The Collector
by Mathias G. B. Colwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Phillip was born into the Guild, and for the past twenty-five years he has been a Collector. It is his job to keep everyone on earth safe from the creatures they don't even know exist. The Collector is set in the old-world, the image of the 1800's comes to mind, at a time when the creatures of myths: vampires, werewolves, fairies, trolls and such are true. Most of the world has no idea, but the Guild has existed to keep the creatures that start causing problems in the human world in line. Phillip and his partner James are just about to leave New York for England with a load of prisoners, when a high ranking Guild member sends Phillip on a collection, alone. Something doesn't feel right, and it only gt worse from there. Phillip finds that things are not ass they seem, and someone is trying to start another Great Transformation. He must team up with an unlikely source to hunt done the person and put a stop to it before the world is thrown into turmoil. Mathias G. B. Colwell does a wonderful job of combining adventure, mystery and fantasy into a wonderful tale.
From the title alone, The Collector sounds to be a dark mystery, but in reality it is a much more friendly and enjoyable story. Phillip is a Collector, it's a job, to collect those who are harming society. At the same time, Phillip has some struggles with his job, he is starting to wonder if it is all for the best. He struggles with coming to terms with the mission of the Guild and what it has become, and what he wants to really be. Mathias G. B. Colwell takes the fantasy of the creatures, adds them to old world society, throws in a mystery and some soul-searching and comes up with a wonderful little book that would appeal to all ages and genders.
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Room of Fire
by Jenn Rekka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Room of Fire starts off gentle enough at an East Coast University with a Professor, Carlos Sheldon and his Assistant Laura Gates going through the mail, and even though there is interesting mail, some plates and a cryptic message that ends up sending them to Europe, it all seems so pleasurable and relaxing. A gentlemen of the county, Duke to some, Gustav to others wants to sell off his antiques before his scoundrel of a nephew inherites the manor, what better place to acquire items for the University. There are just some items that the Duke will only let a few in on that exist. Luckily our Professor Sheldon and Laura are among those, and what he has hidden is family crypt could blow the art world away.
After acquiring the pieces they were after for the University, Laura and Prof Sheldon get permission from the University to stay and investigate the secret the Duke has told them about. This is where it get's a bit dicey, they are not the only ones looking into, but probably the only ones that are doing it legally.
Laura and Carlos will travel all over Europe following leads, sometimes in front of the bad guys and sometimes behind them. When it comes to bad guys, you have the bad,bad guys and the good, bad guys and yet which are which and are they working together or who are they all working for in the first place.
Mystery, intrigue, sabotage and kidnapping along with out and out theft all come into play as they volley for the same limited pieces for different reasons. Toss in an attractive good guy and a handsome bad boy and you have even more to struggle with. It is a dynamic read, and took me the morning of a snow day to read it, it was just interesting and I didn't want to put it down. There is also some history and antiques information slightly sprinkled in there that is neat too.
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The Whitechapel Secret: Who Was Jack the Ripper?
by Martin Loughlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Who really was Jack the Ripper? Even after 125 years theories abound but no one really knows.
This novel takes a new perspective on the Ripper slayings, leading the reader on a scavanger hunt to find clues left by someone who was there at the time of the killings, some information that will finally reveal who Jack the Ripper was.
The story starts in the modern day, Ian is a freelance writer and he also gives guided walking tours of famous Jack the Ripper locations. Some have even said that he is the best of the Ripper tor guides. This night should have been like any other, but one lady on the tour is determined to talk to Ian. Ruth Walker has a interesting family history that has been passed down for generations. She truly believes that her ancestor knew who Jack the Ripper was, and left clues to solve the mystery.
Ian listens to her tale, and although it would be wonderful if it was true, he just isn't sure. At the train station on his way home, he is stabbed and almost killed. After talking to the police and getting stitches he arrives home only to find a message on his machine from Ruth's daughter. It seems Ruth had been killed by a hit and run driver earlier in the evening
Well, the death of Ruth and the attempt on Ian's life is just too much to be chance, so Ian and Ruth's daughter Lindsey set out to find and follow the clues, all across Europe.
This story gives a whole new perspective on Jack the Ripper and is filled with travel and adventure. I found it was so easy and quick to read because it made for a compelling story. No matter how many stories about Jack the Ripper you have read, you must read this one.
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