{Review} HERCULE POIROT AND THE GREENSHORE FOLLY by Agatha Christie

ASIN #: B00G98B1QO

File Size: 1315 KB

Page Count: 75

Copyright: November 12, 2013

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Never before published—the lost classic, unseen for sixty years!

A party game goes dead wrong in this ingenious mystery from the most beloved novelist of all time. Hercule Poirot, the world's favorite detective, has agreed to take part in a mock murder mystery in a charming English village—but when tragedy strikes, a different sort of game begins ...

In 1954, Agatha Christie wrote this novella with the intention of donating the proceeds to a fund set up to buy stained glass windows for her local church at Churston Ferrers, and she filled the story with references to local places, including her own home of Greenway. But, having completed it, she decided instead to expand the story into a full-length novel, Dead Man's Folly, which was published two years later, and donated a Miss Marple story (Greenshaw's Folly) to the church fund instead.

Unseen for sixty years, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is finally published in this ebook-exclusive edition.

Mandy's Review:

Speaking the name 'Agatha Christie' is like speaking Stephen King's name. Everyone knows who the author is and what they write. When I was offered the opportunity to read and review a never-before-published manuscript by one of the leading female whodunit authors of all time, you'd better believe I jumped at the chance.

Hercule Poirot is a detective that Ms. Christie uses as a main character in one of her series. He is refined, contemplative, observant, and reminds me much of Sherlock Holmes. In this novel, Hercule has been invited by an old author friend to attend a murder mystery party and present the prize to the first person solving the mystery. Because his author friend will essentially not take 'no' for an answer, Hercule takes the next train out.

Upon arrival, Hercule is introduced to quite a few people who eventually become suspects of their own, outside of the murder mystery. For wherever this is Hercule, there is a mystery to be solved.

Agatha Christie has always been one of my most favorite authors and it's her writing that actually began my love of murder mysteries. Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is a quick, cozy mystery that anyone can read in an afternoon. Those who enjoy such novels will definitely appreciate this Christie novella.


*An ecopy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

{Edelweiss Review} Cut to the Bone: A Body Farm Novel by Jefferson Bass

ASIN #: B00BATNLJC

File Size: 676 KB

Page Count: 373

Copyright: September 24, 2013

Publisher: William Morrow

Sold By: HarperCollins Publishers

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

In the summer of 1992, Arkansas governor Bill Clinton and Tennessee senator Al Gore begin their long-shot campaign to win the White House. On a sweltering hillside in Knoxville, Dr. Bill Brockton, the bright, ambitious young head of the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Department, launches an unusual - some would call it macabre - research facility, unlike any other in existence. Brockton is determined to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement solve homicides. But his plans are derailed by a chilling murder that leaves the scientist reeling from a sense of deja vu. Followed by another. And then another: bodies that bear eerie resemblances to cases from Brockton's past.

The police chalk up the first corpse to coincidence. But as the body count rises, the victims' fatal injuries grow more and more distinctive - a spiral of death that holds dark implications for Brockton himself. If the killer isn't found quickly, the death toll could be staggering. And the list of victims could include Brockton ... and everyone he holds dear.

Mandy's Review:

This is another instance where I decided to give an unheard-of author (by me) a chance. After reading this novel I found out that this is part of a series. There are at least nine other Body Farm novels out there. I don't usually like reading a book that's in the middle (or end) of a series without reading the others first, but this was a rare instance of where this book takes the readers back in time to where it all began. Thank goodness! Now, if I choose to read the rest of the novels, I know the beginning.

From the summary above you know who Bill Brockton is and what he does. What you don't know is that the identity of the killer is known by the reader as soon as he's introduced into the novel. That takes away some of the suspense that I love, but the writing is still engaging and kept my interest. Throughout the entire cat-and-mouse plot, I wondered how much further and how much more gruesome the killings would go. I did find it interesting how anthropologists deduce facts about a homicide. The smallest, minute details that would go unnoticed by a medical examiner can be found by an anthropologist. Fascinating!

There was one point towards the end of the novel where I missed an important clue. It was one of those niggling facts that stay at the peripheral of your thoughts just waiting to spring out into the open with arms stretched saying, "Tada!!!" A few pages before the detectives figured it out I stopped reading and literally said, "Oh my God! I can't believe I overlooked that!" That, in itself, redeemed the story of having some of the suspense missing.

I'd be interested to read at least one more Body Farm novel to see how the series progress. This isn't one of my most favorite books ever, but perhaps reading more into the series will allow this to become one of my more favorited series. If you enjoy a good cat-and-mouse written plot, I'd recommend you giving this a try.


*An ecopy of this novel was downloaded via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline per the publisher's permission in exchange for an honest review.

{Edelweiss Review} Darkness First by James Hayman

ASIN #: B00CGZXQDU

File Size: 514 KB

Page Count: 306

Copyright: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

The mutilated body of a young woman. The town doctor lying comatose in the road. A hundred and fifty tablets of Canadian OxyContin. This is the havoc that a merciless killer has wreaked on a sleepy Maine seaport.

As detectives Maggie Savage and Michael McCabe investigate, they realize the man they are after does not exist. Nobody knows his real name. Nobody has seen his face. But everybody fears his blade.

The only one who may know the murderer's true identity is an eleven-year-old girl - who has vanished into thin air.

Taut, twisting, and starring two unforgettable heroes, Darkness First will thrill fans of John Sandford and C. J. Box.

Mandy's Review:

This is my first James Hayman novel. While I'm also willing to give new authors a chance, there's always a little sense of apprehension when I do. What if I don't like their writing style? What if I think the story was horrible and unimaginative? But that's part of being a reviewer, right? To not only read and review the authors you're familiar with, but to also find authors you've never heard of and maybe, just maybe, you'll find a new author you're willing to keep reading.

Maggie is the middle child of sheriff John Savage. And, like her father, she's great at what she does: solving cases. So when a case is opened in her hometown involving her best friend, Maggie knew there was no way she could not be involved in the case. As she delves deeper into the case, suspicion is cast onto Maggie's younger brother, Harlan. A military veteran back from two tours overseas, Harlan's PTSD and the fact that he had an affair with one of the victims, causes him to be in the spotlight. Maggie doesn't want to believe that her brother can be a serial killer, but she has to consider all of the evidence and facts. Will she be able to clear his name or is he hiding a secret so big Maggie can no longer protect him?

This was one of those instances where I was glad I gave a new author a chance. One of the things I look for when reading a mystery/thriller is to see whether or not I can figure out the killer. While reading this book I had a few suspects in mind. Over the course of the novel, I would discard one or two only to put them back on my suspect's list. I love when an author can make me do that. I don't want a mystery/thriller that's so easy to figure out it doesn't allow me to use my deduction skills. On the other hand, I don't like a mystery/thriller so difficult to figure out that the end result seems far-fetched. Darkness First was the perfect blend. I would highly recommend this novel to all mystery-lovers out there.


*An ecopy was available through Edelweiss per the publisher's permission in exchange for an honest review.