Official Review: Something Stinks in Deep Cove

[NanoWasabi]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Something Stinks in Deep Cove" by Grant Reed.]

---

Share This Review

---

If there’s only one word that can describe “Something Stinks in Deep Cove”, it’s “weird”. The book has combined covered wagons with television, robots with free will, and dragons with lawyer school. Published in March of 2014 and written by Grant Reed as a sequel to “Welcome to Deep Cove”, this book has enough humour to make you chuckle, and enough suspense to get you through to the end.

Merle the dragon, P. C. the robot (called a “golem”), and Garret the, uh, human, live in Deep Cove together. With Merle attending an expensive lawyer school, the monthly payments are getting hard to meet, and Garret is getting a little stressed. So when the opportunity to go hunting with his old friend Willie presents itself, Garret jumps at it. But trouble strikes almost as soon as Garret leaves, when P. C. is arrested for murder! Now Merle must keep his wits about himself as he defends his golem in court.

This book has an amazing story, and colourful characters, but my favourite part is the humour. Even when things are looking dark, there’s always going to be something to make you laugh. Two of my favourite characters are Johnny I. Q. and the golem Stoneman, the famous gladiator team. They’re just so annoying, it’s hard not to like them. And when we get a look at Garret’s hunting trip, the more serious mood is a welcome change. The courtroom drama is also well played, with just enough clues for us to believe Merle, yet at the same time leave the judge sceptical.

As with any book, there were a few problems. One thing that I didn’t like about it was the maturity that it tried to keep. It seems like most of the drinking and swearing jokes were too forced, and too far apart to be funny. I think that the book would have been better to stay in a kid friendly zone, or at least not force itself to be an adult book. Another problem I had was with the ending. It wasn’t an unsatisfying ending, like some books throw at you, but in my opinion it was entirely too cheesy. It seemed on par with a “Nancy Drew,” or “Hardy Boys” ending.

Overall, “Something Stinks in Deep Cove” was a delight to read; I would rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I liked the mystery and humour, and the somewhat darker atmosphere that gave me a break from the less serious parts. The annoyances that I had are underwhelming compared with the good parts. I highly recommend this book, you won’t regret reading it.

***
Buy "Something Stinks in Deep Cove" on Amazon
Buy "Something Stinks in Deep Cove" on Barnes and Noble

-- 28 Aug 2014, 19:05 --

Please reply with criticism. Any advice is welcome!