes that I found absolutely cringe-worthy and disturbing - and I’m not an easy one to disturb. 

I enjoyed getting to know the various characters and seeing how their individual stories slowly meld together. Julie Moore is probably my favorite character, as she is smart, ambitious and a survivor. I loved that Jerry Washington is a former gang member trying to turn his life around – despite the fact that it is quite cliché for the one black character to be in a gang. He has a good heart regardless of his background and truly loves his girlfriend, Susan. Peter seems like a cool guy at first, but I hate how he acts toward the women he dates – thinking he can do better than the lovely woman he already has. The Cold One is a fascinating character – I liked being inside its head and reading its thoughts as it tries to figure out what it is and its purpose on earth. Its scientific, experimental approach to murdering a human being is as interesting as it is creepy. 

I loved how the story all seems to flow together neatly, and the writing was so vivid that I could picture the events unfolding easily. Each character, setting and situation was easy to visualize. The story did begin to get a little predictable toward the end, but not so much that I was turned off by the outcome. I was rather satisfied that my guesses were on target but surprised by the additional details added on when my predictions were revealed as correct. 

The use of Hindu philosophy to describe the horrific events of the novel was also well-done. I found the Hindu ideas fascinating and I loved how they explained the chakras and the idea of Seedling – the ability to persuade others to do your bidding – a form of mind control believed to be used by cult leaders, politicians and corrupt religious figures. These beliefs explained the powers of The Cold One and linked them to ancient Hindu stories. 

Not everything about this book made me happy, though. The final confrontation between Julie and the Cold One is irritating to me. For one thing, Julie goes to The Cold One’s home even though she is fearful of it, which is an idiotic move for someone normally bright. Secondly, their final battle is over a man when there are much bigger things at stake – like The Cold One's intent to destroy humanity. Really? 

There was also a disgusting and upsetting scene involving a fetus that I felt was unnecessary to the story and could have been left out. I may be pro-choice, but this particular scene really bothered me because the fetus was past the first trimester and living outside of the body. Regardless of the paranormal, possibly demonic, nature of the fetus, it could feel pain. The revelations made between the characters could have been done without this detail being involved. I felt like Pike was pushing the envelope here and went too far. 

Lastly, the ending leaves it open for a sequel, which the final page of the novel even promises, but that sequel has never been written. I want to find out what befalls the characters as it looks like the cycle from this novel will repeat itself. I really hope Pike gets around to writing it, because, despite the flaws of this book, it is deserving of a sequel. I love these characters too much to never know what happens to them. 

Overall, despite an unnecessary disturbing scene and an annoying reason for our heroine to battle The Cold One, the story is very well-written and interesting if slightly predictable. I enjoyed the novel for the most part, and sincerely hope that Pike writes the once promised and long-awaited sequel. 

7/10

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973)

By: Lois Duncan

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense, Mystery

On a clear, starry July night, Julie James and her friends were coming home from a barbeque when they accidently hit and kill a ten-year-old boy on his bicycle. They discuss what to do and fear gets the best of them, making a pact to flee the scene and forget the tragedy ever happened. One year later, just as the four teens have gotten their lives in order, they begin receiving notes and clippings related to the incident. Someone knows what they did and that someone wants revenge.

This is my second time reading this novel and I have to say I like it a little less on the second pass. Lois Duncan is one of my favorite young adult authors, and the story is still very gripping and suspenseful – but some of the writing was a little clunky in places. Words were repeated awkwardly within the same sentences, details were repeated over and over again (Helen’s been dating Barry for two years, the fact that the four teens made a pact), and stories are told multiple times from different characters. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed and nonsensical – did the villain actually think he/she was going to get away with it? So many loose ends are left that the police would find out the bad guy’s identity in no time. I also wish there was an epilogue so I could find out what happened to the kids after the final confrontation.

Julie and Ray are the only likable characters as they are the only ones who really seem to feel badly about what happened. Julie’s personality changed completely, as she cut social ties, dropped from the clubs and cheering squad, and began hitting the books like crazy. The guilt has weighed heavily on her both physically and emotionally. It appears to have affected Ray strongly as well. Helen seems to only care about herself, her relationship with Barry and her looks. She is very self-centered and despite being a beauty queen, she has very low self-esteem. She also can’t see Barry for what he is, a two-timing jerk who is willing to put her life and the lives of Ray and Julie in jeopardy to cover his own hide. He uses her as a showpiece because he can claim he’s dating a local celebrity.

There are a few secondary characters as well, such as Elsa, Helen’s sister, who is described as fat, dumpy and sullen – her appearance making people dislike her. (Ray even thinks this when he first meets her, “Never had someone’s appearance made him dislike them before.” Way to dump on the heavy-set people, Duncan…) Elsa’s attitude is what bothered me – she seems to hate her little sister and take pleasure in Helen’s every mistake, although this is somewhat understandable because it’s clear Helen is the favorite daughter. There’s a scene in Helen’s family home where her mother tells Elsa not to eat any more potatoes because she doesn't need to gain any more weight. That’s an awful thing to say to your daughter! No wonder Elsa’s attitude is so negative and depressing!

Mrs. Cox, Barry’s mother, made me want to reach into the book and punch her out. She’s one of those controlling mothers who think no one is good enough for their boy. When a distraught Helen tries to visit Barry in the hospital, Mrs. Cox is unreasonably mean to her and acts like she’s nothing. She is so domineering she actually wants her son to have a life-long injury so she can keep him by her side for the rest of her life.

The villain in the novel is NOT the fisherman – so it bugs me a lot that his image is on the cover of the book. I know the publishers are trying to lure fans of the film to read the book, but these fans will be sorely disappointed. This isn’t a novelized slasher, it’s a story of suspense and mystery. The villain in the novel is a lot more sympathetic than the fisherman, having a very good reason for wanting revenge.

Overall, this is a very different story from the one told in the film. If you’re a fan of the films, you’ll probably be disappointed. It is a decently written suspense/mystery novel, if a bit dated, and a quick, yet enjoyable read despite its flaws.

6/10

Saving Zoe (2007)

By: Alyson Noel

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Drama

Brainy and shy, fifteen-year-old Echo is entering high school and beginning to navigate the ups and downs of being a teenager. However, she is also dealing with something few of her classmates will ever have to: the grisly murder of her older sister Zoe. When Zoe’s boyfriend Marc gives Echo Zoe’s diary, she discovers who her sister really was and gets to know the real Zoe.

This novel was rather disappointing to me. From the description on the back of the book, I gathered that Echo and Marc would be using the diary to solve Zoe’s murder which wasn’t the case at all. Zoe’s murderer is known from the beginning and is already sitting in jail awaiting trial. The murder itself is brushed over as some insignificant detail – we never really find out how Zoe was killed or the name of the killer. I would have thought that Echo would be carrying a large amount of hatred for the man that ripped her sister away from her, but he is hardly mentioned at all. 

This is strictly the story of how Echo comes to terms with her own thoughts and feelings about Zoe. I got the feeling that Echo was always living in her sister’s shadow because Zoe was the pretty, bubbly, popular one who always had friends and boys around her. Echo was the quiet, brainy one who did well in school, never caused trouble, and often spent time with her parents. After Zoe’s death, it seems like the light of her parents’ lives has gone out and all they are left with is Echo. I really wish Noel would have delved more into the psychological effects Zoe’s death had upon the family. I think that would have made a far more interesting story.

Once Echo begins to read Zoe’s diary, it is almost as if she wants to become Zoe – someone who honestly doesn’t seem like anyone to admire. Zoe cheated on her boyfriends, smoked weed, tried other drugs, had lots of sex, drank alcohol and posted skanky pictures of herself on the internet. She had an attitude problem and seemed to think her looks were everything. She dreamed of being an actress and model and idolized reality television stars. Zoe is everything I can’t stand about my generation.

The book is probably thirty to fifty percent excerpts from Zoe’s diary, most of which include her prattling on about inane things. The plot finally becomes interesting around chapter 30 when the events leading up to the murder unfold and Zoe makes a startling revelation about someone Echo knows. I wish this plot point had come up earlier in the novel because it was the best part of the entire story and actually had me wondering what Echo was going to do about it.

Echo and her sister are both annoying characters that make awful decisions that put them in harm’s way. When I wasn’t getting irritated with their foolish choices, I was groaning at the lack of vocabulary these girls seem to have. Apparently, in Noel’s eyes, all teenage girls talk like the stereotypical dumb cheerleader: “Like, totally!” The word “totally” is over-used, to the point where I wanted to find the author and slap her upside the head. Use a different adverb already! “I was totally shaking,” “I was so totally angry,” We get it! Even Echo, who is supposedly a bookworm, speaks this way. Maybe its a Southern California thing (the author lives there), but when I was the age of the characters in the novel I never talked like that and didn’t know a single person that did. I also went to high school around the same time this book was published. The poor vocabulary skills of these characters were so grating on my nerves and it reflects negatively on the author. Though, to be honest, I don’t think she is a very good writer in general.

In the end, I felt that the book was rather pointless. Nothing was really resolved, the grief of the characters still left very much unexplored, and the characters not developing at all.

Overall – the story had potential but it was bogged down by unlikeable characters and a very constricted “Valley Girl” vocabulary. It almost redeemed itself around chapter 30, but it was so close to the end of the book that it made little difference. Also, I wish it would have spent more time on the murder and how it affected the family. Considering the plotline, this novel could have been much better.

4.5/10

The Steepleton Chronicles

The Body of Christopher Creed (2000)

By: Carol Plum-Ucci

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Christopher Creed was always the weird kid, often bullied and dubbed a freak by his classmates. When he disappears, his classmates and the rest of the town begin to speculate about what happened to him. Was he murdered? Did he commit suicide? Or did he simply run away? Everyone has a theory and everyone is ready to blame someone else. For the protagonist, Torey Adams, his perfect world seems to be dissolving as fingers are pointed, blame is passed and the dirty secrets of his neighbors are revealed in the search for the truth.

This novel started out very slow, and I wasn’t quite sure I was going to like it. It is told from the perspective of one of Christopher Creed’s classmates, Victor “Torey” Adams, a young man surprisingly affected by Creed’s disappearance. Up until Creed disappeared, Torey had a perfect life – he was on the football team, had his own band, and was dating a beautiful girl named Leandra. Slowly his world begins to unravel as he sees the true colors of his friends and realizes how different he is from them.

Torey and his friends Ali and Bo are the only likable characters in this book. At first I wasn’t even sure I was going to like Torey, due to his secretive nature and angry outbursts. As he began to tell his story, though, everything made a lot more sense and I understood his behavior. Ali’s home-life is fairly disturbing, and Bo is the ruffian from the wrong side of the tracks who has a hidden sweet side. The rest of Torey’s friends were insufferable, especially the girls. Leandra is a “good Christian” that frowns upon gossiping, yet doesn’t hesitate to speak ill of people she feels are below her. Renee is willing to make up nasty rumors about those who do something to offend her, some being very serious accusations of law-breaking. She is very vindictive and I wanted to reach into the book and choke her. One of the most irritating characters is Chris’s mother, who is the first person to start accusing people of being involved in the disappearance of her son.

Once Torey begins hanging out with Ali – Creed’s neighbor – they begin investigating his experience on their own. This is in part of their own curiosity, and partially because he was a good kid and they felt someone should have looked out for him. This investigation leads them on an interesting path and reveals some secrets that the town would rather keep hidden.

Despite the incredibly irritating characters, the story was gripping. While the first few chapters moved a bit slowly for me, I whisked through the last 75% of the novel in one afternoon. When things finally got interesting the story moved right along and didn’t stop until the open-ended conclusion. At first I was a little bummed, because I don’t like my mysteries being left open for interpretation, I’m one for narrative closure. However, I discovered there is a sequel, which I cannot wait to get my hands on and continue on the journey to solving this mystery.

Overall: Slow moving at first, but after the first four chapters it becomes difficult to put down. It’s an intriguing look at the effect that the disappearance of one boy can have on an entire town. I’m happily awaiting the moment I can get my hands on the sequel.

7.5/10

Following Christopher Creed (2011)

By: Carol Plum-Ucci

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Drama, Fiction

It’s been five years since Christopher Creed disappeared from Steepleton and still no one is any closer to finding out what happened to him. Torey Adams has just about abandoned the website he created in Chris Creed’s name, and is now on his way to being a successful rock star. Bo Richardson joined the Army and Ali McDermott is engaged and on her way to her Master’s Degree in Social Work. They’ve put Steepleton behind them.

The reader is now seeing Steepleton through the eyes of college reporter Mike Mavic, an avid reader of Adams’s Chris Creed website, as he arrives in town to do a story on the missing boy. To the rest of the town, the disappearance is old news. A few of the local teens are convinced he’s dead, but not Chris’s younger brother, Justin, who believes he can will his brother home. When tragedy lures Bo, Torey and Ali home again, the truth is finally revealed.

Mike is a great protagonist, determined to get his story despite his disability (legally blind) but not willing to break any ethical boundaries. He’s a professional, but he can also offer insight to what Chris Creed might have been going through, having had similar life experiences. His girlfriend, RayAnn, is sweet and very intelligent, helping Mike with his stories, interviews and research. She’s a lovely character, and I would have liked to get to know her even better.

I loved that the author brought the original main characters back for the sequel, letting them play a role but not being the main focus. It was great to see the story from a new perspective, one that could offer insight to what may have been going on in Chris’s head the day he disappeared. I also loved the focus on Justin and what has happened to him since the first novel. He’s a troubled kid, having been diagnosed with bipolar and self-medicating with an increasingly dangerous drug habit. The mother Creed has come even more unhinged and turned to alcohol to comfort herself, making her even more irate and irrational when it comes to her children.

While the mystery of what happened to Chris hangs in the air until the final pages, this is his brother’s story. The reader sees how different Justin is from his brother. While Chris couldn’t deal with his controlling mother, Justin learned to stand up to her, and even takes care of her when she drinks herself into oblivion. Justin is angry at Chris for leaving and desperately wants him to come home. It is also the story of the town and what has changed since Chris vanished and Torey, Ali and Bo left for bigger and better things.

Plum-Ucci has crafted a well-thought-out continuation to her original mystery. The characters are likable and sympathetic and the story grabs you and doesn’t want to let go. The twist ending was something I didn’t even see coming and makes me want to read the novel again to look for clues leading up to the final reveal. This was a great follow-up and I can’t wait to read more of this author’s work.

7/10

Echo Falls Mystery Series

Down the Rabbit Hole (2005)
Book #1

By: Peter Abrahams

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Thirteen-year-old Ingrid Levin-Hill has a secret. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now there is evidence placing her at the scene of a murder. A soccer player and actress in the Echo Falls theater program, she has enough on her plate before adding on a murder mystery. Taking a page out of her favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes’s handbook, she decides to solve the mystery herself.

I was actually fairly disappointed with this novel. It has such a glowing recommendation from one of my favorite authors, Stephen King, on the back of it that I thought I would enjoy it for sure. I liked it enough to finish, maybe even enough to continue with the series, but I don’t think this book is as great as other people make it out to be.

The main reason I didn’t like this book is Ingrid herself. I thought I could get behind her as we’re both pretty shy and love to read, but her logic does not cohere with my own. She allows panic to get in the way of her judgment and makes incredibly stupid errors – for example, breaking into a crime scene to remove evidence that she had been there and nearly getting caught by the murderer and the police. She lies to the people that could actually help her and reveals more than she should to someone she hardly even knows. Lastly, I found it very hard to believe that no one noticed she was missing during all of her little excursions to find clues.

The killer is predictable. I had my suspicions the first time the character was introduced. The fact that no red flags are going off in Ingrid’s head is beyond me, especially since she’s such a mystery lover. The behavior of this character had me sure of the killer’s identity long before she stumbles onto it. 

This brings us to the ending which is very anticlimactic. We never find out the killer’s side of the story, the motive behind the murder, though we can speculate what it is. When she finally comes clean with the town sheriff, there’s no conversation between the two – just a paragraph about how it went. I feel that since she spent the entire novel lying to the sheriff and avoiding him that the scene where they finally discuss everything should have played a much bigger role in the ending. I also felt like she should have come clean from the very beginning, but then there wouldn’t have been much of a story.

Overall, it’s a decent read but nothing spectacular like many people make it out to be. The heroine is frustrating and the ending lacking. The most compelling character in the story was the murder victim herself, who was only alive for maybe three pages. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened to her. Still, the novel was hard to put down, and I will probably continue with the series. Maybe when Ingrid isn’t fearing that she’ll be in trouble she’ll be a more likable character.

5/10

Behind the Curtain (2006)

Book #2

By: Peter Abrahams

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Ingrid Levin-Hill is back for another predictable Echo Falls Mystery. This time it is one that directly involves herself and her own family. Her father’s job is in jeopardy due to the recent hiring of a new Vice President of the company. Her jock brother is becoming exceedingly buff and temperamental, and she, herself, is kidnapped on the way to a school function. Although she makes a daring escape from the trunk of a moving car, she doesn’t have a scratch on her, leading to her having to prove her story. Thus begins her investigation.

I had hoped that this story would be a little better than the previous one since Ingrid was actually a victim. It wasn’t. Ingrid is still as foolish as ever, doing things that don’t make sense and just outright snooping when she shouldn’t be. She doesn’t call the police when she discovers evidence that might lead to the kidnapper, but instead touches it with her bare hands and pockets it. She doesn’t tell the nurse on duty when she sees an unauthorized person going into a restricted area at the hospital, but instead investigates it herself. Plus, she puts herself in dangerous situations, never letting anyone else know what she’s about to do, and nearly getting herself killed. This kid must have one heck of a guardian angel watching over her.

The only likable characters in this sequel are the Sheriff, his son, and Grampy. The sheriff tries to work with Ingrid, but she never gives him the entire truth – and doesn’t even bring him in on her own investigation. Joey, the sheriff’s son, adores Ingrid and is willing to defend her. Grampy is just hilarious, stubborn as anything, and willing to do what it takes to protect himself, his property, and his family.

The rest of the characters were purely annoying. Ingrid’s father is the worst. Apparently your job being in jeopardy makes it okay to treat your family like crap and act like whatever your children do isn’t good enough. Her brother is also a complete jerk, but at least the violent outburst he had with Ingrid in the first book is finally explained. Ingrid’s math teacher, Mrs. Groome, seems to hate Ingrid for no apparent reason – because Ingrid wrote in a text book and did miraculously well on a test in the last novel, I guess. It’s not really clear why this woman has such a grudge against this girl.

The overall plot was predictable. The shady characters are easy to pick out as soon as they enter the story, and I had the motive for Ingrid’s kidnapping figured out long before the big final reveal. I also knew what was going on with her brother simply by reading the description on the book flap. It also used the same elements as the first novel – with the “accidental” taking out of someone else higher up in the power chain, and the suspicious newcomer. At what level does Abrahams consider the young adult’s ability to read and solve a mystery?

 It also left me with questions, but not the open-ended kind that make you think. For instance, how does everyone in the whole town know where Ingrid’s tree house is? It serves as a major plot point in the story, but her father had built it for her and her brother when they were much younger. For someone who seems to want to know about everything, why doesn’t Ingrid pay attention in school? Her hero, Sherlock Holmes is incredibly intelligent and well-educated, but she ignores most of what her teachers are talking about – even when it pertains to something she is investigating. Lastly, how does a blindfolded girl manage to leap safely from the trunk of a moving car, hit the ground, and not be injured in the slightest? Not to mention, hit the side of the road, rather than falling into oncoming traffic?

Overall, this is another mediocre young adult mystery with an obvious ending. Ingrid is still annoying and she shouldn’t be revered for her sleuthing abilities – which consist of falling into a dangerous situation and happening to close the case.

4.5/10

Into the Dark (2008)

Book #3

By: Peter Abrahams

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Ingrid Levin-Hill gets sucked into yet another mystery when, while snow shoeing with potential boyfriend Joey Strade on Grampy’s land, she discovers the body of a murdered man. The police are convinced that Grampy is the killer and it is up to Ingrid to clear his name.

I liked this entry a little better than the last two, but not much. Ingrid was slightly less annoying as she didn’t do as many of the stupid things she has been known to do in the past. She even admits her short-comings when she is analyzing a passage from a Sherlock Holmes story and follows it up with, “Yes, that was her, missing everything that was important.” This quote struck me because that is how I always feel about Ingrid when she attempts to solve a mystery – she is missing all of the important details that the readers have picked up on from the beginning.

I find that to be one of the biggest flaws of this series – I really don’t like the fact that the reader is always ten steps ahead of Ingrid. Having read young adult novels since I was ten years old, I have found some lovely, challenging mysteries written for the age group. The Echo Falls Mysteries are none of the above. The ten-year-old me would have been further ahead of Ingrid in solving the case.

While reading these books, I feel like Abrahams is almost insulting the intelligence of his readers. He doesn’t seem to have a grasp on the reading level of preteens and teenagers – the demographic he is writing for. Kids are a lot smarter than he seems to give them credit for – and he frequently repeats things with the slightest significance over and over again. The reader got this a long time ago, why can’t Ingrid?

Another reason I feel like Abraham’s has little knowledge about the age group he’s writing for is the obviousness of the bad guys. While this one wasn’t as formulaic as the last two, the killer stood out as they always do. Also, the killer is a moron, doing something stupid that leads Ingrid right to him. He’s even less intelligent than Ingrid herself – who is no genius either, as yet again, she stumbles onto the killer’s identity and nearly gets herself killed.

Another thing that annoys me about Ingrid is that she always withholds evidence from the police – evidence that could clear someone for a crime they didn’t commit – such as her beloved grandfather. She doesn’t reveal this information because she’s afraid of betraying Grampy – but she’s saving him from spending the rest of his life in jail, and would be getting the police to look in another direction, I would think that Grampy would get over it. She is loyal to a fault and she is almost always protecting someone, whether it’s herself or a family member.

There were a few things I did like about this book. First, the case was actually interesting and brought up a lot of history for Grampy – discussing his time in World War II. We also finally learn the reason behind his many doctor’s appointments that he refuses to talk about. I didn’t like that he was so determined to keep this reason a secret from his family that he was willing to go down for a murder he did not commit. His usual charming stubbornness was taken to the extreme in this entry, leading Ingrid into danger in her attempts to clear him.

Second, she finally realizes what the readers have known from the beginning, her dog Nigel is actually very intelligent. Now maybe she won’t be a little brat about taking him for walks and constantly acting like he’s worthless. He has proved his worth time and again to the readers of the series, maybe Ingrid will finally see it too.

Third, the end of Hansel and Gretel was actually incorporated into the end of the book, so for the first time, it actually felt like the mystery and the play she was in were linked. Ingrid was also surprisingly able to think on her feet during the climax of the story – which is something she normally doesn’t do very well. It redeemed her character in my eyes a little.

Overall, this entry was better than the last, but it is still riddled with the problems that make me rate the series so low: annoying lead, obvious villains, and a very formulaic plot.

5.5/10

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama (2006)

By: Laura Amy Schlitz

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Maud Flynn never thought she would have a family of her own. A resident of the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, she was told that she was “plain, clever, and bad,” a combination that often didn’t warrant for adoption. Then, something happens that even surprises Maud. She is adopted by the wealthy, eccentric Hawthorne sisters, and she thinks that she has finally found a home. However, life with the Hawthornes isn’t all that Maud had hoped it would be, and she learns that the women didn’t want her as a daughter, but as someone to help them out in their secret “family business.” The story follows Maud’s experiences with the sisters Hawthorne and the strange world they inhabit.

This was an enjoyable read. Maud is an eleven-year-old with a lot of pent-up anger. She’s troublesome and never expects to be adopted, but once she is, she resolves to be whatever these women want her to be in order to earn their love. Her story has a tragic feel to it. It feels like nothing has ever gone right for this girl, she has never really experienced happiness, and the reader wants her to find the love and acceptance that she so desperately craves. She is truly a sympathetic character. The Hawthorne sisters show more of their true colors as the story progresses. Judith is the strict, responsible one, Hyacinth is the one who wastes money frivolously and has a flair for the dramatic, and Victoria is the most reserved, and probably the most like Maud, emotionally. Muffet, the servant woman, is wonderfully crafted, considering she is both mute and deaf. Her love for Maud and her bold personality make her stand out as one of the most memorable characters of the novel.

This story is an emotional journey for the young heroine. The reader learns the secrets of the family business only as Maud does, and despite its ugly dealings, it is easy to understand why young Maud would go along with it. The mystery of the business is revealed fairly early on. The true story lies with Maud’s relationships with Muffet and the sisters Hawthorne and how long she is willing to work with them before it becomes too much.

The writing is well-done, luring the reader from chapter to chapter with ease. I often found it hard to pull myself away from the story because I wanted to know what would happen next.  I could envision the settings, Hawthorne Manor, Barbary Asylum, Victoria’s cottage and the outdoor attractions of Cape Calypso, all punctuated by the beautiful Victorian era the story is based in, and an era that enchants me. The ending is a tad predictable, but it works and I don’t think I would have wanted the book to end another way.

 

Overall, this is a fun little read with an endearing heroine and an alluring story. Once reading has commenced, the 389 pages fly by very quickly. It is worth at least one read.

7.5/10

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (2010)

By: Beth Hoffman

Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction

CeeCee Honeycutt has never really known a normal life. Most of her childhood has been spent taking care of her mentally ill mother, the town joke. When tragedy rudely interrupts CeeCee’s life, her eccentric great-aunt Tootie shows up and sweeps her away to Savannah, Georgia. There, CeeCee discovers a world rich with lively with strong, intelligent, caring women and through them, works toward acceptance of herself, her place in Savannah, and her mother.

I really enjoyed this novel. CeeCee is an endearing character whose bookworm habits and twisted sense of humor reminded me of myself. Aunt Tootie is kind and a wonderful role model to the blossoming girl, encouraging her to find her passion, her fire, and never let it go out. Oletta, the African-American servant, comes off a bit “mammy-ish” in places, but the details surrounding her character take her above the stereotype. The multitude of southern ladies, both black and white, that adorn this story are all lovely, funny, and diverse, each one standing out in her own right. From the Buddhist Miz Goodpepper to Oletta’s wild Aunt Sapphire, each woman makes a powerful impact on young CeeCee.

Hoffman’s writing is wonderful. The characters feel alive and the beautiful scenery easy to imagine. The story can take a sad turn on one page and make you laugh out loud with the next. Her characters are capable of many humorous antics such as flinging slugs into a rude neighbor’s yard or chronicling the travels of a brassiere. However, Hoffman also captures the seriousness of racism in the Georgia of the 1960s, when this novel takes place.

The only flaw I found with this New York Times Bestseller is that two characters that seem to be important when they are briefly introduced, but one dies off and we never hear about the other one again. CeeCee holds onto these women as special people in her life, but she only ever meets them once. I felt that was something that could have been done differently. While I liked the characters, I felt that they should have either had more time in the story line, or not been introduced at all. 

Overall, this is a great first novel for Beth Hoffman. Lively characters and a great mix of humor, sadness and historical reality make this a book worthy of more than one read. I look forward to Hoffman’s next effort.

8.5/10

Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street With the Man of Your Dreams

By: Robert Englund and Alan Goldsher

Genre: Film, Autobiography

“One … two … Freddy’s Coming for You…”

Who doesn’t recognize the catchy jump rope song that haunted the nightmares of the Elm Street children? The tune signaled the danger lurking in their unconscious, clawing its way up to wreak its revenge in the form of Freddy Krueger. Now, the man behind the makeup tells his story.

Robert Englund begins his story in junior high, where he admits he got into acting hoping to impress a girl, and ended up finding his passion. He tells of his growth as an actor, from kiddy productions, to a theatrical academy, to Hollywood and a few events in his personal life along the way. There are several humorous anecdotes from many of the films he was in, including all of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. How he took a pool stick to the groin, the day he killed Burt Reynolds, and getting punched in the face by a young Richard Gere are just a few of the stories he shares, all of which are equally entertaining.

As a long time fan of Robert, not just as Freddy, but as an actor in general, I was eager to get my hands on his book. Coming in at 259 pages (excluding the multiple appendixes), it was a quick read finished within about three days. It feels as though the he is talking directly to you as you take in each and every word. If you have seen him in interviews or listened to him on audio commentaries for the films he’s been in, you can’t help but read the words in his voice. He writes as he speaks, which offers a casual, conversational setting for the reader. His energetic sense of humor is far from absent in his writing style either, which is great because that man never fails to make me laugh.  

Also included in this book are lists from both Robert and Freddy’s perspectives – including playlists, favorite films, best quotes and kills. These were a nice touch – and provided me with a list of films and songs to check out. He also provides a summary of one of his own nightmares at the beginning of each chapter – giving fans insight into what scares the man who had many of us terrified not so long ago.

The only flaws I found with this were that it was over too soon and there could have been more Nightmare on Elm Street. He seemed to gloss over a few of the later films in the series entirely, providing one anecdote and moving on. The Nightmare films did take up a majority of the book, but that still may not be enough for some fans as much of this information can be found in interviews. I’m sure he has enough stories from the set of all seven original films and Freddy Vs Jason that he could fill another book.

Overall, this is a fun read that gives fans insight into the man behind Freddy Krueger – someone with a great sense of humor that stumbled upon acting and ended up falling in love with it. Above all else, Robert Englund is nothing if not down to earth and open to his fans. If only it hadn’t ended so quickly…

7/10