Review: The Book That Eats People by John Perry

by Carol10 Comments
I picked Amber up after school the other day. She opened the passenger door and innocently reached for the books stacked on the seat to put them in back, like she has to most days. I'm sure I'm not the only one who tends to have books in the car. I had to yell for her to be careful. No, I didn't yell too loud, I wouldn't want to embarrass her. But she was reaching for The Book That Eats People! She just rolled her eyes at me. She's getting good at that, but she is 11, I guess I should get used to it. This is an irresistible, if potentially dangerous book. A great book to read aloud to pre-school or younger elementary kids, it tells about the book's journey and its victims, like poor Sammy Ruskin, the first kid the book ate. You see, he had forgotten to wash his hands after lunch and they smelled like peanut butter....
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Tuesday Intro from Two and a Half Dead Men

by Carol6 Comments
I was looking through some of the books on my line-up seeing which one's first paragraph really grabbed my attention. This is the first three paragraphs from Two and a Half Dead Men by Jason Krumbine. "What the hell?" the guy on the floor says, appropriately freaking out. "I'm Thane," the shorter man with the lighter, closely cropped hair says. He points to the guy standing next to him. "This is my brother, Mort. Our last name is Grym. It's funny, you won't get it right away, but you will in a minute." "And you're dead," Mort points to the man on the floor impatiently. So, would it grab your attention? I found it rather amusing. Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea....
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Review: “Clean Slate” by Lawrence Block

by Carol8 Comments
Lawrence Block is a writer I've been familiar with for a while. I've read a couple of his Bernie Rhodenbarr series and a few short stories, so I had to read "Clean Slate" when I saw it was included in The Best American Mystery Stories 2011. I don't know what I expected, but "Clean Slate" was not it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story, darkly fascinating. The story starts off innocently enough, with our main character, Kit Tolliver, meeting up with her old high school boyfriends who she hasn't seen for 8 years, but it quickly turns into something else entirely. Kit is a sociopath, her issues stemming from her childhood, but it's hard to say much more without telling the whole story. Sex and violence are tied together in her mind, and she's leaving a lot of bodies behind her. This story was originally included in Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Doizos. According to Block's...
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Winner of India Black and the Widow of Windsor

by Carol3 Comments
Congrats to the winner of India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr. Cindi Hoppes I hope you enjoy it! I'll be e-mailing you tomorrow for your mailing address. From the publisher: Black is back—Her Majesty’s favorite spy is off to Scotland in this new adventure to ensure the Queen doesn’t end up getting killed. When Queen Victoria attends a séance, the spirit of her departed husband, Prince Albert, insists she spend Christmas at their Scottish home in Balmoral. Prime Minister Disraeli suspects the Scottish nationalists plan to assassinate the Queen—and sends the ever resourceful India and the handsome British spy, French, to the Scottish highlands. French will take the high road, looking for a traitor among the guests—and India will take the low road, disguised as a servant in case an assassin is hiding among the household staff. India is certain that someone at Balmoral is determined to make this Her Majesty’s last Christmas......
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Review: The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

by Carol11 Comments
Picture London, December 1893. The city is in mourning and angry at the man who killed a remarkable man. Sherlock Holmes is dead, killed at Reichenbach Falls by his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle is amazed that people have responded as if Holmes, the character who he honestly hates, was a real person. Jump ahead in time to 2010. The Baker Street Irregulars, a group of Holmes devotees, have gathered in New York for their annual get-together. The highlight this year is to be a presentation by Alex Cale. He has announced that he found the missing diary chronicling the years between when Doyle killed Holmes off and brought him back again in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Unfortunately, Alex is killed before he can make his presentation, and our main character, Harold, the youngest and newest Irregular, decides he needs to solve the case, using all he has learned from Holmes along the way. He is helped, or hindered, along...
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“Bethane’s Tears”

by Carol8 Comments
Image source: Deviant Art - Aurelia2012 Bethane's Tears 363 words He had heard the crying again last night, on and on, the weeping not allowing him to fall back asleep. He knew she wouldn’t be there, but he had to go out on the lake anyway. She sounded so lonely and grief-stricken. He needed to comfort her if she allowed him. He rowed the small boat out a ways. The pre-dawn air was still chilly and a fog hung over the water. It was silent now, the birds not yet awake, the naiad Bethane quiet. To most Bethane was a local legend, repeated to children but not truly believed. He knew better. He also knew why she cried. He had seen her and Ben, who stayed in the cabin next to his, sitting together on the shore, hand in hand, feet dangling in the water. She was so beautiful, long curling golden hair, clear shining blue eyes, a shimmering light green gown. He...
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