The Best Money Murder Can Buy By: FNX Azon No comments

(By Neil McGaughey)

     This mystery novel was one I picked up in my basement. Its cover gathering dust, I picked it up and decided to read this book which fashioned an intriguing title. The beginning of the story was well crafted and piqued my interest. It was the classic long lost identical twin brother separated at birth tale, However, when this twin brother, Derek Winslow, approaches the main character, Kyle Malachi, making this rather astounding claim, Kyle rather rudely orders Derek out of his house. After his fit of denial, Kyle realizes he hadn't acted very rationally and with his wife's help he calms down enough to realize that this claim may be true. But too late, his brother's dead on the floor of his hotel room bathroom. Being the mystery fan he is, Kyle decides to be his brother, after all they were identical, to find out the truth about his brother's murder,

    At this point, I think that the story reached its peak. I won't give away what happens next, but I can tell you that after this point, the mystery began to unravel at a pretty quick pace, all of the reasons, clues, big secrets, began to reveal themselves, and the story lost its interest. Despite the cool idea and pretty well written introduction, the rest of the story and the mystery itself wasn't that good. It was a little disappointing because I feel like that the story could have been much better especially with the intriguing idea that it took on. Nonetheless, credit must be given to the author for the idea and the very witty references to many classic mystery novels.

Sophomores and Other Oxymorons By: FNX Azon No comments

(By David Lubar)

     Continuing the story of Scott Hudson, who had previously barely managed to survive his freshman year of high school in Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, the companion novel to Sophomores and Other Oxymorons, his sophomore year arrives and throws him into a very different world. Not only does he fail in what he considered to be his best subject, his old friend is bothering him and is even threatening to ruin Scott's dad's dream. But with a strange (but maybe not that strange) turn of events, Scott's sophomore year spirals out of control. 
      In complete honesty, this book is a good laugh and a fun read, but that's honestly all. However, I did learn a lot of literary devices thanks to Scott's English teacher. There isn't much else to say, David Lubar crafted a fun and witty story that certainly was very enjoyable to read, though it lacks qualities to be one of the more meaningful novels I've read. 

Lincoln Rhyme Series By: FNX Azon No comments

(By Jeffrey Deaver)




  As I have made my comments on the Sherlock Holmes books previously, I felt that it was a good time to introduce the Lincoln Rhyme series, a modern forensic detective series. This book, similar to the Sherlock Holmes series, is about one character, in this case, Lincoln Rhyme who is the "genius" detective of the century. He was a former NYPD officer, but was now a consultant to the police. (Seems strangely familiar...) The reason for his departure from the official police department was due to an accident that rendered him a quadriplegic, which means he basically cannot use his body at all.      

    The first book of the series, The Bone Collector starts the relationship between Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, both professionally and (for lack of a better word) "unprofessionally". The two crime solving partners have a very strong bond that helps them solve crimes as well as maintain a romantic relationship despite the troubles of being a quadriplegic. Jeffrey Deaver, the author, weaves intricate tales of deception, twists, and many, many surprises. The books are written well, they are quite fast paced and fills all the requirements of a great thriller. However, the book, in my opinion, has no other purpose but to "thrill".

    I do recommend the series, it is a very neat and cleverly written series that you can easily immerse yourself into. But, I feel that there is not much to the stories, for they are just that, shallow stories with exciting plots, your average book. Nonetheless, the books are very interesting, as they are like the Sherlock Holmes stories with a modern twist. Many new technologies and concepts are implemented in the story.

    Although it seems like I'm saying that the story is virtually meaningless, that is not at all what I am saying. It's a very bone chilling series to read, and I did learn a little about the laws and regulations of the NYPD, as well as how exactly not to commit murder. The books also inspired me to continue writing more detective stories. 

VMN~