Review of Mysteries you can't put down
Posted: 29 Nov 2021, 06:14
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mysteries you can't put down" by Brad Bennett.]
Mysteries you can't put down by Brad Bennett is a delightful collection of eight short stories. A dead body of the head of the UnDead Movie Studios was found in the locked hotel room. Canadian police must identify the killer very quickly. None other than Howard Hughes himself, with the help of an old hotel employee, "provides the key" to the mysterious room 802. A married couple of winemakers finds an unusual way to enrich a bouquet of their Chardonnay. A gifted composer takes his own life after a performance of a musical masterpiece. Thus, a social worker must solve a long-time family mystery to help the rest of the family reunite.
An aircraft with Will and Jean McLain on board loses its engine over Alaska after hitting a bird. Will must land it as safely as possible to see his little daughter, Darlene, again. So he desperately asks for help. Two golf players fight for their lives and a large sum of money after making a bet with an eccentric millionaire. A lowly clerk of a big company gets haunted by a mysterious headdress. A teenage boy named Tommy is obliged to spend summer with an elderly aunt near Portland, Oregon. Soon it turns out that they are not alone in Aunt Mattie's antique Victorian mansion. A group of scientists gets a message from the most distant part of the universe. Their immediate task is to solve an ethical dilemma and to understand the meaning of the message.
Among my favorite aspects of the book is that the collection touches on a variety of topics and is written in many genres - from classic crime drama to science fiction. Also, it is worth mentioning the accuracy of the book's title, for I could not put it down. I loved a touch of dark humor in "Uri’s Full Bodied Wine." It lightened up otherwise quite a gloomy story. Unpredictability was another aspect of the book which I appreciated very much. For instance, "A killing on the 16th Tee" has a very twisted ending. In this short story, the author gives us a deep insight into the most hidden corners of human nature, making it even more intriguing. I love that "The Boy in the Attic" urges us to be kinder to people with special needs. Also, the characters of the stories are simply brilliant. For example, a highly likable Chief Inspector Edwin Steelside from "The Secret of the Undead Room" would do everything to help an innocent person and find an actual killer. Nathan Whitesides, a scientist from "The Message," leaves unforgettable impressions with his non-standard views on the universe and our place in it.
There wasn't anything to dislike about this book. I would be happy to award the book with the full rating, but I spotted more than ten minor editorial issues like misplaced commas, missing full stops, or quotation marks. Thus, I gave this book only 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn't reduce the rating even more because of the solid and well-researched background behind every short story. The author speaks about winemaking, golf, or even space-time theories in detail, enriching the narrative.
I highly recommend this book to all fans of classic detective fiction, for the first story is an excellent "locked-room mystery." The second story, narrated mostly from the criminals' point of view, would not leave them disappointed as well. Lovers and explorers of the supernatural would appreciate the stories named "Flight to Fairbanks," "A Command Performance," and "The Boy in the Attic." Readers preferring psychological prose would enjoy "The Last Requiem" and "A killing on the 16th Tee." Finally, "The Message" would appeal to fans of the sci-fi genre.
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Mysteries you can't put down
View: on Bookshelves
Mysteries you can't put down by Brad Bennett is a delightful collection of eight short stories. A dead body of the head of the UnDead Movie Studios was found in the locked hotel room. Canadian police must identify the killer very quickly. None other than Howard Hughes himself, with the help of an old hotel employee, "provides the key" to the mysterious room 802. A married couple of winemakers finds an unusual way to enrich a bouquet of their Chardonnay. A gifted composer takes his own life after a performance of a musical masterpiece. Thus, a social worker must solve a long-time family mystery to help the rest of the family reunite.
An aircraft with Will and Jean McLain on board loses its engine over Alaska after hitting a bird. Will must land it as safely as possible to see his little daughter, Darlene, again. So he desperately asks for help. Two golf players fight for their lives and a large sum of money after making a bet with an eccentric millionaire. A lowly clerk of a big company gets haunted by a mysterious headdress. A teenage boy named Tommy is obliged to spend summer with an elderly aunt near Portland, Oregon. Soon it turns out that they are not alone in Aunt Mattie's antique Victorian mansion. A group of scientists gets a message from the most distant part of the universe. Their immediate task is to solve an ethical dilemma and to understand the meaning of the message.
Among my favorite aspects of the book is that the collection touches on a variety of topics and is written in many genres - from classic crime drama to science fiction. Also, it is worth mentioning the accuracy of the book's title, for I could not put it down. I loved a touch of dark humor in "Uri’s Full Bodied Wine." It lightened up otherwise quite a gloomy story. Unpredictability was another aspect of the book which I appreciated very much. For instance, "A killing on the 16th Tee" has a very twisted ending. In this short story, the author gives us a deep insight into the most hidden corners of human nature, making it even more intriguing. I love that "The Boy in the Attic" urges us to be kinder to people with special needs. Also, the characters of the stories are simply brilliant. For example, a highly likable Chief Inspector Edwin Steelside from "The Secret of the Undead Room" would do everything to help an innocent person and find an actual killer. Nathan Whitesides, a scientist from "The Message," leaves unforgettable impressions with his non-standard views on the universe and our place in it.
There wasn't anything to dislike about this book. I would be happy to award the book with the full rating, but I spotted more than ten minor editorial issues like misplaced commas, missing full stops, or quotation marks. Thus, I gave this book only 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn't reduce the rating even more because of the solid and well-researched background behind every short story. The author speaks about winemaking, golf, or even space-time theories in detail, enriching the narrative.
I highly recommend this book to all fans of classic detective fiction, for the first story is an excellent "locked-room mystery." The second story, narrated mostly from the criminals' point of view, would not leave them disappointed as well. Lovers and explorers of the supernatural would appreciate the stories named "Flight to Fairbanks," "A Command Performance," and "The Boy in the Attic." Readers preferring psychological prose would enjoy "The Last Requiem" and "A killing on the 16th Tee." Finally, "The Message" would appeal to fans of the sci-fi genre.
******
Mysteries you can't put down
View: on Bookshelves
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