Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

One hundred years ago, boundless books were published that no one remembers today, and it's possible that no one would wish too--this series will be the same one hundred years from now--barely amusing for a brief period, ultimately thrown away once the expiration date breaches it's prime.

Books similar to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder generally haven't a speck of interest in my reading wants though sporadically, simple to read/slight love interest/mysteries, seem to hit the spot. Extreme thought will not be a requirement and the effortless ride will soon end with a vague feeling of apprehension that sufficient amounts of strong content are missing.

Disconcerting characters and events fill the story while Hannah's actions would deliver people of the real world in jail for trespassing and removal of evidence.

How did Bill, Hannah's brother-in-law/police officer ever achieves detective status? Bill seems  inept at anything which requires an aptitude higher than eating cookies.

Why did Hannah come back to help her mother who obviously can take care of herself? Do mother's in real life genuinely coerce their daughters to marry? This has been a theme in books since Pride And Prejudice or conceivably from the beginning of time, yet in this day and age, are mothers still pushing unsuspecting men on their daughters?

Hannah's able to solve the crime, plus she gains the admiration of two men, which will hopefully keep her mother subdued.

I've decided to read the second book, which has an exceeding vacuous title (Strawberry Shortcake Murder), I'm not sure if I will be able to continue for the entire 19 book series, but I might try. 

Walking in the Rain: Surviving the Fall by William Allen

Another "end of the world as we know it" book told from the perspective of a 16-year old who should have his own survival and wilderness show.

In fact, his vast knowledge of survival during the breakdown of the US, creates a belief in numerous people that he's much older than his years. Plus, his expertise concerning weapons is impressive--his dad's a marine who taught his little Padawan abundantly.

We meet him the moment he rescues a young girl from rape, for in this world the majority of men are rapist, murderers and cannibals, not necessarily in that order.

He decides to let her travel with him to his home, which he's diligently trying to reach.  Hopefully, he will make it back to his parents--there's nothing comparable to a little world-wide catastrophe to bring out the desire of seeing one's mommy.

Luke's that guy that anyone would aspire to have nearby while enduring the breakdown of society, but what are the odds that he would ever exist or be that perfect companion after the downfall. I would undoubtedly meet a computer nerd that never leaves his house, and doesn't know the first thing concerning survival. Murdered and served up as dinner for "Some Fine Young Cannibals" would be an appointment in our day planner

The biggest problem I have with the book is the lack of an ending--it just stops in the middle of nothing. Books should always leave us with absolute wonderment about what happens to our characters, or as in this case a hook to create a desire for the second book, and never to fizzle out into nothingness.

Even though there wasn't a hook, I want to learn what happens-- I will be reading the second book soon.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

☆☆☆☆This review contains spoilers☆☆☆☆

The difficulty in making Hercule Poirot one's dupe is that he's too smart for anyone to outwit. There will always be those criminal elements who think too highly of themselves and decide they can pull it off. This will always conclude in failure for their little murdering souls and another success for the honored Poirot.

Nick, our little protagonist, parties 1930's style--she's a young woman who may soon succumb to a murder's desire to see her dead. The reason for her aspired death is a mystery for she hasn't any money or enemies. When Poirot meets her at his hotel on holiday, he finds out that several attempts on her life have failed, and proposes to keep her safe while finding the murderer before the murder actually takes place.

He tells her to send for her cousin Maggie whose constant presence should function as a deterrent against the killer. Tragedy strikes the first night she arrives when the killer believes she is Nick and the sound of the shot, hidden by local fireworks, finds its mark.

Nick's shawl, worn by Maggie, throws the killer off and the wrong woman is shot. Poirot is devasted that this should happen when he promised protection. A nursing home appears the safest place for Nick though the murderer attempts another success by sending chocolate filled with cocaine.

During the course of the investigation, Poirot finds love letters from Nick's fiance who recently died, leaving Nick a rich woman. Finally, he is able to put the facts together and takes the action he loves, assembling everyone suspected together to tell the identity of the killer. He does this for suspense and to show off his wondrous gray cells.

We find out that Nick isn't a sweet person after all, and she killed her cousin and pretended all the other attempts on her life happened. She overdosed on the cocaine by her own hand and put the gun used to kill Maggie in her best friend's coat. She did all this for the same reason many people kill--for the money.

Nick and Maggie share the same first name of Magdala, so when Nick found love letters from the famous and rich fiance to her cousin, she claimed them as her own. Who would know the difference, since the engagement had been a secret.

Yet again, Poirot allows a suicide for the wrongdoer, so there's not a need to face hanging. Yikes, hanging seems so archaic, but eight women died this way in the US and England in the 1930's.

This is one of Christie's best since no one can guess who the real culprit is though I must say I had my suspensions early on. I'm still hoping that one day I can go to the world of the make-believe past, and become Poirot's sidekick. Hmm, but would there arise the need to kill Hastings. Mon Ami, mais oui c'est possible--pauvre Hastings.

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

☆☆☆☆This review contains spoilers☆☆☆☆

I've watched both Stepford Wives on film and wanted to know how skillful Levin wrote the book--was his writing as brilliant as the first movie or as dreadful as the second or somewhere in between.
Additionally, the first Stepford Wives show Joanna(Katherine Ross) strong to the finish, and the second one with Nicole Kidman was merely silly, but what about Joanna in the book?

She's precisely the same as the character in the first film except she wasn't as secure with herself at the end and starts to lose her hold on reality. An infinite number of women couldn't arrive near this portion of the story and still stay sane--perceiving their death is imminent and soon a robot will be their replacement.

To understand the book one must understand the age the book was published (1972). For the first time, women were actually gaining rights and receiving the respect due to them, though grudgingly by a substantial population of men.

Perhaps all men from this time period grew up with a mom who didn't work and had one specific job--to create comfort for their family, wait on their husbands as if they were children, and never have their own identity. They must even write their name as Mrs. John Doe, and never receive or send letters with their own name. They were lost even to themselves.

The seventies became a breakthrough for women's rights and we won though it was a struggle. Men wanted their maids and cooks back in the kitchen--not out in the workforce. So it's conceivable that a man would replace his wife with a robot to create a home exceptionally comfortable and to have a sandwich in his hand whenever desired.

Though it's ambitious to believe that an entire community of men could agree to mass murder. The book states that countless people left the community after the men's club formed, and the previous owners of Joanna's home stayed only two months, hopefully in this world, a favorable amount of men had a conscience.

I've often thought about the female children of these killers--would they be just as willing for them to die so their husbands could have the same setup? They're all murderers and butchers, I've come to the conclusion they might be willing--who could have a normal psyche after conducting or agreeing to such madness.

The book is wonderful, and Ira Levin is an incredible writer, though he must always throw in a spattering of extremely crude sexual references, which I (the prude) pass by quickly. Though I'm sure in this day and age readers will not mind his little expressions.
He's the author of one my top ten books called This Perfect Day, and his writing in that book is also genius. His books are slow and easy yet convey a powerful mix of controlled energy.

I found this book to read for free on the Open Library  site which I put to work on my Kindle. There are copious amounts of older books to read that commonly charge a considerable sum of money on my Kindle and the paper books are difficult to find--this site helps frequently with my reading "wants."

The Mystery Of The Blue Train by Agatha Christie

Oh, those little gray cells of Hercule Poirot's. I have a yearning to be Poirot's sidekick, and travel the world of the 1930's with him. To think of the mysteries we could solve, and the amusements we could have (purely platonic, of course, since I'm not sure anyone could find his egg-shaped head and his attention to his mustache desirable), but there would be those pesky murders to attend to that seem to follow Poirot around like a lost dog.

Poirot is traveling to the Riviera for Holiday, and to no one's surprise (at least not to me), a murder happens on the very train that he is traveling on. He decides to help out the police in the investigation--sometimes he says no, I'm retired, and other times he is more than willing to donate his time and gray cells to the effort of finding a dastardly killer.

There is a lesson here on spoiling our kids and giving them too much stuff, no matter what their age.
Ruth Kettering is found dead on the train with her face smashed in and all her jewelry missing, including a new piece that her father bought her, and the act of his generosity, motivates the killer and brings about her death.

Christie has a way of bringing together people who at first seem so far apart from one another in distance and temperament. Several other people are on the train with the victim--her estranged husband, his former mistress, a woman until recently was quite poor, and Poirot.
She blends lives together until new love forms in the hearts of two, and the most sadistic murderer is found out.
This is not a fast-paced book, but so worth the patience and time.

The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

This review may have frequent spoilers, so please be cautious in reading if you want to be surprised by who the murderer is.

This is not one of my favorite books by Christie, but still it's quite interesting.
This is a reread for me, and I was quite surprised how often the clues actually pointed to the murderer, yet I didn't see it during the first read.

One trick she uses to throw us off is that the entire story is told by a journal written by the doctor of the village. He helps Poirot a great deal, so I was thrown off that it could ever be him, especially since Poirot always tells the doctor that he reminds him of his dear Hastings. 
I'm always shocked that characters that I trust or even love are so evil, or can turn evil under the correct circumstances. I always want there to be good in people, but that's not the truth in fiction or reality.

The old staging of all the people who could be involved in a murder is so cliche.

The detective walks around the room, accusing every, and then to their relief, giving the reason that it could be them, but they are safe.
Finally, the real perp tries to run away, but there is police at all the exits, and then the true evil, lurking inside, is revealed.
This book didn't end that way, since after the group of accused leave, Poirot allows the murderer to leave for his home and commit suicide to save the reputation of his sister in such a small community. 
This would not be allowed today--suicide must not have been such a severe action during that time as it is currently.

I read countless zombie books so that a slow read such as this, is much appreciated.