Book Reviews by Gary Roen

Life
Keith Richards
Little Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group USA
www.HatchetteBookGroupUSA.com

I did not know too much of the behind the scenes of the Rolling Stones group until I read this book. It is amazing that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have for so long produced excellent rock n roll hits, and they are not really close friends. Richards depicts Jagger as a control freak and very competitive on who’s songs get on an album. I was amazed how candid Richards is about his constant drug use. Richards has also had an amazing life of situations that could have killed him. All I can say is someone is really looking out for this guy.



Batman Murder at Wayne Manor
Written By Duane Swierczynski Illustrated by David Lapham
Quirk Books
www.quirkbooks.com

This is another tale of Batman that has different clues throughout the book to help readers solve the crime that takes place in the story. The novel moves at a very fast pace to its final revealing ending. I had a lot of fun trying to solve the case.



Cross Fire
James Patterson
Little Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group USA
www.HatchetteBookGroupUSA.com

As Alex Cross plans to get married, he puts his plans on hold when he is called into a case. Also some past enemies return to taunt him and he has a fight with an FBI agent on whose jurisdiction the case falls under. As always, the pace is rapid with interesting characters and many conflicts for Cross to resolve. Patterson is at the top of the list of thriller writers.



Rockhound Science Mysteries 10th Anniversary Collection
Mark H Newhouse
Marknewhousebooks.com

For the first time books 1, 2, and 3 of the series are together in one collection. The nine stories are mysteries for kids that are designed to have them think and find the clues of the story that lead detective Rockhound to solve the case. The tales are enjoyable reading for adults as well, who can also take the tests to see if they can find the clues as. I would love to see more tales of detective Rockhound.




Dead Air
Mary Kennedy
Obsidian Mystery
www.penguin.com

This is the first of a series of novels about talk show host Maggie Walsh. She is a psychologist who begins a radio program on a South Florida radio station. She works also with the police department to solve cases that happen to people she becomes involved with. The story is a light hearted mystery that moves along at a steady pace with lots of interesting characters.



The Amazing Captain Tag Book # 3
Art & Story by Don and Lisa Eppersom II
Legacy Publishing Services Inc
www.LegacyBookPublishing.com

This is the third installment of the delightful series of Captain Tag. Like the other two books, it is a fun read that has an amusing lead character who gets into all kinds of situations



The Midnight Room
Ed Gorman
Leisure Books
www.dorchesterpub.com

Gorman is back with a terrific thriller that moves along to its final pages with great writing and fully developed characters. Gorman is one of the best writers around today



Heat Wave
Richard Castle
Hyperion Books
www.HypoerionBooks.com

This is the first of a series of novels about the hit TV series. The novel races along the same way as the show, and is a very enjoyable fast paced fun mystery.



The Tickle Tree
L. W. Lewis
Red Pumpkin Press
LWLEWISPOETRY.com

These are funny poems written for and about kids and their everyday lives. The writing is so good that not only children should read and enjoy them. Adults can have a great time too, laughing out loud at the entertaining perceptions the author has.



Poop Butt Booger & Snot Poem Jokes You Will Like a Lot
L. W. Lewis
Red Pumpkin Press
LWLEWISPOETRY.com

I have to admit I was not too enthusiastic about the title but inside like her “Tickle Tree” collection there are some wonderful poems for people of all ages to enjoy about a lot of simple subjects and yes, there are some that apply to the title so if the reader wants to pass on those that’s perfectly ok.