Classic Double Challenge: And Then There Were None

I read this book many years ago, and after discovering the Classic Double Challenge, decided to reread it. And Then There Were None was written by Agatha Christie and was originally published in 1939. The retelling, which I will read and review later, is Ten by Gretchen McNeil.

And Then There Were None follows ten individuals, all guilty of a murder that is beyond the reach of the justice system. They all go to Indian Island under dubious circumstances and are slowly killed off according to the 10 Little Indians nursery rhyme. The murderer is never clear and the remaining victims try desperately to figure out who their mysterious murderer is. While I won't spoil the plot here, the big reveal is surprising and juicy!

Though I read this book many years ago, I had forgotten who the murderer was. Unfortunately, I spoiled the surprise while searching for information on the book on Wikipedia. Though I still enjoyed the book, I had wished I had not spoiled the twist for myself. However, despite knowing the twist, the book is still an amazing piece of literature. I am usually not a big mystery fan, but Christie was obviously a master at her game. I remember reading this years ago and seeing the film, and being impressed at how tight the plot was and how I was guessing the whole time, while still being ultimately wrong. The book is also definitely a product of the time it was written in. I have yet to read Ten by Gretchen McNeil, but I am a little worried about the retelling. The original book was written in 1939, before cell phones, before computers...well, before a lot of things! I don't know if McNeil will be able to keep the same suspense and keep it believable as the original.

I really don't have much more to say, because I think this book is perfect. It's also a good book for anyone interested in reading mysteries or Agatha Christie. Definitely one of my favorites in the mystery genre.

Review: The Mastermind Plot

Author: Angie Frazier

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Release Date: March 1, 2012

Pages: 240

Source: Library

Why I read it: I read the first book in the series.

Summary (from Goodreads): A new, exciting Suzanna Snow adventure!Suzanna "Zanna" Snow can hardly believe her luck: She's just arrived in Boston, the city she's wanted to visit for as long as she can remember. Think of all the mysteries waiting to be solved here! Her grandmother and cousin, Will, welcome her warmly, but her famous detective uncle, Bruce Snow, seems anything but pleased. He doesn't want Zanna meddling in his current case involving a string of mysterious warehouse fires along the harbor front. But Zanna can't help herself. Is someone setting the fires? Just when she thinks she's on to something, a strange man starts following her. Is he a threat? Zanna needs to solve the case before she has the chance to find out.

What I thought: This is the second book in the Suzanna Snow series of mysteries. I feel like these books barely get mentioned on the internet, and I wish more people read them. I read the first one a while ago, so I can not remember all the plot details, especially the mystery, but I do remember the characters. Zanna is a great character. She's very plucky, curious and resourceful, very much an Edwardian Nancy Drew. While she is very plucky, I think she is also true to the time she lives in. She realizes that she is restrained by being a girl, but manages to work within these boundaries, even though she is forced into a girl's school along with other social restrainments she experiences. 

I also like, in this book and in the former, the dynamics between Zanna and the adults around her. While Zanna is obviously the most memorable character, I think her Uncle Bruce is the second most memorable character. He obviously does not think highly of children and is very dismissive of Zanna, which frustrates Zanna, as well as many other characters. And it frustrates me! Especially when Zanna was originally a big admirer of her uncle. An underlying theme to the series is the interaction between adults and children, and how children are easily dismissed and not believed. This is a typical theme for children's books, especially middle grade. Middle grade readers, and Zanna are frustrated by the adults, but the readers can see how Zanna is able to deal with this.

I enjoyed the book. It is a quick, light read, but I found the mystery a little easy to figure out, which is also how I felt about the first book in the series. I rarely am able to "figure out" the mystery while reading mystery books, but with both of these books, I figured it out pretty quickly. These are middle grade books, and I do not think they should be or are dumbed down, but I think this has made the mystery a little too simplistic for me. Maybe Nancy Drew was this way, too. It has been so long since I've read them that I cannot remember!

I read another review that commented that Zanna stumbled onto the solution of the mystery in comparison to the first book. As I wrote before, I don't remember all the details of the mystery from the previous book, but I find the other reviewer's comments to be true. I feel like Zanna did not put all the pieces of the puzzle together and was almost there when she walks into the resolution. I wish she had figured it out on her own, before being told the who, what and why.

I was a little surprised by the big twist at the end involving the strange man who was following Zanna. I don't want to reveal the twist, but I am interested to see where the author goes with this twist in subsequent books. It could add a very interesting dynamic to the story.

Overall, I find this series to be enjoyable, and I like the characters. I will continue reading the rest of the series

Review: Texas Gothic

Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Release Date: July 12, 2011

Pages: 416

Source: Library

Why I read it: I've had this book on my to read list for a while, because I loved the title and premise. I'm originally from Texas and my family has a ranch in Texas. I like the idea of mixing the paranormal with a Texas ranch.

Summary: (from Goodreads)  

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

This was a fun read! It's a mystery with elements of romance and the paranormal, well, actually, a lot of paranormal, because Amy is a Goodnight. And the Goodnights attract the supernatural and they and other label themselves as witches. Amy has been trying to avoid the supernatural all her life, but when a ghost attaches itself to her, she can't ignore it.

My favorite parts were the characters and the mystery, even though I had figured out the culprits towards the middle of the book. I liked the mixture of paranormal and mystery and good old fashioned sleuthing. It's obvious that the author really likes Nancy Drew (not a critique, I remember loving Nancy Drew!) and she is name dropped several times in the book. I started reading another one of the author's books and it also name dropped Nancy, so it seems to be an author thing! The plot moved beyond Nancy Drew with magic and real supernatural.

I found the plot a little confusing at first. Well, confusing is maybe not the right word. I felt that it was a little plodding at first and I was trying to distinguish between the different ghosts and histories. It wasn't until towards the middle of the book that I was starting to distinguish between the "Mad Monk" and the ghost that was haunting Amy. The resolution felt pretty predictable, but I'm glad the mystery and the resolution do actually involve the supernatural. It wasn't just a case of Scooby Doo with the villain using a ghost story to commit crimes.

I found the characters compelling and interesting. Amy and her sister, Phin, were a nice contrast with each other. Amy being uptight about her family, while still caring about them and Phin off in her own little world, but surprisingly more street smart than she seems at first.

However, at first, I was disappointed in the romance, because I wanted to focus on the mystery and the paranormal, but as the romance blossomed between Amy and Ben, it grew on me. Ben is a jerk, but underneath he is a caring person. I think Clement-Moore did a good job of balancing the two sides of Ben and made him a sympathetic character and showed his motivations for first clashing with Amy. I did start to like Ben towards the end of the book. He does redeem himself.

As I said before, I'm from Texas and I really appreciate the world the author creates without resorting to stereotypes. No one is really redneckish and besides some peripheral characters, the personalities are fleshed out. I was worried that Ben would be a cowboy stereotype, and he IS, but he also has another side to him.

I'm generally very sick of YA books always being made into sequels, but this is one of those cases where I wish there would be a sequel! The author seems to set it up to be a sequel, with Amy embracing her paranormal abilities, like the paranormal Nancy Drew, and a vague ending. I hope she does revisit these characters, because I am fascinated by all of the characters. I've also heard good things about the author's other books and have already checked them out from the library. I do hope she continues writing about Texas.

Waiting on Wednesday: Poltergeeks

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

My pick this week is Poltergeek by Sean Cummings. This will be released in October 2012. This is from the new Young Adult imprint by Angry Robots, Strange Chemistry. Ever since I read Zoo City, I have been enamored by Angry Robots and I'm glad they will be publishing Young Adult novels soon. I also think they do a great job with their covers! Of all the YA books coming out from Strange Chemistry, I think this is the one I'm most excited about. 

Summary from Goodreads: 15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection.

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

My pick this week is The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand and illustrated by Sarah Watts. I want to read this book for the same reasons I want to read the book I picked last week, The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy. The books seem similar with the creepy schools and the mysteries, but this one seems more old fashioned, especially the cover. Honestly, I can't wait to read both. 

Summary from Goodreads: Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does, too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that Mrs. Cavendish’s children’s home is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out . . . different, or they don’t come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria, even if it means getting a little messy.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

My pick this week is The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin. This will be published on August 21, 2012. I love the description and the cover. They both hint at a creepy mystery. I don't really have much else to write about this as I think the cover says it all. 

Summary from Goodreads: When Lorelei's old school mysteriously burns down, a new one appears practically overnight: Splendid Academy. Rock-climbing walls on the playground and golden bowls of candy on every desk? Gourmet meals in the cafeteria, served by waiters? Optional homework and two recess periods a day? It's every kids's dream.

But Lorelei and her new friend Andrew are pretty sure it's too good to be true. Together they uncover a sinister mystery, one with their teacher, the beautiful Ms. Morrigan, at the very center.

Then Andrew disappears. Lorelei has to save him, even if that means facing a past she'd like to forget – and taking on a teacher who's a real witch.

What Lorelei and Andrew discover chills their bones – and might even pick them clean!

Review: The Name of the Star

Author: Maureen Johnson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: May 3, 2011

Pages: 372
Source: Purchased
Why I read it: I love anything to do with historical mysteries and/or Jack the Ripper.

Summary:

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. 

What I thought: This book revolves around Rory (Aurora) a teen from Louisiana. Her family moves to England, where Rory decides to attend boarding school in London, at Wexford, a school in East London. While she is attending school there and adjusting to English/London life, a Jack the Ripper copycat begins killing on the same dates as the Ripper and leaving the bodies in the same locations. Rory begins seeing a mysterious man that no one else can seem to see, and finds out that she may be the Ripper's next victim.

This book really lived up to my expectations, especially after the disappointment of my last book. It had a nice blend of a mystery/thriller, some history and also a contemporary YA. The book is almost two genres in one. It starts out as a YA contemporary with a little romance and then morphs into a historical mystery/paranormal/thriller. I was expecting the paranormal from the blurb on the book jacket, so this didn't come out of the blue and surprise me. Rory also realistically dealt with the shock of realizing that she could see ghosts. Johnson had a nice balance between YA contemporary and thriller/mystery at the end.

One thing about the book that I loved was that the romance was not overdone. And it wasn't a love triangle! I have become very tired of books where the main character's life is in danger, but she cares more about what her love interest is doing or thinking and kissing her love interest. The hint of romance was nice, and I am so grateful that it didn't overpower the story, because honestly, I was reading this book for the serial killer madness, not romance.

There was a little info dumping, especially in regards to the history of Jack the Ripper, but it was done in snippets of newscasts, and in the character of Jerome, the main love interest of Rory. However, I thought his infodumping was fairly realistic, because I know I have a similar personality, and I have an interest in Jack the Ripper, as well. I also probably info dump about topics I'm interested in, like Jerome.

As for the other characters, they were all well developed, and I especially enjoyed that Johnson, in a nod to modern English culture, features an English/Indian character, Bhuvana, or Boo, as she likes to be called. I thought Jazza was a nice counterpoint to both Rory and Boo, but she wasn't a caricature. And I also liked Alistair, and the little twist with his story. I am excited about the ghost police and the dynamics of the group and their mission, especially in regards to the next book.

I thought the cover was misleading. The girl on the cover is definitely not Rory and the shadowy "Ripper" behind her harkens back to the original Ripper, but doesn't really pertain to this particular novel. I assume that the girl is possibly one of the victims, but I feel like the cover doesn't accurately reflect what is actually in the novel.

While I think Johnson did do a good job of making this a standalone novel, she did set it up at the very end for a sequel, and I can't wait for it! She has left me wanting more, with that little twist at the end and I'm interested to see how the next book will play out.

Overall, I give this book 5 stars. I really loved it.