Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose

Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose (Book 2 in a series) by T. A. Willberg 304 pages

Back in 2020, when I reviewed the first book in this series (“Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders,” I stated that it was interesting enough to keep me reading, but that I wouldn’t read any more in the series. Ah, the power of receiving a free Advanced Reader’s Copy in the mail!

London 1959. The Cold War is in full swing. Far below the city streets are a series of secret tunnels and passages, shifting doors and hallways, gadgets of all kinds and the home of Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries. They are a group of researchers, spies, agents that take on the cases that Scotland Yard cannot solve.

Scotland Yard is stumped once again. Someone is murdering Londoners and leaving a special image with each one: a rose branded onto the body. Newspapers have nicknamed the killer “The Florist.”

Marion Lane is now in her second year with the agency. As the agency begins to be involved, Marion begins receiving off notes about the new recruits, that one of them cannot be trusted. This distracts her from The Florist Case, especially when another second-year is murdered. This murder casts speculation and distrust among the other employees of Miss Brickett’s.

I disliked this novel more than I did the first one. I felt like I was in “Get Smart” episode. It tried to be serious, but the result was far-fetched. “Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Don't Come Back

“Don’t Come Back” (Book 2 of 2 in the Molly Donovan series) by Tower Lower   255 pages  

I didn’t read Book 1 in this series, and that’s okay, as this is a complete standalone. I have read both book of author Lowe’s Cotton Lee Penn historical mysteries and really enjoyed them. This novel suffers the same problem as those two though. Lowe needs to invest in a good editor; there are so many typos it is almost embarrassing. 

Now that I have that out of my system, let me tell you about what I like the most about all of Lowe’s mysteries. Her protagonists are non-ablest, but that doesn’t stop them. Their disability is like hair or eye color. Important to the reader experience, but not a game-changer. They aren’t written with pity. 

In this novel, the prologue sets up the mystery and creates that “gotta keep reading to find out what happens” feeling.  In the prologue, an elderly Navajo woman is kidnapped. The book’s characters believe she has taken off for a few days with her friend, Eduardo. When Alicia misses her dialysis appointment, which she needs to survive, her daughter calls the sheriff who brings in the FBI. 

The FBI agent, Ray Yazee, is a native of the area with a Navajo father and a white mother. His mother took him away from the area when he was a small child. Ray is curious about his Navajo heritage. He takes the case in the hopes of reconnecting to his roots and to learn the identity of his father. As he gets closer to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ray begins to hear voices and chanting; he is sure it is the mountains calling him to come home. In one of his dreams, he is told to “find the one-armed Irish woman.” 

Maggie, on the other hand, has problems of her own. Her boyfriend, Miguel, took a three-week trip to Spain to help his cousin battle a drug addiction. But now he’s been gone for three months, and when he does, he brings his “cousin,” Isabella with him.  Cousin, yeah right. 

Ray and Maggie team up to find Alicia and get her to a life-saving dialysis treatment. The suspense is excellent and had me staying up past my bedtime to find out what would happen next.  

Although I complained about the errors earlier, this is really a top-notch suspense thriller. Lots happens in the six days over which the novel is set. Therefore, I’m going to give “Don’t Come Back,” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

Nina Soni: Sister Fixer

Nina Soni: Sister Fixer (Book 2 in a series) by Kashmira Sheth; Illustrations by Jenn Kocsmiersky 144 pages

Readers are first introduced to Nina, a slightly forgetful nine year old, in “Nina Soni: Former Best Friend.” I was drawn to Nina because she is so organized; she loves to make lists!

In this second adventure, Nina is having problems with her six-year-old sister, Kavita. Kavita is e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-i-n-g-l-y weird. She likes to sing, at the top of her lungs. It doesn’t matter if she knows the words or not; she makes up those that she doesn’t. Plus she makes up songs that are even more annoying…about anything. 

Nina’s plan is to come up with something that will stop Kavita from singing about anything and everything.  However, Nina is distracted by the constant rain and the big pile of dirt in their neighbor’s yard.  

Using STEAM (without knowing it, of course), Nina wants to use the dirt as part of an engineering project. Nina decides to dam up the small puddle and make a lake!

Donning their rain gear, the girls head outside. The rain is pouring through a downspout. What they don’t understand is the dammed water has to go somewhere…and OMG! A disaster is narrowly avoided. 

As in the first book, word pronunciation pull-out boxes are used. These are great to introduce new words to young readers. 

I wasn’t as enthralled with this book as I was the first one. The singing went on way to long, making several pages seem redundant. There didn’t seem to be as much depth as the first book offered. Therefore, “Nina Soni: Sister Fixer” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Survivor Diaries: Avalanche!

Survivor Diaries: Avalanche! (Book 2 of a 4 book series) by Terry Lynn Johnson   112 pages

The “Survivor Diaries” series is aimed at kids in Grads 3-7.  The first book, “Overboard,” provided valuable tips on how to survive in the water. And this book’s topic, “Avalanche” is no exception, as it is filled with life-saving tips.

Twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are on a skiing trip with the parents deep within Wyoming’s Grand Teton Mountains. Author Johnson paints beautiful portraits of the mountains covered in a fresh layer of powder. I was glad I read this on an unusual warm day in mid-November. I got the shivers a couple of times.

Ashley and Ryan are skilled skiers. Ryan is the better of the foursome and always in the lead. Earlier that day, Ryan had seen a pamphlet about a study that was occurring in the area on the wolverines.  I’ve learned a lot about wolverines from watching “Dr. Oakley: Yukon Vet.”  They are beautiful animals, but elusive and extremely dangerous.

Since the kids were so far ahead of their parents on the trail, they decided to veer off the trail in the hopes of seeing one of the animals. They could easily catch up with their parents without them evening knowing they had strayed off the trail.

It wasn’t long before they heard a loud growl and were enveloped in a blanket of snow, falling head over heels over head over heels. Ashley is the first one to realize what has happened and is on a desperate search to find her brother. Thanks to the class the two had taken, Ashley knows what to do to keep them safe until help can arrive. 

This short little book packs lots of adventure and knowledge into a readable, hopefully memorable (if readers ever find themselves in this situation) and exciting read.

Survivor Diaries: Avalanche! (Book 2 of a 4 book series) receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Sean Goes to Barcelona

Sean Goes to Barcelona by Tanya Preminger; illustrated by Elettra Cudignotto     74 pages

Eight-year-old Sean and his mom are on a trip of a lifetime. They are in Barcelona, Spain, so that Sean may attend a FC Barcelona soccer game, see Sean’s idol, Lionel Messi, and hopefully get an autograph.

In this second book about soccer and goals, Sean turns into a whiny kid, begging his mother to buy him practically everything he sees and pout when she says no. Mommy states several times that the trip is expensive; I’m not sure why she has gifted him this adventure.

As the duo takes in the city, Sean is obsessed with Messi, to the point of grating on my nerves, and if he will be able to obtain an autograph. Basically, Sean makes the trip terrible for Mommy. 

Mommy does her best to help Sean figure out how he will stand out on a crowd of tens of thousands. However, nothing can compensate for Sean’s complaints and tantrums.  Therefore,

“Sean Goes to Barcelona” receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.