Skip to main content

When the ending doesn't work...

This afternoon I finished a book by one of my favorite authors, but I cringed.  The ending didn't work!  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

A while back, Ann Gabhart published the first book in her Hidden Springs Mystery series, Murder at the Courthouse.  I enjoyed her foray into writing a mystery.  The second book in the series was published, Murder Comes by Mail, was again a fun read!  So, I looked forward to the third book in this series when I discovered it was set to come out this spring!  Murder No Accident followed right along with the main character, Michael.

As the deputy sheriff in Hidden Springs, Michael has a pretty calm life--except the occasional murder.  There is his Aunt Lindy, the matriarch of the town, and the lawyer next door who is the grandfather of the girls he's loved since he was a kid.  The book can be read alone, but you get to
know the characters over the course of the trilogy.

In this third book, Murder No Accident, of course there is a murder that Michael must solve.  At first, he wants to believe it is an accident, but as the story goes on Michael realize that it wasn't an accident.  The story moves slowly and only picks up the pace at the very end.

But, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two.  I recommend the first two heartily! They are fun to read.  My enjoyment of this book, though, was diminished by the ending.  The way I read the ending someone was guilty and the response of the characters didn't make sense to me.  Then, the very, very ending of the book seemed out of character for it.  It sounded like Ms. Gabhart's other books, but not this one.  Her writing style has been different in these mysteries and I have enjoyed it.
I was so puzzled by these two things.  The climax and ending of a book can make or break it, in my opinion.  In this case, the book wasn't the same for me after I had finished the ending.

If you're looking for a fun, pretty wholesome mystery that isn't very graphic, I'd highly recommend this series!  But, I'd also recommend sticking with the first two books of the series and not the third.

Please note that I received a copy of this book for review from Revell books, but these opinions are very much my own and how I felt after reading the book!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ESV, NIV, or NASB and then there's the ICB, ESV or NIrV...which should we read?

I am so thankful for my friend's question about the ESV vs. NASB and NIV. I couldn't remember the difference so I went to look it up. I knew that John Piper and Tim Keller, both pastors and authors that I deeply respect have switched over to the ESV. All of the churches that we have attended over the past few years PCA or Reformed Baptist have also switched to the ESV. I did find a blog that explained the differences and that helped me ( http://thefoolishgalatian.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/niv-vs-esv-and-why-piper-switched/ ) I knew why I didn't like the KJV--it was written in the days when writers were paid by a patron and that often slanted the translation. The NKJV, from what I understand, is a revision of the KJV that uses more modern language. Most churches I have attended used the NIV until the ESV came out. The blog I found explained that the ESV is a more literal translation---like the NASB. The NASB is a very literal translation. The ESV has come to be consid...
Post a Comment
Read more

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story.  My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard.  Am I questioning too much?  Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way.  But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them.   Recently, I read a book that troubled me.  The book I finished reading was  Guiltless Living  by Ginger Hubbard.  When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...
Post a Comment
Read more

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...
1 comment
Read more