Hard Truth by Nevada Barr

Summertime is always the time for a good mystery. How about one that keeps you on the edge of your seat, afraid to fall asleep, and your muscles tense? Try Hard Truth by Nevada Barr for just that type of suspenseful thriller.

National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon has arrived at her new post in Colorado in the Rocky Mountain National Park. She is one tough woman and she'll need all of her stamina for this job, stamina and strength she wasn't expecting to need. Three young girls have been missing and in spite of thorough searches of the park, have not been found until the day two of them stumble out of the woods into Wiley, a most welcoming dog. The girls have a dazed look, disheveled, unfed, non-communicative, and very frightened. Wiley's owner, Heath Jarrod, is wheelchair bound following a tragic climbing accident. She's angry and depressed by the new life confined to a chair. One of the girls is immediately drawn to Heath and Heath finds herself concerned and caring for the girls, especially Beth.

The girls' parents are contacted, they are elated, but will not permit the girls to speak with authorities at all. In fact, the girls are from a religious cult that keeps them cloistered in the compound. Anna and Heath learn the girls were on a camping trip with a trusted member of their religious cult when they were lured away by a serial killer working as a park ranger.

As these two situations unfold and become intertwined, the suspense builds. Anna is not aware, as the new supervising ranger, that one of her junior rangers can not be trusted. Against the backdrop of all that nature offers in a national park setting, you will connect with these characters as they face unimaginable peril.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Shelter: A Mickey Bolitar Novel by Harlan Coben

It's only been a little over a year that I first heard of the author, Harlan Coben. It was a Brighton High School freshman who told me that Harlan was his favorite author. We did not own any books by Mr. Coben in our media center so I was intrigued. I quickly requested one of the Myron Bolitar detective stories from the public library. If you know me, you know that mystery and detective stories are my all time favorites. It was a great read!

Now this well loved author is writing for teen readers! Shelter by Harlan Coben is the debut novel in a series that features Myron's nephew, Mickey Bolitar, also involved in solving mysteries. He's a high school sophomore who has come to live with his uncle after his father's death, which Mickey witnessed, and mother's placement in drug rehab. Mickey's life is in shatters and he has few friends in his uncle's town. When Ashley, one of his new friends, does not return to school and no one has a clue of her whereabouts, Mickey gets involved. He befriends a loner Goth girl and a techie nerd guy. At the same time an elderly lady tells Mickey that his father is actually not dead. There is just too much to take in. With clever plot twists and action filled events, you may find yourself with a new favorite author much like I did.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price

You can feel the tension, cut it with a knife. Gabriel James is in a police interrogation room being questioned. For what? He's not sure. Or maybe he does know. All he knows at that moment, is that he'll tell the truth. The officers tell him he's not a suspect, just a witness. Can he trust them? If he slips up and misstates what he saw, will they consider him a suspect? The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price is a mystery thriller that will keep you reading.

Charlie Price, the author, delivers this story by alternating Gabriel's questioning with flashbacks to the crime. He reveals the details slowly which adds to the suspense. Two teens are dead, there have been drug deals going down, and hate crimes toward a new student. Are these events related? Do they lead to the ultimate killing? Even Gabriel is trying to make sense of it; to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

This fast paced, suspenseful story will hook the mystery readers out there. Find a copy at your library soon.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

Who hasn't heard of Sherlock Holmes. The use of the name Sherlock, as in "I'm no Sherlock, but ..." is part of our popular culture meaning how adept someone is at figuring things out. Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective in a series of short stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century. The stories have stood the test of time and the character, Sherlock Holmes, is gaining new popularity due to both television and movies based on him.

Andrew Lane wrote Death Cloud to bring the Sherlock Holmes character back to life but as a young teen. In all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writings we learn very little of Holmes' early years. What life experiences gave him the ability to see details in events to help him solve mysteries? Why was he able to see the big picture? Who were his friends and teachers? What about his family - parents and siblings?

In Death Cloud we meet Sherlock as he is leaving a boys school for the summer. He must board with an elderly aunt and uncle because his immediate family can not take him in. It is there that he joins with a homeless young man and a tutor. Together they solve the mystery - the death cloud they see is actually hovering swarms of bees. But why?

Read Death Cloud by Andrew Lane to meet young Sherlock Holmes and see what's up with all the bee hives and bees. If you find that you're intrigued and want more, the Afterward that the author leaves the reader with will fuel your appetite and point you in the right direction to discover more about Sherlock Holmes.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Paper Towns by John Green

This should be read by all - all of us, all of YOU! There are so many facets that John Green has put into his award-winning novel, Paper Towns, that it goes well beyond a mystery - its identified genre.

First and foremost, this book is about friendship. Not just the "hi, how are ya" friends that you pass in the hall. True friends that never give up on each other. Friends that will go to the ends of the earth with/for you. Reading Paper Towns draws the reader into the mundane, the exciting, and the scary of that kind of friendship.

Quentin and Margo are neighbors, have been since they were toddlers. Their childhood friendship drifts apart as they've grown up until one night, just before their high school graduation, Margo enlists Q's help to pull some midnight pranks. The next day - she's disappeared! Not the first time she's run away, but now she is 18 so no longer the minor that her parents can compel home. Even the police take a hands-off approach to looking for her. Not Q! He finds clues among her belongings and most importantly within the notes she's made in her copy of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

It's a mystery because Q and friends now must try to find Margo. It's also a love story between friends and between Q and Margo. As you read you'll want Q to find her but you may or may not want Margo to love Q. That's the final question - Will they ever be able to resume their childhood friendship that was lost so many years ago as they grew up? How have they changed? Why did Margo leave town just before graduation? Do they really know each other at all? When you finish reading Paper Towns, go ahead - try to find Agloe, NY on Google maps. :-) That's what I did too!

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

The Last Child by John Hart

Once in awhile a book comes along that grabs my attention from the very first page. The intrigue, the characters, the setting, or the author's choice of words. John Hart's The Last Child was all of that plus the thrill of the events unfolding. This book is a suspenseful thriller!

Johnny Merriman is searching for his twin sister who has not been seen in a year. She was picked up by a stranger when she was 12 years old and their family hasn't been the same since. His father has left, his mother tries to mask her pain with drink and drugs, even the police officer who worked diligently to find Alyssa is distraught.

Johnny has a plan to find her. He's convinced she is still alive. He puts himself in harms way often - seeking out the local sex offenders, sneaking out of the house driving into remote areas, drinking with his friend, skipping school, and more. You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat and hoping that Johnny will be safe and that he'll find Alyssa.

I love suspenseful mysteries with all the twists and turns that John Hart has cleverly written in The Last Child. I always try to figure out the mystery before the book's end. I came pretty close in this book but Hart outsmarted me again. That's what makes him an award winning author!

John Hart's website

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst

I picked this mystery book to read solely on the front cover. The photograph was of a dog lying next to a lady who looked like she was sleeping. Being an animal lover and an avid reader of mystery books, I couldn't resist taking it home to read. I soon found out that the lady wasn't sleeping, she was dead and the dog was the only witness to her death.

The husband is devastated by his wife's death and can't carry on with his own life until he solves the mystery. Was it murder or suicide? He is determined to find out how his wife died and why. He wants to teach his dog how to talk and tries numerous ways to make this happen. He spends time analyzing his courtship, marriage and life with his wife, which has always included her loving dog.

Whenever an animal is one of the main characters in a book, I find that the book is written for animal lovers and that the emotions you feel for people, can also be felt for animals. I felt an overwhelming realm of emotions reading this book and I recommend it to anyone who has ever had a dog and/or loved someone with all of your heart.

Reviewed by Mrs. Finney