BROOKLYN ON FIRE by Lawrence H. Levy

A Mary Handley Mystery, Book 2

Broadway Books

January 19^th, 2016

978-0-553-41894-1

Historical Mystery

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Blogging for Books

3 Hearts

Mary Handley has closed one case with the Brooklyn Police Department and is determined to become a real detective in her own right. But when a client comes to her new office saying her uncle was murdered, Mary finds her second case is as complex as the first one was. Family scandals and secrets, politics, corruption and more cause Mary to stumble more than once. Add in a romance with one of New York’s elite, well the life of luxury is something Mary could get used to.  But Mary is determined to find out the cause of death and solve the mystery that has spawned not just one murder but three. Can Mary figure out the case before all she holds dear is gone in a puff of smoke?

I have to admit I haven’t read the first book in the series, Second Street Station, and found myself a little lost at times when I read this one. I highly recommend reading book one first before you pick this one up. There are things mentioned in book two that took place in this book that if you didn’t read it, you’ll have a hard time figuring things out at times. With that said, I got to admit that I really liked this book, even with the above mentions from time to time. With a mystery that kept me intrigued to real life people showing up (Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, etc) to a time period that had me enthralled with the way everything was back then. This author does a great job in capturing it all within the pages of BROOKLYN ON FIRE. This author has a flair for describing events and people to the point where they come alive on paper, ready to step out of the book and into your living room. The mix of fiction and mystery was done masterfully and kept my attention at times to the point where I forgot to eat, sleep and more. It was highly entertaining. But there was a downside as well. The author puts way too much into this book plot wise as well as point of views jump all over the place. One minute you are following Mary as she hunts up clues and ten the next you are reading about politicians and their desire for more-money, land, power, etc. All those things just slowed the pace down and caused some minor confusion over who was ‘speaking’ in the book. I preferred reading Mary’s storyline though I could have done without her forced romance with George Vanderbilt. It felt like the author was trying to tick off boxes with that. It didn’t seem real to me in the storyline and was quite stiff.

Even with those few issues, BROOKLYN ON FIRE was an engaging historical mystery that kept my attention to the very end. If you enjoy a character that tries to turn social mores upside down and try to make her dreams come true, then you might enjoy this second book in the Mary Handley series. I do caution you that you should read book one as I mentioned as there is a large cast of characters that are mentioned as well as events that happened in book one as well. I think I might pick up book one, Second Street Station, and see if I can get into this story a bit better later on. I look forward to seeing where this author goes in the series.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Fire-Mary-Handley-Mystery/dp/0553418947/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462884074&sr=1-2&keywords=lawrence+h+levy

DOCTOR WHO: THE DROSTEN’S CURSE by A.L. Kennedy

Broadway Books

July 14^th, 2015

978-0-553-41944-3

Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Blogging for Books

3 Hearts

On Arbroath, something strange is going on. Golfers are disappearing, people are hearing other people’s thoughts and then there is the strange grandchildren of the equally weird Mrs. Fetch, who owns the local hotel. Whatever is going on here, the Doctor will figure it out, with the help of the hotel junior receptionist, Bryony. But something alien and ancient is awakening and it is up to the Doctor to find a way to stop it before it is too late.

I love the new version of Doctor Who and with this installment, we get to take an adventure with the Fourth Doctor, who was played by Tom Baker on the show and I got to admit, it was a fun yet confusing story to read. THE DROSTEN’S CURSE is my first foray into the older (now classic) doctors and I got to admit the author did a bang up job in capturing the Doctor’s personality within the pages. This doctor has some levels of psychotic wonder and awe in his travels and the author does a great job in capturing that as well as his emotions within the story. As I haven’t read any of the classic Doctor Who stories with the older Doctors, this was a slight departure for me. The story is at times creepy and suspenseful yet you can’t help but wonder when the Doctor will figure it all out. It had a nice suspense filled emotion going through the whole book, especially when you have portions where you were going ‘WHAT?’ in that scared high pitch voice. This would have been even better if it was a dark and stormy night, in my opinion, just to up the creepy factor a bit.

The downside I found with this latest book in the Doctor Whology is the pacing at times went from manically fast to slower than a turtle. There was no happy medium and I got a sense of the author trying to fit a lot of things in the story as they could while keeping true to the world that is Doctor Who. There are a lot of details within THE DROSTEN’S CURSE, so many that the story gets lost at times within details we didn’t need to know and there are a lot of characters here, so many it felt like I needed a scorecard to keep track of them all. All those characters and details kept cluttering up the story at times and took me out of the story, which was not what I enjoy when I read a new book.

THE DROSTEN’S CURSE is a hit or a miss for me. I loved it had captured the essence of the fourth Doctor yet the story itself kept bouncing all over the place. As much as I wanted to rate this book higher, I just couldn’t due to the mixed bag of story pacing that went from one extreme to another to way more characters than needed. If you enjoy classic Doctor Who then you might enjoy a trip with the fourth Doctor. Unfortunately for me, THE DROSTEN’S CURSE wasn’t quite the grand adventure as I would have liked.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

DOCTOR WHO: DEEP TIME by Trevor Baxendale

 

The Glamour Chronicles
Broadway Books
September 8^th, 2015
978-1-101-90579-1

Futuristic, Action-Adventure

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Blogging for Books

3.5 Hearts

The Doctor and Clara find themselves on a ship called the Alexandria where they find out that Dr. Tippy, an archeologist is sure they are on the path to find the last Phaeron road. With the Doctor and Clara joining them, this mission will show that some secrets are best left alone.

I enjoy the Doctor Who television show and this was the first book I have read based on the series. DEEP TIME is an engrossing story with an author who knows how to weave a spell around readers. The story is engrossing, action packed and quite enjoyable from start to finish. Sometimes if you base a book off a TV show it can be a hit or miss but DEEP TIME delivers on all levels. From capturing the characters complex emotions and personalities to a mission that will transform them in the end; The author does a great job in keeping the reader glued to the pages and you really get a sense of who these characters are within the pages. I did love how the Doctor and Clara are just as lively here as they are on the show.

The mystery of the Phaeron’s consumes the crew of the Alexandria. These ancient people were tasked in mapping wormholes and now with a few relics found by humans, they are determined to find out where this once ancient race went to. But sometimes secrets are best left undiscovered for the Doctor knows what terrible secret of the Phaeron the humans may discover, one that should never see the light of day. I liked the interactions between the characters the best. The mystery surrounding the Phaeron and each member of the crew has an agenda or secret while on this mission. I liked how the author captures all the characters completely and gives them a voice in the story. Are each member of the crew doing this mission for the greater good or is something else guiding them, something sinister and dark?

DEEP TIME captures the essence of the TV Show and keeps the pace up perfectly. This is a great blend of futuristic and action-adventure that I gobbled up in one day. I can’t wait to see what other books based on the show are out to read next. If you enjoy the show, Doctor Who, then you will definitely enjoy DEEP TIME. This was the first book from author Trevor Baxendale and I am looking forward to seeing what else he has in his backlist to enjoy.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

CITY OF STAIRS by Robert Jackson Bennett

Broadway Books
September 9^th, 2014

978-0-8041-3717-1
Speculative Fiction/Fantasy

Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher
3.5 Hearts

 

For the city of Bulikov, it was once a power to be reckoned with. It had divine protectors that gave them the power to conquest others, enslave and brutalize their enemies and from that mighty rise came a hard fall when the Bulikov protectors were killed. Now the history around this city is censored, even erased as its citizens are oppressed. But just by looking around you can see the legacy of the guardian’s miracles all around the city. But the time is coming when Bulikov’s guardians are going to rise again and this time, Bulikov’s cruel reign will not yet be over.

I got to admit this is the first book by this author I have read and holy moly, what a ride he takes us on. The world building is spectacular, the characters are very well defined and multi-dimensional and the story just flows like a river, full of twists and turns along side some jaw dropping moments that leave you breathless. The writing is excellent and this author delivers a story full of gods, intriguing characters, history and more for the reader to devour. What really enthralled me was how this author delivered such interesting plot hooks throughout the storyline. He kept my attention from beginning to end and I was enraptured with his prose. This is truly one of those stories you just can not get enough of.

CITY OF STAIRS is a story of not just a city broken and conquered but also about murder, secrets and more. In this book we meet Shara Thivani, a woman sent to Bulikov as a junior diplomat but in reality she is so much more. She has to solve a murder and as she pursues a killer, she finds out things about Bulikov that are not known, secrets that could change the course of history. I really enjoyed Shara a lot. She was resourceful, intriguing and kept me on my toes while I read CITY OF STAIRS. All the characters are well written, intriguing and quite enjoyable to read. The best part was there were not so many new characters being thrown at the reader that they needed a score card for them all.

CITY OF STAIRS is an enjoyable and entertaining read that will keep you glued to the pages till the very end. With Mr. Jackson’s world building, we get to see a world where conquest, magic and more play a strong part in shaping events and the future. That right there is the heart of CITY OF STAIRS in my opinion. The way this author captures and writes about this world is just magical. If you are looking for a different sort of book to explore on a cold day, then try CITY OF STAIRS. You just might find yourself drawn into a world of gods, magic and more to explore. Now all I can ask from this author is more please!

This is an objective review and not an endorsement