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Showing posts with label Mindbuck Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mindbuck Media. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

REVIEW starring... No Quiet Water by Shirley Miller Kamada



Well now.
Would you look at that.
A whole new year has started, and we're just now getting to a review!?!  Don't worry, I'm not giving up the game...in fact, it's just getting started.  I've got LOADS of bookish fun coming your way this year, let alone this month, so be sure to keep your wish list at the ready, and a spot cleared on your shelf!  Now, let's get down to business as we take a look at a Historical Fiction title releasing TOMORROW via Black Rose Writing...


by
Shirley Miller Kamada
9781685130978
Black Rose Writing

About the book...
After the U.S. declares war on Japan in 1941, all persons of Japanese descent in the Western U.S. come under suspicion. Curfews are imposed, bank accounts frozen, and FBI agents search homes randomly.

Despite the fact that two generations of the Miyota family are American citizens, Fumio and his parents and sister Kimiko must pack meager belongings and are transported under military escort to the California desert to be held at Camp Manzanar, leaving their good friends and neighbors the Whitlocks to care for their farm and their dog Flyer.

The Miyotas suffer unimaginable insults, witness prejudice and violent protests, are forced to live in squalor, and are provided only poor-quality, unfamiliar food which makes them ill. Later, they are transferred to Idaho’s Camp Minidoka, where Fumio learns what it means to endure and where he discovers a new world of possibility and belonging.



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Our United States of America has a history.  At times, the situations faced brought us together...but sometimes, the uncertainties and suspicions that can come from being a "melting pot" can get the better of us, diverging us instead of uniting.  Did we make the right choices?  Someone thought so, at the time, but hindsight gives us a chance at 20/20 vision...what we do with that clarity is what marks us as triumphant or no better than the rest.

I know, that's a bit contemplative, even to me, but this is a book that makes you think.  It's not fast paced, and builds itself around one family, the Miyota's, and the lives each member touches in their journey from American citizens living their dream to one of many members of an interment camp created because people just didn't know.  They didn't know better, they didn't think bigger, they didn't see these families, these people as people, not just a race, or culture.  YES that is a part of them, but just because the sky is blue doesn't mean the clouds in it must be too.  People are individuals, they make choices, have values, and follow their own hearts.  To condemn a "people" because some of them choose a violent path doesn't make it right...especially when those falling into the hole of injustice were law abiding citizens in this country.  I get the fear and uncertainty that must have been running rampant at the time this occurred, but in my heart of hearts, I honestly believe there had to be another way.  Do I know what it was?  No...and that's why I can't condemn their choices fully, but it doesn't make it right.

The story that unfolds between these pages is historical, yes, but so much more than as well.  You get to become a member of the Miyota family, getting to know each member well, from Mr. Miyota to little Kimiko.  Most of our time is spent with Fumio, and Flyer...his dog.  Yes, his dog gets a voice here as well, and why not!  He has quite a tale to tell as well, a great reminder that you should never underestimate any living creature.  By book's end, my heart was moved, and I found myself unexpectedly brought to tears.  What started as a slow turning of pages had wrapped itself around me, making me care about each person we encountered, and wanting to see how everything played out.  I must remark on the author's writing in regards to how she showed not only the prejudice being shown against Japanese Americans, but also others looked down upon due to status, or perceived intelligence.  It really showed how it can happen to anyone, and perhaps will leave readers more aware, more considerate of what they say and do to and for others in the future.



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About the author...


Shirley Miller Kamada is a former educator, education director, and bookstore owner. She lives in Moses Lake, Washington, with her husband Jimmy and their two small adopted dogs, Priscilla and Phoenix. No Quiet Water is her first novel.

SITE  |  INSTAGRAM  |  FACEBOOK



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Special thanks to Bryn at Mindbuck Media Book Publicity for the chance to bring this title to you and for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY tomorrow, January 5th, 2023, so mark your calendar or pre order your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



Friday, September 4, 2015

Three Links of Chain by Dennis Maley

Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers. 

So, did ya miss me?  I know, I promised I'd be back yesterday with more bookish fun but life has been more than interesting lately and I just wasn't feeling up to snuff.  My passion is reading and sharing those experiences with all of you is the icing on the cake but if it becomes a chore, then I'm nothing more than a slave to the bloggish machine.  (I definitely don't want that too happen...I'm five/six years strong!)  Speaking of slaves...

Today's featured title is a Children's Fiction title that's historically placed and partially based on a figure from our pasts.  It's been suggested as an educational summer read for the kiddos but I think it would actually serve rather well in an actual classroom setting offering a slew of topics for discussion.  Before we get too deeply into the recommendations though, allow me to properly introduce today's book of choice...




by
Dennis Maley
9780986115806
Jublio

About the book...
The flyer reads, "One dark mulatto runaway, aged fourteen, well dressed and bright..."

Blanche thinks he has it good. He has risen above the field hands to a position helping run a printing press. He's well fed, never physically mistreated, and he has taught himself to read, though he keeps the illicit skill a secret. Most importantly, he has been promised a chance at emancipation. Then, in a single bloody morning, his world is overturned, his master lies dead, and his widow has no intention of following through with her husband's promise to free him.

Blanche would never have considered running away from his old life, but faced with the prospect of being sold as a laborer or worse, he forges his free papers and flees north, a fugitive, to create his own future. Only a few steps ahead of the slave catchers, he travels hundreds of miles across the violent backdrop of "bleeding Kansas" in the 1850s, a land torn by apart by two very different visions of humanity.




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As I said, definitely something I could see being a great assigned reading title in (and out) of the classroom.




I developed a certain "love" of this type of literature touched with the darkness of American history back in high school.  We had a project assigned that would be a third of our grade for both English and History, with each teacher grading their appropriate subject.  What or rather whom did I choose to write about?  Abraham Lincoln...a rather fascinating historical figure if you ever have the chance to read about in your spare time...one of many figures tied to the abolition of slavery.  I developed rather strong feelins about the entire concept of someone owning someone else; the idea was simply preposterous...and yet, it happened.  It's a time in history we'd rather forget and yet perhaps our better option to forgetting is to learn from the mistakes made so as not to repeat them.  Anyway, I'm off my soapbox for now; let's get back to the story.  

Blanche was quite the character.  He was strong in body and mind with a spirit that just wouldn't let go.  He was promised his freedom upon the death of his master but when push came to shove, his widow had no intentions of seeing his word made true.  Talk about a rude awakening!  His trust (as much as a man owned by another can have) was placed in that man and there was never any sign that it was misplaced but that woman...what a piece of work. I wanted to smack her upside the head myself (especially when you find out what she's done with the will!) but in her case, it wouldn't have done much good for she had the spine of a jellyfish as could be seen when she witnesses the bullying of the town preacher.  Tisk tisk ma'am, tisk tisk.  Blanche did the only thing he could do....he ran.

Seems like an easy escape plan, right? WRONG!  There were slavecatchers hot on his heels and lilylivered souls too cowardly to stand up for what's right (or perhaps more concerned with reaping the reward offered) ready to turn him in at a glance.  He didn't know who to trust if anyone for that matter and yet with all that said there was still kindness to be found.  Among those houses displaying a particular wheel patterned quilt, or at the door of the house burning a latern in pure daylight, those that believed each person was in fact their own master fought the good fight day in and day out.  There efforts were masked, their tasks not without consequence at times, but they knew what had to be done and were more than willing to but an end to what should have never been.  




Favorite moments?  I've got two at opposite ends of the spectrum.  The saddest part for me, aside from the fact that Blanche never knew whom he could truly trust, was around page 196 between him and Husband the dog.  I understand why he did what he did, it was life or death literally, and I appreciate that he felt sadness for it, but I had a hard time accepting it and wish more than anything the human persuers met that fate instead.  The best moment for me was actually at book's end.  The moment Blanche realizes that his freedom doesn't count for much if all those left behind still suffer the same fate and makes a life changing decision, that was the moment I virtually fist bumped him through the pages.  Well done sir, quite noble indeed.

To conclude, a moving story filled with much history that will speak to readers of this particular genre both in childhood and wiser years.  Though perhaps not historically accurate to a "T" (a point that's nailed down precisely at book's end, scene by scene and character by character), it does a great job representing the times nonetheless; the way I see it is if I wanted to read it for the exact history, I would have picked up a nonfiction read so I'm perfectl fine with the limited creative license the author used.  The writing is sound, the story is engaging, and it certainly does a great job in making the reader sit up and listen.  What will you take away from it?  Perhaps the better question posed is what will you take out into the world after having experienced the ignorance of man towards his fellow man in such a vivid way....



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About the author...



Dennis Maley…authored Three Links Of Chain, a novel for middle grades and young adults, about a literate slave boy’s flight for freedom, published by Jublio.

Maley grew up in Kansas and resides in Oklahoma. The last time he remembers being single was during the “Summer of Love.” He and his killer reading teacher spouse have two great kids and three wonderful grandchildren.

He was the preacher in his kindergarten’s production of “The Tom Thumb Wedding.” In first grade, his mother scolded him for being Chairman of the Entertainment Committee. To his credit, the post was merely honorary, he served without compensation, and as the title “Chairman” implies, he always collaborated. He sang and bet Phileas Fogg he couldn’t circumnavigate the world in eighty days in his senior class play. He played the mayor in a community theater production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” He’s presently learning to play banjo. But he sings, dances, acts, tells jokes too poorly to make a living at it. The same is true of golf and poker.

His vocation, income tax, taught him how people behave under stress.



SITE   |   FACEBOOK


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Special thanks to Jessica at Mindbuck Media for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or those promotions on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title reached publication July 2015 via Jublio, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!



Saturday, February 28, 2015

Everything can change in... Eight Minutes by Lori Reisenbichler

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

It's that time again.  Time to look between the pages of another title you may or may not have had on your radar.  Are you ready?  Today's featured selection comes to us courtesy of Mindbuck Media Book Publicity and stars a Fiction title with a touch of the "great beyond".  Okay, perhaps more than a touch if you're willing to admit it but before we dig too deep, allow me to introduce you properly.  Ladies and gents, today's book of choice is...


by
Lori Reisenbichler
9781477821824
Lake Union Publishing

About the book...
On the night that Shelly Buckner finally became a mother, she very nearly became a widow. Her husband, Eric, seriously injured in a car accident on the way to the hospital, was dead for a full eight minutes before being revived—all while Shelly was in labor. Those eight minutes changed everything Shelly thought was possible.
 
Three years later, their son, Toby, brings home an imaginary friend. But he’s no ordinary playmate—John Robberson is a fighter pilot and Vietnam vet. As Toby provides unlikely details about John’s life—and Toby’s tantrums increase—Shelly becomes convinced that John was real and now wants something from Toby. But her husband has his doubts, and as Shelly becomes involved, even obsessed, with finding out the truth, their marriage begins to disintegrate. Torn between protecting her child and keeping the peace with her husband, Shelly desperately searches for a way to finally put John Robberson out of their lives.





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This was a hard one to make head's or tales out of, truth be told.
I wanted to be in love with it but I can't say I honestly was.  If we flip to the other side of the same token though, I wasn't in dislike with it either.  I suppose by book's end, the story and I had struck an agreement:  I would follow it wherever it lead so long as it did in fact end and release me from whatever page turning spell I was under.  Deal struck, I continued my read and was rewarded with an ending to be sure, but I can't say that I was happy.



Now, before you start throwing things at me through the screen (because frankly, that's dangerous...for YOU that is; I'm virtually impossible to reach), I don't think every book has to have a happy ending.  In fact, many stories that aren't actually "happy" are still rather satisfying.  This one...well, once again my answer is middle of the line.  I do believe though it is my lack of connection to the characters that is getting the best of me, or perhaps better stated, my change in opinion of them at certain points.  Allow me to explain.

Initially, I like Shelly.  She took on childbirth by herself (though her husband's absence was certainly excusable), brought her concerns about the changes she noticed in Eric (the husband) to the proper people (not that they were helpful in the least), and even when things looked bleakest, she continued to follow the path she truly believed when it came to Toby and John Robberson.  She was a woman unafraid of standing on her own two feet and figured the support she counted on would be there when needed.  She was wrong.  Could she have known this in the slightest?  No, at least from my point of view. 


SO, why did my opinion change from higher regard to lesser regard?  For me, it was when Eric began the ultimatums, such as threatening to protect their son from HER no matter what and if she didn't stop obsessing about solving the John Robberson riddle, their marriage would be over.  He had already been a pretty large three-letter-word-beginning-with-A-and-ending-in-a-double-S up to this point, but that was the icing on the already overdone and gaudy cake.  Grant it, some of this cl-ass-icness is explained by book's end, but I guess I felt that she was compromising herself SO MUCH when he didn't feel worth it anymore.  Anywho...

Overall, the story was curious.  I liked how the idea of an imaginary friend was explored not only on a basic level but also cross culturally.  It was interesting to note how different people view a similar phenomena.  The paranormal aspect of it all was certainly enough to put you off-kilter, especially when Kay arrives in the flesh and John does too...in a manner of speaking.  (Talk about a creepy deja vu moment.  ~shakes head~) Though it could have added too much to an already full storyline, it didn't; things balanced out rather well in fact, despite my personal likes or dislikes.  I do have to say that the ending leaves us a bit on a precipice though; so many ways it could potentially turn and yet I know that one of them would certainly end in my own person being confined for fifty to life.  I'll let you sort it out from there. 

Recommended read for Fiction fans that appreciate thinking outside the box and can be left to ponder multiple options for the ending in their own time contentedly. 



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About the author....


Lori Reisenbichler has loved stories all her life, but did a lot of other things before she got serious about writing. She completed her MFA in Creative Writing at Spalding University and has been an editor for the Best New Writing journal. She's recently told stories onstage at The Moth and the Oral Fixations storytelling series. EIGHT MINUTES is her debut novel.

She was born in Moore, Oklahoma, grew up near Kansas City, Missouri and now lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband. Thankfully, all three of their grown children are close enough to enjoy, and grown enough to allow her time to sit in coffee shops and make things up. When she's not writing, she throws dinner parties and cheers much too loudly at sporting events.



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Special thanks to Jessica at Mindbuck Media Book Publicity for both the review copy as well as the chance to bring this title to your attention.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, this promotion or those forthcoming, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title reached published status February 17, 2015 via Lake Union Publishing, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!


Monday, March 24, 2014

Easy as 1, 2, C: Counting to D by Kate Scott

Hi there!
Welcome back to THE online book haven for bookish folks round the globe, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.


Okay, so perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit there with my description but really, we live in a world where what we see, or are presented (for the most part) is absolute truth.  Who wouldn’t want to present the BEST image of themselves, or their own little virtual home, to the world?  Case in point made and on display in today’s chosen title.

We’re heading into the YA zone with a story that I feel will spark conversations.  It tackles a subject very prevalent in our society that’s hard to manage on ones own, and can leave those living with it feeling ostracized, alone or like they should be ashamed of who they are.  Grant it, I’m not speaking from experience (completely at least) but one can imagine the dividing lines; whether actually there or merely perceived, is another story.  Here, we see them emphasized not only for dramatic flair but to shed some light on the issue as well as ways that it can be combated.  Have I got your attention?  Are you curious to find out more?  Let’s continue then.  Today’s book of choice is…



By
9780989594707
EB Elliott Books

About the book…
The kids at Sam’s school never knew if they should make fun of her for being too smart or too dumb.  That’s what it means to be dyslexic:  smart, and illiterate.  Sam is sick of it.  So when her mom gets a job in a faraway city, Sam decides not to tell anyone about her little illiteracy problem.  Without her paradox of reputations, she falls in with a new group of highly competitive friends who call themselves the Brain Trust.  When she meets Nate, her charming valedictorian lab partner, she declares her new reality perfect.  But in order to keep it that way, she has to keep her learning disability a secret.  The books are stacked against her and so are the lies.  Sam’s got to get the grades, get the guy, and get it straight – without being able to read.



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Can you imagine?
Not being able to read.
We’re not talking about just at an early age either.
We’re talking elementary school, middle school, high school…and beyond.
To have the desire to climb into the stories within the pages, but not the ability to satiate that need.  To have the requirement thrust upon you to study a particular chapter, or research with listed references a topic covered in the text, without the ability to access it like most others with a glance, a turn of the page, and a stroke of the pen 

As an avid reader myself, it seems unfathomable and yet people of all ages live with this limitation every day.  I hate to even say “limitation” because it’s not something they’ve imposed on themselves but a wiring within them that just happened to develop a particular way.  Despite it not being the ideal diagnosis for anyone, there is an amazing side to it as well.  It’s often said (or at least I’ve been told) when one door closes, another opens.  Though the ability to read and read well may not come easily (or at all in some cases), quite often those with this door shut are afforded an uncanny ability to process and handle numbers, and sciences.  I mean in seriously scary good ways too!  The consistency seems to be the key, how there is no “maybe this” or “maybe that”, whereas words can be fickle sometimes ( *hugs words* -- *comforts words’ feelings*  ^_^). 

The way Sam’s world is portrayed allows us to see the remarkable aspect of it all, as well as that which holds her back.  That struggle to balance the two sides of herself is what drives her to hide that which she feels unable to change.  She outs herself to some, forming connections she feels secure in but when she has other designs in mind for her latest endeavors, things get a bit uncertain.  After all, once you’ve shown you’re greatest secrets and deepest fears in friendship to someone you’ve placed on a pedestal, how do you take the next step up?  Sam has her work cut out for her but after all she’s overcome, circumvented and managed-to-avoid-without-tipping-most-off in her life thus far….I think she’s up to the challenge.


In conclusion, a Young Adult read for a generation use to taking matters by the horns yet still sheltering their faults from the spotlight in fear of rejection.  It’s not a warm and fuzzy blanket of “everything-will-be-okay”, but it does show how with time, with effort, with insistence and a “never-say-die” attitude, strides can be made to better their world’s, both inside and out.  The characters are easy to relate to, the story (for the most part) feels real; you’re typical YA expectations met.  However, though I found the story appealing, I also enjoyed learning more about dyslexia and some of the therapies employed to assist in overcoming the obstacles it lays before them.  It even had me contemplating a few things from my own school days regarding concepts taught versus actually comprehended and the ability to use them to this day.  Rather eye opening indeed….and combine that with the enjoyable read, well folks, there is only one conclusion there.  We have a winner.




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 About the author…



Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren.  Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway.  Counting to D is her first novel.  When Kate isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family.  Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer.




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ARC for review courtesy of Jessica at Mindbuck Media Book Publicity.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their future promotions, be sure to seek them out online.  This title is available now via EB Elliott Books, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time…happy reading!



Monday, December 23, 2013

A Dickens Junction Mystery: The Edwin Drood Murders by Christopher Lord

Hi there!
Welcome back to the site that aims to please the reader in you every day of the week, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, the Christmas holiday is almost upon us.  Are YOU ready?  AS for me, I’m trying to be though I DO think that this season has flown by WAY too fast.  Missed out on enjoying the whole kit and caboodle thanks to being so busy with work and what not….le sigh.  At least there were good reads to be had, right?  RIGHT!  Speaking of which, today’s blog tour guest fits that bill and another quota of my own, just right.

What’s that second quota?  Why, my Dickens requirement of the season!  Didn’t know about that one now did ya?  ^_^  Those that follow my site now for  more than a year, might remember this from last season but allow me to enlighten you.  Each year, I endeavor to read a version of that classic Dickens novel A Christmas Carol.  I already accomplished that tradition this year thanks to the awesomely adorable work via BabyLit but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop there.  When I saw this Dickens stewed work come through the old email box, I read about it…pondered it…and more quickly than not decided I needed to be in on the action…and trust me, there is plenty to go around.  Ready to meet today’s blog tour guest and book of choice?  Let’s!  Gents, don your top hats; gals, grab your bonnets.  Time to celebrate the day Dickensian style with…


A Dickens Junction Mystery:
By
Christopher Lord
9780985323639

About the book…
The Droodists have arrived in Dickens Junction.  Local bookstore owner Simon Alastair has his hands full in his role as co-chair for the latest convention honoring Charles Dickens’s uncompleted novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  A movie star, a pesky blogger, dueling scholars, a stage hypnotist, and an old family friend (among others) all have claims on Simon’s time.  In addition, some Droodists are clearly more – or less – than they appear, including a mysterious young man by the improbable name of Edwin Drood.

When a priceless ring and a rare Dickensian artifact go missing, Simon and reporter-partner Zach Benjamin learn that someone will do anything – including murder – to obtain an object of desire.


The first sign that something was amiss should have been all the last minute attendees…considering this is something of an UBER fan event, eyebrows should have been rising.  The second tell tale sign, the fact that one of the participants is named (or at least registered as being so) after the character of unknown fate in the novel at the center of their society’s planned discussions.  Just a little too coincidental for my taste to not raise suspicion.  Anywho…

What we have here is a meeting of the literary minds with a large helping of drama, a dash of mystery, and a little romance thrown in for good measure.  Whatever side of the Dickensian camp you fall into or out of, you’re sure to find some enjoyment from this little gem…or rather NOT so little.  The gem, not the book.  The Heart of Helsinki  is the gem at hand, out of hand, and back again, though not the only treasure at risk…we’ll get to that part in a minute.  This sparkly number currently belongs to one Osma Dilber, a sweet little elderly lady who is smart as a whip, and nice as can be.  Whomever would set their sights on bringing harm to her deserves it back on them twice fold.  Strong and steady, that’s who she is…and a kindly friend to those in the Dickens know and even those not quite so.  Also on the so side of things…

Meet Simon.  He’s our leading man in a sense; full time bookstore proprietor, Dickensian enthusiast, and amateur-ish sleuth.  He had his hands in the crime solving cookie jar once (in book 1) and found he liked the taste; though he would not wish the circumstances he’s found himself ensconced in on anyone, especially to simply practice his detective skills.  Anywho…Simon along with his partner Zach make an formidable and enviable pair.  How so?  Well, it’s not their stature, though their standing with the community is flawless, but rather the way they work together and help balance each other out both professionally and personally.  These two gents are genuine high quality and the results they produce in all they tackle are held to the same standards.  But I digress, I am getting way off topic…let’s circle back to the story.

Many are introduced in this “play” but only MOST will see it through to the very end.  That’s right my friends…it’s called The Edwin Drood MURDERS for a reason.  The way things unfold is rather curious, both as they progress and the final curtain call.  There are staged scenes straight out of the suppositions of dedicated Drood fans as well as those with less than cultured taste.  Think Bonesbut less on the morgue research and with English accents.  Does it work?  You bet…as does the flash of personal events our lead couple is sorting through.  Random note…I couldn’t help but notice a greater number of same sex relationships represented than in most stories I’ve read.  Whether done with intent or simply an after thought inserted subconsciously due to the author’s preference, I shan’t guess but trust me, it makes them no more or less likeable; just another set of literary characters to know, enjoy, and welcome back the next story round.

In conclusion, though a bit too Clue-ish for me at times, I still enjoyed my time in Dickens Junction and in fact wouldn’t be too surprised if you heard of me visiting once again in the near future…bookishly of course.  There’s a little matter of not having read book 1, The Christmas Carol Murders, that I would like to clear up, if you know what I mean (*adds to wish list*).  ^_^  The characters were many, those notable fewer on my roster…then again, I am rather picky about who I pick up and take with me upon book’s end.  Come ride the literary roller coaster and see if you can’t guess who’s who and done what with whom where, why, and how…before Simon says (Ha!  Sorry, I couldn’t resist that pun.)

Review copy received courtesy of Jessica at Mindbuck Media.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this promotion as well as those forth coming, be sure to stop by their official site.  To learn more about Dickens Junction both past, present, and future, start your journey now with a virtual visit and see what lies in store for you. 

Until next time…happy reading!

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