Book Review: Missing Since Monday by Ann M. Martin

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Missing Since Monday by Ann M. Martin follows Maggie and her older brother when their father and stepmother leave on a long-delayed honeymoon, trusting the siblings to care for their four-year-old half sister, Courtenay. When Courtenay fails to come home from daycare one Monday afternoon, Maggie and her brother are thrust into a frightening mystery. With no adults around to help, they must piece together what happened and find a way to alert their parents before it’s too late. This standalone novel for readers ages eight to twelve was one I completely missed as a kid, but as an adult and a longtime fan of Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club  series, I couldn’t resist picking it up. The first chapter or two felt a bit choppy to me at first, but once the story found its footing, everything began to come together nicely . Because this is a short children’s book, the characters aren’t deeply developed, which is to be expected. That said, Martin does an excellent job conveying Maggie’...
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Book Review: Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine

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book review exile texas rachel caine
Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine was originally published in 1993 under her real name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.  Megan Leary, a private investigator, returns to her home where everyone thinks she got away with the murder of her mother.  When transplant Deputy Dan Fox pulls her over for speeding, he's not sure what to think about her and is on a mission to learn more about her while he's tasked to protect her from the locals.

When I received an email from BookBub.com telling me that Exile, Texas was on sale for $4.99, I knew I had to purchase the book as I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine and her Stillhouse Lake series, but I hadn't read any of her other works.  Based on her writing of the the aforementioned book series, I felt certain that this novel would be exceptionally written.  I was not disappointed in the least.

The storyline was poignant and intriguing.  A page turner to be sure.  I never knew which characters I could trust, and I kept thinking that the narrator had to be unreliable.  There were red herrings galore, and when it was all said and done, I was blown away by the big reveal.  I never saw it coming.  Rachel Caine weaved a fantastic tale that left me wanting more, so much so that I would've loved if the author had made this into a series.  It would make an amazing movie in my opinion.

Honestly, I couldn't say one negative thing about Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine and that is why I gave it five out of five stars.  I look forward to reading all of her other novels.  She was such a talented writer and was taken from the earth way too soon.
 

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