Book Review: Suspect by Kristin Wolden Nitz

Jen is asked to spend the summer helping out at her grandmother Kay's bed and breakfast, and finds out Kay suspects Jen’s mother didn’t disappear but was murdered. Kay uses her annual mystery dinner theatre weekend to try to get to the bottom of the case.

This is a short, satisfying teen mystery that would definitely be classified in the cozy genre.  Although the focus is possible murder of the main character’s mother, there is nothing disturbing or overly emotional about the novel.  The tone is light for the most part as the various characters converge at the bed and breakfast – all of them ready for a fun weekend of play-acting, most not realizing there could be a killer in their midst.

Though my favorite part was probably the setting, I also really enjoyed the relationship between Jen and her “uncousin” Mark.  Ok, so it might have been because it got me thinking about George Michael and Maeby’s “forbidden cousin love” on Arrested Development (one of my favorite series ever!) and I couldn’t help suspecting it might the author paying homage.

This line was always going through my head whenever I read the word “uncousin”:

"It was a love between two cousins that the world thought was wrong, but it was the world that was wrong..." (from the fictitious movie Les Cousins Dangereux (a.k.a Dangerous Cousins) that George Michael sneaks into with Maeby on an episode of Arrested Development)

If you’re looking for breezy mystery with an engaging setting and characters, then SUSPECT might just do the trick.

SUSPECT is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the publisher's website.

Book Review: Out of the Blue by S.L. Rottman

Stu’s mother is a Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force and he moves with her to Minot, North Dakota when she takes over the position of base commander there.

OUT OF THE BLUE paints a picture of both the sacrifices military personnel and their dependents have to make in the service of their country, and by focusing mainly on the disadvantages of the military life, it comes off as a bit unbalanced in the critical direction in my opinion. Now obviously, Minot is NOT the best assignment. Stu’s family was assigned there once before and his parents often joked that the only two good things they took away from Minot were Stu and his brother. (My parents might have made the same joke, since both I and my brother were born there as well.) And a teen most definitely has nothing to cheer about when his family is sent to the middle of nowhere – I get it.

But aside from a scene at a dining out where we see some military camaraderie and a scene at an air show where Stu picks up some free swag (including a t-shirt), most of the story would probably make you want to stay as far away from the military as possible.

Not that this critical focus makes it any less enjoyable from a pure story arc perspective. Stu has to come to terms with his absentee parents while at the same time keeping an eye out for 9 year old neighbor Billy who may be a victim of child abuse.

The novel also explores or touches on the following topics:

- Military personnel are held responsible for the behavior of their dependents and a dependant’s bad behavior can even end a career.

- It is often frowned upon for children of officers to fraternize with children of enlisted personnel.

- Married people who both serve may not always be stationed together – the needs of the military come before the needs of families.

Overall, a very insightful look at the life of a military dependent. OUT OF THE BLUE is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author's website.