BOOK REVIEW: GOING ROGUE BY ROBIN BENWAY

Title: Going Rogue

Author: Robin Benway

Genre: Young Adult, mystery

Published on: January 14, 2014 by Walker Childrens

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver.

Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux.

Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo.

Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

But when Maggie's parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names.

Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her "new team" flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

A new mission begins in Going Rogue. This is the sequel to Also Known As, and takes place a short time afterward. The main character is Maggie Silver, 16-year-old self-proclaimed international spy. She lives with her parents, who are also spies. In the previous book, Maggie handled her first-ever solo mission. It involved blending in at a private high school to get close to a certain student, Jesse Oliver. He and Maggie ended up falling for each other. Maggie also found a best friend in Roux, Jesse’s bubbly childhood friend. Maggie revealed her secret to both of them, and they proved instrumental in solving her case.

Maggie had thought completing the mission meant her family would be relocated to handle a new one. To her delight, the Collective (their secret spy organization) allowed the Silvers to stay in Manhattan. They recognized that the recent mission took a toll on them. The Silvers are now on a sort of break. Maggie is still attending the private school with Roux and Jesse. The latter’s relationship with Maggie is going really well. Maggie’s eager to meet Jesse’s mother for the first time. She isn’t around much because she left Jesse’s father a while ago. Ms. Oliver isn’t the kind of mom who abandons their kid, though; she wants to be in Jesse’s life more often.

BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF BONES BY CASSANDRA CLARE

Title: City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Published on: May 27, 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air.

It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk.

Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...

It’s 2021, and I’m barely getting started with this series. I’ve seen the movie and the Shadowhunters TV show, so I’m no stranger to the Shadow World. City of Bones turned out to be more different than I expected, though. I knew they cut stuff for the show, as they inevitably do in live-action adaptations. It's just that I didn't think they would remove as many elements from the book as they did. This makes me feel that the show will seem quite rushed if I watch it again.

For the uninitiated, the protagonist is Clarissa “Clary” Fray. She’s a fifteen-year-old redheaded girl from Brooklyn. Clary lives in an apartment with her mother, Jocelyn. We meet Clary when she visits a club, Pandemonium, with her best friend Simon Lewis. He’s your chess club type of geek and member of a yet-unnamed band. Simon normally doesn’t do clubs, but he puts up because of Clary. It’s apparent from the start how much they mean to each other. Soon, it starts to become obvious Simon has romantic feelings for Clary. She is totally oblivious to this.

BOOK REVIEW: NYPD RED 2 BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MARSHALL KARP

Title: NYPD Red 2

Author: James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: March 24, 2014 by Little, Brown and Company

NYPD Red's finest detectives are about to investigate a brutal crime scene in Central Park . . . but even their training can't prepare them for the biggest case of their careers.

When NYPD Red arrives at a crime scene, everyone takes notice. Known as the protectors of the rich, famous, and connected, NYPD Red is the elite task force called in only for New York City's most high-profile crimes. And Detective Zach Jordan is the best of the best, a brilliant and relentless pursuer of justice. He puts professionalism above all, ignoring his feelings for his partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald, the woman who broke his heart when they first met in the academy.

 

But even with their top-notch training, Zach and Kylie aren't prepared for what they see when they're called to a crime scene in the heart of Central Park. They arrive to find a carousel spinning round and round, its painted horses grinning eerily in the early morning dark. There is only one rider: a brutally slaughtered woman, her body tied up and dressed in a Hazmat suit, on display for the world to see.

 

The victim, a woman of vast wealth and even greater connections, is the fourth in a string of shocking murders that have hit the city. As the public pressure mounts, and political and personal secrets of the highest order hang in the balance, Zach and Kylie must find out what's really behind the murderer's rampage. But Kylie has been acting strange recently-and Zach knows whatever she's hiding could threaten the biggest case of their careers.

NYPD Red 2 is the next outstanding novel in James Patterson's newest series, a thriller that careens through New York City and deep into the psyche of a depraved killer you've never seen before.

Detective partners Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald return in this sequel to NYPD Red. They’re part of a special unit that focuses on big cases involving the city's elite citizens. A few weeks have passed since the first book ended. The status quo changed a little bit since then. Kylie had been assigned as Zach’s partner when his previous one went on leave. After playing a big part in stopping The Chameleon, Kylie’s position became permanent.

A new serial killer has the city of New York on high alarm. The media is dubbing him the Hazmat Killer. He earned this silly name because he leaves his victims dressed in what resembles Hazmat suits. Hazmat also releases videos of the victims where they confess to a crime they got away with. The latest victim is Evelyn Parker-Steele, a wealthy and prominent woman. She was the campaign manager for a candidate who’s challenging the current mayor, Stan Spellman. The competition is heated, so Parker-Steele's murder does not help Spellman’s side.

BOOK REVIEW: BOUNDARY BROKEN BY MELISSA F. OLSON

Title: Boundary Broken

Author: Melissa F. Olson

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published on: March 19, 2019 by 47North

Years ago, boundary witch Allison “Lex” Luther made a promise to an alpha werewolf. Now, just when the supernatural community in Colorado is enjoying a period of hard-won peace, the alpha turns up at Lex’s door to call in his marker. Two of his pack members have disappeared in the Colorado sand dunes, and he needs safe passage to hunt for them.

With her friend Simon Pellar along for backup, Lex ventures into the dunes to search for the missing couple…but what they find is only the opening move in an ambitious assault against those who hold power in the Colorado Old World. An old enemy has returned to tear their peace apart, and Lex is soon embroiled in politics she doesn’t understand, from a time before she had magic.

To save her friends and her way of life, Lex will have to cross every line she’s drawn since learning what she is—and it may still be too late.

After taking a break from the series, Melissa F. Olson is back with the latest Boundary Magic novel. This book takes place a while after the events of Boundary Born. The Old World has enjoyed a good period of peace. Things have been so calm that the protagonist, boundary witch Lex Luther, is chomping at the bit. Maven (her boss and the cardinal vampire of Colorado) hasn’t had any big assignments for Lex in a while. Lex is eager to do something a little more exciting than running errands. Little does she know, she’s about to find out how real the proverb “be careful what you wish for” is.

An unexpected visitor comes calling at Lex’s house. He’s Ryan Dunn, the alpha of the Cheyenne werewolf pack. Lex owes him an old favor, and he’s come to collect. Ryan wants Lex and Quinn (a vampire enforcer and Lex’s boyfriend), as Maven’s representatives, to escort him to the Dunes. A couple of his wolves went missing there. When Lex calls Maven to let her know, the latter only gives the go-ahead because of the owed favor. The operation needs to be done in secrecy, though. At least that isn't out of Lex's and Quinn's experience.

BOOK REVIEW: SHE CAN SCREAM BY MELINDA LEIGH

Title: She Can Scream
Author: Melinda Leigh
Genre: Romantic suspense, mystery

Published on: September 17, 2013 by Montlake Romance

Winner of the 2014 Golden Leaf Award

In one moment, high school teacher and single mother Brooke Davenport interrupts a vicious assault, saves a young woman’s life, and attracts the attention of a serial killer.

Sixteen years ago, Brooke lost her roommate to a brutal murder. Now she teaches women’s self-defense, still trying to heal from the guilt and grief that plague her. Convinced the predator knows his victims and is stalking his prey online, she is determined to find him before he strikes again. Her brother’s friend, Luke has the computer expertise to help. But Brooke’s unexpected desire for Luke complicates her investigation, and her fixation with the case provokes a deadly reaction from the killer.

Injured in terrorist bombing overseas, computer expert Luke Holloway is still haunted by flashbacks of his young assistant’s death in the explosion. But Luke can’t refuse the request of a deployed friend to look after his sister, Brooke. Taking on responsibility for Brooke’s safety threatens Luke’s tenuous recovery, especially after he develops feelings for her that transcend a promise to a friend. When Brooke saves a young girl from a brutal assault and becomes a killer’s obsession, Luke vows to protect her at all costs.

The She Can series gets a bit of a refresh with She Can Scream. It takes place in Westbury, just like the previous two books. The characters are new this time, though. This novel first introduces Brooke Davenport, the protagonist. She’s a high school teacher who gives self-defense classes for young women in her spare time. Brooke is running late with a class when the book starts. When she prepares to head home, Brooke hears a scream. There’s only one, so most people would just dismiss it. Not Brooke. She’s a very safety-conscious woman, and decides to investigate with the help of the building’s janitor.

Brooke’s decision proves to be pivotal. She manages to thwart a kidnapping attempt. The community center where she teaches self-defense is bordered by woods at the back. A man almost took a teenage girl with him. The girl, Maddie, is hurt but otherwise all right, and gets sent to the hospital. When Wade, Brooke’s older brother, hears about what happened, it worries him deeply. Wade is about to be deployed by the army. He’s concerned about leaving Brooke alone. This compels him to ask his best friend, Luke Holloway, to look after Brooke.