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book reviews |
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Multi-genre, multi-volume author, Richard Behrens introduces us to his first book in the Lizzie Borden Girl Detective Mystery series, “The Minuscule Monk”: When a dead body mysteriously appears in the basement of her father’s furniture store, 15 year-old Lizzie Andrew Borden immediately takes on the case. Accompanied by an eccentric millionaire who campaigns to extend the vote to animals; a Boston terrier trained to sniff out crooked politicians; and a boy detective who believes the entire universe to be inside his own head, Lizzie follows a trail of taxidermy tools and Civil War bushwhackers to the Minuscule Monk, a legendary gunslinger whose mummified body will bring a punter’s pot to anyone who can deliver it to the New York gangster who has been hunting the Monk for decades. With such high stakes, everyone has a motive for murder, yet everyone seems innocent. Or perhaps, as Lizzie suspects after attending a dinner party with non-existent food and meeting a horse that has turned into its opposite, none of it is even real. Lizzie Borden, the Girl Detective of Fall River, is at her most spirited in The Minuscule Monk, a comic mystery that paints a portrait of Fall River at the height of its splendor and its most infamous citizen at the start of her most excellent career.  I really enjoyed reading about Lizzie Borden, she is a refreshing character in a genre that is heavily populated with men. All most of us know about the historical figure is that she killed her mother and father. This alt-history book is nothing like that and is very fun to read, the author does many things well. There are many conversations and suitable action scenes move the story along nicely. Richard has built a very believable world that The Girl Detective inhabits and sleuths in. His writing is very rich, a literary treat not just for fans of mystery but fans of historical fiction. The weaving of fact with fiction is quite seamless and leads the reader down a most merry path. He has captured the tone of the times almost too well, occasionally the writing borders on corpulent, descriptions so heavy that only a wordsmith can truly appreciate. I give this very satisfying story 4.6 of 5 Stars.  You can buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/the Miniscule Monk https://www.goodreads.com/-the-minuscule-monk You can follow the author: https://www.facebook.com/richard.behrens.31 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/557802.Richard_Behrens https://www.facebook.com/LizzieBordenGirlDetective/ http://lizziebordengirldetective.com/ Copyright © 2016 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction
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Multi-volume, multi-genre children’s author, Michelle Path introduces us to “The Pirate Who Was Scared of Birds”: Crackskull Jack is a fearsome pirate with a serious problem: One big fear of birds! Without a parrot, Jack is in danger of being ridiculed rather than feared, a fate no self-respecting pirate wants for himself. Deciding to find a cure for his terrifying fear, Jack sails to the Cove of Paradise to seek out a reputed healer who can help him regain the respect of his crew. When Jack meets the mysterious Penny Darkling, mystical healer, he soon discovers she is a woman not to be messed with! Join Crackskull Jack on his quest to cure his crippling ornithophobia, and uncover what lies ahead when the fearsome pirate finally meets his match.  I love Crackskull Jack! Your kids will too! He is such a menacing buccaneer, and he is afraid of birds. What a contradiction! There are many good lessons to teach your children about fear, relationships, and keeping your promises to name a few. Callum’s work as an illustrator really kicks the story up a notch, bright and bold, with lots of detail! His style is very attractive. Kids will enjoy different aspects depending on their age. Get this book and the others in the series, read them to your kids and have some quality time. I rate this book 5/5 stars. Kids will love it!  Published by Rowanvale Books Ltd. http://www.rowanvalebooks.com/
This book is available on: http://www.amazon.com/the pirate who was scared of birds http://www.amazon.co.uk/the pirate who was scared of birds https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1498778888 You can follow Michelle: on Twitter: @mimilovesu https://www.facebook.com/Michelle-Path https://www.goodreads.com/Michelle_Path Copyright © 2016 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
May 2025
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