In the Key of Dead

Miami Murder Mystery, #2

by

Zaida Alfaro

Top-notch music-themed murder mystery!

In the Key of Dead is the second book in author Zaida Alfaro's outstanding Miami Murder Mystery series. But never fear; even if you haven't read the debut novel (and you'll want to), the book easily stands alone. Its engaging main characters and intriguing music business storyline immediately drew me in. 

When the murder of her record producer puts Violet "Vy" Blanco in the path of the aggressively hostile lead detective on the case, she naturally starts asking questions of her own. Odd incidents that threaten the completion of her first album and other creepy occurrences, including her constant feeling of being watched, keep the suspense cooking. 

Vy, even with her anxieties and phobias, is a strong, smart, and talented protagonist. Along with her fierce and loving sister, Alexia, this pair stole my heart. Vy has been in a romantic relationship for the past year with Detective Bryan Houston. With his overwhelming work schedule, they are experiencing some common growing pains, and he is on the periphery for most of the book. 

Red herrings and plot twists had me guessing until the actual resolution of the case. I was absorbed by Vy's story, making this one of my favorite mysteries for the year. 

I recommend IN THE KEY OF DEAD to mystery readers who like stories with strong female characters, tales involving the music business, Cuban culture, or settings in Miami. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

The Jules Verne Prophecy

by

Larry Schwarz & Iva-Marie Palmer

An exciting adventure story that will grab the attention and imagination of even reluctant young readers!

Thirteen-year-old American teenager Owen Godfrey is spending his summer in Paris with his physics professor mother while she guest lectures at the Institut Lagrange de Paris. But rather than enjoying lazy days relaxing and seeing the sights, his mother has enrolled him in a special summer course to study the life and works of the father of science fiction, Jules Verne. As it turns out, the course is interesting, and there are a couple of pretty cool kids in the class with him, but only hours before their first big exam over 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a street punk steals Owen’s backpack with his copy of the book that he needs to take the test. 

His classmates, Nas and Rose, take Owen to a used bookstore where they purchase an old leather-bound copy of what appears to be a collection of all Verne’s works and then hurry back to school just in time for the exam. But as soon as Owen opens La Prophétie de Jules Verne, he realizes it’s not a collection at all but something entirely different, and so does his teacher, who confiscates the book and dismisses Owen from the test. 

Later that night, Owen returns to school to appeal to be allowed to take the test, and he spies Professor Bessier through his office window as he hides the strange old book and leaves. But before Owen can catch up to him, two goons grab the professor, shove him into a car, and speed away. 

The following morning, when the professor fails to show up for class, the three friends fear he’s been kidnapped because of the book. They retrieve the book from its hiding place in the professor’s now-trashed office and attempt to unravel the cryptic clues about a fabulous treasure Verne was rumored to have left behind and find the professor. However, they soon discover they are not alone; someone is following them and watching their every move. 

The Jules Verne Prophecy by writing partners Larry Schwarz and Iva-Marie Palmer is an exciting adventure story that will grab the attention and imagination of even reluctant young readers. The pace is brisk, and the action is non-stop as the three main characters – Owen Godrey, Rose Bordage, and Nasim Shirvani – work out the meanings behind the clues and travel around “The City of Lights.” Owen has a crush on Rose, and their initial meeting is laugh-out-loud funny. The three friends learn many things, including first impressions and assumptions are not always accurate. 

Their race across Paris ahead of the bad guys is riveting and creative in its execution, and their discoveries live up to the reputation of Jules Verne. A couple of loose ends are left hanging when the story closes, providing a great jumping-off point for a sequel. I’ll be looking forward to more adventures with these characters with anticipation. 

I recommend THE JULES VERNE PROPHECY to middle-grade readers and for reading aloud at school, after-school programs, and at home with the entire family.

For this and other book reviews, visit my blog, Boys' Mom Reads!

The Tundra Passage: After the Dark

The After Collection, #4

by

K.A. Jarvis

Exciting, suspenseful story of survival and political intrigue above the Arctic Circle.

The Tundra Passage: After the Dark is the fourth book in author K.A. Jarvis’s riveting After Collection, a series of standalone survival thrillers with the common threads of personal resilience, hope, and found family in the face of catastrophic disasters and societal collapse. In this latest tale, newly graduated Floridian veterinarian Grace Campbell heads to the Alaskan tundra in search of the father she’d never known about until after her mother’s death. But just as she begins her journey, the electrical grid mysteriously starts glitching and eventually fails completely, leaving the lower 48 states in darkness and danger. When the bush plane she’s in is forced to crash-land in the back of beyond, killing the local pilot, it falls to Grace and the pilot’s loyal wolf-dog hybrid to guide the other passengers, including an eleven-year-old girl, to the nearest point of civilization: the research station where Grace’s father may be working. However, one of the other survivors isn’t who they claim to be and may be working against the group’s best interests. 

Grace Campbell is a wonderful main character, a good woman who had a very difficult childhood, having to pull herself up by her own bootstraps from a way too early age, and learning that she is the only person she can truly rely on when things need doing. The first quarter of the book is devoted to building Grace’s backstory, and understanding where she came from is critical to the development of the character and how she can handle the later events: such a good story. She has the natural self-doubts one would expect from a lifelong Floridian stranded in the wilderness of northwest Alaska, and she must overcome a big learning curve quickly to keep everyone safe. I loved her relationship with the malamute-wolf crossbreed, Sika, and some of the scenes with the dog were exciting and emotional as he protects his newfound family from the dangers they encounter. 

Besides the struggles of surviving the long trek to safety, the story also includes a sweet romance that slowly forms over the days of travel. Two single, self-reliant people learn about themselves and each other, building trust and a strong partnership as they overcome the many obstacles on their way to safety. 

The author’s writing style is compelling and immersive, and I was immediately drawn into Grace’s life, her questions about her father’s identity, and her mother’s inexplicable decision to withhold that information from her. Later, the survivors’ journey across the tundra to the remote permafrost research station was so riveting, I felt I was along for the trek; I was exhausted by the time the book came to a close. I didn’t want to put this book down the entire time I was reading it. 

I recommend THE TUNDRA PASSAGE to readers of thrillers, suspense, and survival stories, especially those set in Alaska or with post-apocalyptic elements. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

Stand Up!:

A Graphic Novel

by

Tori Sharp

A fun middle-grade graphic novel about stepping outside your comfort zone and having the courage to try something new!

Stand Up! by Tori Sharp is a fun middle-grade graphic novel featuring best friends Clay and Kyle and how they team up to develop a successful podcast using the natural strengths they’ve recognized they have growing up with ADHD and autism. The two eighth-grade protagonists capitalize on what many might see as stumbling blocks to reaching their dreams. 

I enjoyed getting to know Clay, Kyle, and their friends from the Greenlake Middle School Drama Club as they prepare to mount the final show, a musical called “Gals and Dolls,” of their middle-school years. However, both Clay and Kyle have always worked backstage, and this time, they want to audition for acting roles. After the experience of their audition, Clay decides to stay the course and act; Kyle isn’t feeling it and opts to stage manage, a role at which he both excels and is comfortable. Making the switch to performer proves unexpectedly difficult for Clay, though, as her ADHD doesn’t pair well with the seemingly endless repetition and the hurry-up-and-wait nature of rehearsals. Dania, another classmate making her first appearance on stage playing the lead female role, faces struggles of her own with slowly increasing stage fright. Clay’s immediate crush on Dania is sweet and entertaining when her attraction makes her tongue-tied and verbally awkward around the other girl. Suddenly shy, she is unable to talk to Dania about her feelings. However, Dania’s collaboration on Clay and Kyle’s brilliantly funny podcast, “Passing Notes,” paves the way for the two to get closer. The story has a spectacular HEA for everyone. 

An interesting aspect of the story is gender identity and non-traditional families. While the main characters are named Clay and Kyle, typically male names, it is left ambiguous in both the narrative (for quite a while) and the illustrations as to whether they are actually males or females. Frankly, and this may be the point, it doesn’t matter to the trajectory of the story. The plot would work in the same fashion with any gender configuration. Also, Clay, Kyle, and their respective moms all live together in a single apartment on the second floor of an older home, where the first floor has been converted into a coffee shop/bakery. The relationship between the moms is never addressed or revealed, and readers are left to establish that themselves. They could be friends sharing the space, each with their one child, or they could be a couple. What we DO know is that they are both committed parents, and the four of them get along very happily. Once again, their status doesn’t affect the trajectory of the plot. They and their friend Lettie, the owner of the bakery, have an enviable and long-held friendship, but it is unclear whether Lettie lives above the bakery as well. 

The story moves quickly, going from the end of one middle-grade musical into preparation for the next: Clay developing her crush on Dania, creating the podcast, and including Dania in the podcast production. The artwork, while more modern, reminded me somewhat of the Archie comic books of my childhood, while the storyline is much more robust than anything from that era. I enjoyed the clever feminine twists to the names or titles of everything imaginable throughout the story. Well done! 

I recommend STAND UP! to middle-grade readers who enjoy graphic novels, especially those looking for reps of ADHD, autism, and LGBTQ main characters.

For this and other book reviews, visit my blog, Boys' Mom Reads!

Shadows of Frenchmen

Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery, #2

by

Michael Rigg

As Mardi Gras rolls on, a killer stalks the streets of New Orleans.

Shadows of Frenchmen is the second book in author Michael Rigg’s atmospheric Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery series, and this time a killer stalks the streets as the city gears up for its fabled Mardi Gras festivities. Only weeks after replacing his deceased mentor and friend as the Coroner for Orleans Parish, Dr. Jonathan Gray, M.D. faces a new challenge when called to the scene of an enigmatic murder. It has all the markings that a serial killer, the Mardi Gras Sweeper, has returned on his murderous biennial killing spree; however, it was believed that he’d been killed when he fell to his death into the Mississippi River two years earlier. Hobbled by the mayor’s restrictions to keep this new murder under wraps and out of the media and short-staffed at the Coroner’s Office, Gray cuts a deal to bring in suspended NOPD Detective Lieutenant Betsy Sprance. Together, his new team works to decode a cipher left behind at the murder scene and stop the killer before he strikes again. 

What a fast-paced and action-packed story! I was well and truly hooked from the start by the engaging Dr. Gray and the first shocking crime scene. Gray, still trying to get his footing as the new coroner after the death of his former boss, doesn’t let on to anyone how difficult his transition from deputy to chief has been. In his mid-50s, there are plenty of people throwing shade that he’s past his prime to take on the job. Also, personality issues between some of his staff members aren’t making things any easier. 

The New Orleans setting is wonderful with numerous mentions of iconic locations and streets, familiar libations and treats, and the activities of Mardi Gras. I enjoyed the inside peek at preparations for the parades and krewes. There’s nowhere else like this city, and readers are treated to a close-up, personal armchair visit as the action and investigation quickly escalate. Nothing is as it seems, with scenes that had me confounded about what was really going on and what was really at stake, and plot twists that definitely surprised. 

I recommend SHADOWS OF FRENCHMEN to readers of mysteries, especially those who would enjoy the New Orleans during Mardi Gras setting. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.