Review: Island of Thieves

Island of Thieves

by Josh Lacey

 

Book Description:

"Only boring people get bored…Interesting people can always find something to be interested in." That’s what Tom Trelawney’s father says, anyway. Tom shouldn’t have been interested in playing with matches but he was...bored. Now the shed is in ashes and strange Uncle Harvey is the only one willing to have him stay while his parents vacation.

Tom soon discovers Harvey is going to South America on a treasure hunt and though nephews aren’t invited, he manages to tag along. Before it’s over he’ll drive a car, fire a gun and run for his life. Tom realizes that life may be about following the rules, but survival may be about breaking them.

 

Review:

This was an exciting book that seemed almost like an action movie playing in my head.  It felt very much like I was watching National Treasure where there were car chases and guys shooting guns at them and they were attempting to solve clues.  I was on the edge of my seat for the whole second half of the book! 

I'm actually kind of hoping that Lacey writes another book featuring Tom and his Uncle Harvey. I thought they worked well together and just managed to scrape through by the skins of their noses often enough that I never really was assured they'd both be okay in the end...

Love action movies? Love treasure hunts? Check this book out.

Review: The Name of the Star

The Name of the Star

by Maureen Johnson

The Shades of London, book one

 

Book Description:

The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree of more than a century ago. Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him--the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target.

 

Review:

This is exactly how I like my ghost stories. Creepy, but not horrifying enough to keep me awake all night, huddling under the covers in terror... Johnson uses just enough description to keep you riveted, to make you shudder, but not enough to imprint mutilated body parts in the back of your brain.

 

Easy to read, intriguing, and with a main character that I thought was pretty cool, from the moment I turned the last page, I found my fingers itching for the next book. I hope it's coming out soon! I'm totally trying to guess what may happen in the next book as it seems there may be a change of venue... ooops! NO more spoilers, I promise. LOL.  

Review: The Unknowns

The Unknowns

by Benedict Carey

Book Description:

In a trailer park called Adjacent, next to the Folsom Energy Plant, people have started to vanish, and no one seems to care. At first Lady Di and her best friend, Tom Jones, barely notice the disappearances—until their beloved math tutor, Mrs. Clarke, is abducted, too. Mrs. Clarke has left them clues in the form of math equations that lead them all over the trailer park, through hidden tunnels under “Mount Trashmore,” and into the Folsom Energy Plant itself, where Lady Di and Tom Jones and a gang of other misfits uncover the sordid truth about what’s really happening there.

Review:
While I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this book and I'm usually a *huge* fan of puzzle-based books, this book just had too much real math in it for me.Anyway, I found myself skimming through the math explanations just looking for the next actual piece of action...not good.  The two main characters were interesting and I found myself very curious as to what was going on in their little island, but I just couldn't push past the math part of this book to really, truly enjoy it. :(

However, if YOU like puzzle-based mystery books or math problems, I would still give this one a shot!!