Old Schoolhouse Road by Sarah Vail an enthralling who dun it

Old Schoolhouse Road by Sarah Vail is an enthralling who dun it set in small-town America. Vail’s protagonist, Tim McAndrews is part of a new profiling unit sent to investigate a school shooting. He picks up on clues others overlook that point to an older suspect with military or law enforcement experience. His insights hit the mark, but what he and his team discover carries them into the world of abuse, illicit drug use, and a sinister motive for murder.

Vail’s writing, storytelling skills, and attention to detail are remarkable. She offers a perfect cast of stimulating characters with protagonist Tim McAndrews at the center. He’s a good-looking, smart, capable agent with a law background. The school shooting is his first case, and as part of the FBI’s profiling team, McAndrews spearheads the story. He navigates the evidence while fighting the emotional aspect of innocent lives taken in this horrific way. Local law enforcement proves to be allies, but a self-important Politian nosing his way into the case to help pass his gun control legislation and a brash reporter trying to position herself to get the story first add challenges to the mix. On top of that, amid the throes of crime-solving riddled with danger, McAndrew's female partner harbors some personal hangups against him. The closer he gets to the truth, the more the lives of his team are at risk.

 

I liked everything about this book, and I recommend it highly to those who enjoy murder mysteries riddled with suspense, compelling characters, and plenty of action. Vail’s writing hooked me within the first three pages and never let me go. She is skilled at dropping clever clues for the reader to follow that generate suspicions and theories; sometimes misleading, but always relevant. I happily give it five stars, and if the scale went higher, I’d give it more. This review is posted in collaboration with BookTasters.

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The Thorning Ceremony by Andrew Einspruch - 5 stars

I was first introduced to the Western Lands and All That Really Matters in Andrew Einspruch’s The Purple Haze. Since then, I’ve read three books in the series and am eagerly waiting for book four to drop. This fantasy series is deliciously humorous, intriguing, and unique. As I wait, I learned of a prequel to the series titled The Thorning Ceremony and decided it might be a great way to pass the time as I await Einspruch’s next book.

 

The thing is, I’m not often a fan of prequels. I think it’s the result of  the Star Wars prequels I found so disappointing. But I figured I’d give it a try to whet my imagination with the goings-on of the Western Lands and All That Really Matters. In this case, I was not disappointed. I found the book entertaining, funny, and engaging. The backstory is relevant to the overall story and answers questions as to why the twin princesses, Eloise Hydra Gumball III and her sister Johanna Umgotteswillen Gumball, are at odds as the series begins in book 1, The Purple Haze.

 

Purple Haze New Cover Reveal

 

Einspruch is gifted at painting a fantastical world with quirky characters, unusual customs, unique challenges for the characters, and plenty of humor. The plot grabbed my attention right at the start and pulled me along to see what would happen next. In this book, the royal fourteen-year-old fraternal twins are faced with a barbaric coming-of-age rite that determines who is worthy to succeed the queen. As the princesses train for this horrific rite they learn about the required types of thorns, their side effects, and how to pierce themselves. It requires a strategy and the event is timed. 

 

While this sounds dreadful, and it should, Einspruch mixes in humor that brings a smile, while you cringe. It gives enough detail but isn't gory. The training and the rite are riddled with rules like no talking at all. For 14-year-old girls. This adds all kinds of wit. On top of this, the princesses are placed in seclusion from the rest of the castle, separated from all that they own as well as their privilege and positions. They sit under the tutelage of the Thorning Master, a strict, ancient-looking woman with all kinds of piercings. Instead of their royal attire, they are dressed in servant’s clothing and required to engage in all kinds of menial tasks. And all this with no talking. All these quirky elements make for an interesting story.

 

While the girls are twins, they differ in many ways. The Thorning Ceremony opens the door for the younger of the twins to perhaps become queen. The question remains, can the squeamish first-born, Eloise, press past her squeamishness. Can she pass the test or is this Johanna’s chance to take the throne in the future?

 

This stand-alone prequel is worth the read. While it makes me hungrier for the next book in the series to come out, it certainly proved to be a delicious appetizer. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy clean fantasy and are looking for an escape that offers a break from the tensions of everyday life as well as a good laugh.

 

As Book Hookup, I am a longtime book reviewer and content provider. I received this book as a free review copy from the author and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. I’m happy to give it 5 stars.

 

Other books in the series:

 

The Star of Whatever (#2)

The Lightbearer (#3)

 

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The Kaligen Experiment: Genesis - A step up from Jurassic Park

Captivating read written by Grady P. Brown. The main character, Dr. Edgar Crews, is a high-functioning autistic genius who figures out how to create dinosaurs. He doesn't just clone them but awakens dormant recessive genes and combines them with prehistoric DNA. It stimulates the growth, development, and permanence of recessive genes. The Kaligen Experiment takes place in a man-made ecosystem on a terraformed island away from humanity other than the handful of specialists selected to monitor and chronicle the experiment for ten years.

 

The Kaligen Experiment: Genesis

 

It is difficult to explain why I enjoyed this book without spoilers. The island’s mutating environment, the dinosaurs' ability to adapt and evolve create the perfect foundation for this riveting story. In a nutshell, the humans learn they aren’t in control of anything. New breeds of intelligent dinosaurs mutate, religious zealots decide to destroy the island, and a handful of survivors fight to live long enough to get rescued. This is an action-packed thriller that offers enough scientific realism to make it believable.

While I think the book could use a final edit and a little more world-building and fleshing out of characters, I do recommend it to people who enjoy dinosaur-themed sci-fi. In that regard, I’d say it is a step-up from Jurassic Park and give it a solid 4-stars.

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Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible - 4 stars

When I started reading Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace, it was with my carpool group. Reading a book out loud on our daily drive offered a chance to not only read but discuss what we read. We found the book interesting and the premise different than others on the topic. As a cold-case homicide investigator, the author brought his investigative expertise to the subject of Jesus and why he still matters even to a world that rejects the Bible. He approached it like he would a cold case.

 

Covid put a crimp in carpooling reading group. Due to lockdowns and social distancing, we set the book aside. We thought we’d be back in the car within a couple of weeks, but those weeks turned into months and years. It sat, but I still pondered the findings offered by the author, that even without the New Testament, evidence that Jesus matters in a world that rejects the Bible still exists all over the place. I finally picked up the book and finished reading it on my own. I was not disappointed.

 

Wallace interlaced how he and his partner solved a cold case using innovative procedures and then applied them to the case for Jesus and whether or not he matters. To his surprise, Wallace uncovered evidence everywhere he looked that Jesus does matter. Our calendars, literature, the arts, songs and music, education, exploration, science, and more provided a wealth of evidence. Wallace reveals this wealth of evidence and shares how it transformed his thinking from atheist to believer.

 

 

This book held my interest with the unfolding of the cold case as it evolved from a missing person to suspected murder. The author applied the same techniques to Jesus and unpacked substantial evidence of how much Jesus influenced this world and what the evidence reveals about him. The book is also loaded with visual illustrations that hammer home the findings. I’d recommend this book to people who enjoy history, those who think Jesus was a good teacher, prophet, or something along those lines, people interested in religion, and even people who believe Jesus is the Son of God. This book offers something for everyone.

 

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