The Black Dahlia: Shattered Dreams by Brenda Haugen

While processing a stack of books I recently received for the library, I came across this title.  While I was familiar with the name "Black Dahlia" and the fact that it was a gruesome, unsolved mystery from the 1940's, I didn't know much else.  Unsolved mysteries have always fascinated me, so I decided to give it a read.

"The Black Dahlia" was a woman named Elizabeth "Betty" Short who she had moved to California in the hopes of becoming a famous actress and becomes the most famous murder victim of the 1940s.  The book details her young life in Massachusetts and then follows her to California to pursue her dreams.  Betty was popular with men at the clubs and earned herself the nickname of Black Dahlia soon after the movie The Blue Dahlia came out in 1946 because of her dark hair and the fact that she typically sported form-fitting black clothing.  She never seemed to have a job and was often secretive with those around her.

Betty's murder was very gruesome, causing even seasoned crime reporter, Aggie Underwood, to blanch at the sight of Betty's mutilated body.  Even though the police interviewed hundreds of people, no suspect was ever charged with her murder.  To this day, The Black Dahlia remains a cold case in the annals of the Los Angeles Police Department.

photo credit: AP.  

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/02/newser-black-dahlia/9865397/ 

#3 Shelter by Harlan Coben

I spent a long weekend this January in Phoenix, AZ.  I was there to attend a conference for work about what is new in YA literature.  I've been going to this conference annually since I started working as a librarian and I look forward to it every year.  The presenter is Patti Tjomsland and she is amazing!  I have actually travelled from PA to FL, VA, and now AZ to see her present!

My mom went with me and we made a girls' weekend out of it.  We spent some time hiking and just relaxing.  One of the places we went to was Tempe Marketplace, a beautiful open-air mall that had live music each night of the weekend.  We actually ended up at the Marketplace twice because the day we tried to go to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens there was a marathon and every road we tried to take was blocked for the race, so we gave up and headed to the Marketplace, simply because we knew we could get there!  We both grabbed a book to sit by one of the fantastic fireplaces situated throughout....

 



At several different junctures, Mom needed to get up and move around....while I sat glued to my seat to finish this story!  Mickey has witnessed his father's death and since his mom has been sent to rehab after spiraling down after her husband's death....and now Mickey is living with his Uncle Myron, much to his chagrin and dismay.  Right before school starts, Mickey goes to a meeting at his new school for all new students.  There he meets Ashley, who he quickly falls for.  They spend the next few weeks getting to know each other, until the day Ashley just disappears.  Being tired of losing so many people in his life, Mickey isn't about to let her go that quickly.  He goes to great lengths to find out what has happened to Ashley.  There are all kinds of twists and turns in this story that I didn't see coming.  There is a second book in this series, Seconds Away, and I can't wait to read it!!  Fortunately, my library has a copy of the second title.....but it is checked out, so it may be a while before I get the chance to read it.  But read it, I will!

Happy Reading!!!

#16--The Scrapbook Riddle by S.D. Brown

Jessica thinks her summer has been ruined!  Jess and her mom have traveled to the home of her Grandma (Gram) and Great-grandma (Grandma Charlotte) on the opposite side of the state--and there is no TV available, let alone cable, and she isn't allowed to call her best friend because of the long-distance charges!  How will she ever survive the summer without anyone to hang out with?

When they arrive, Gram is in the hospital and Grandma Charlotte is acting very confused and there is a strange man, Mr. Thomas, and his nephew, Josh, living on the third floor of the house.  The man is creepy and acting somewhat suspicious to Jessica's way of thinking, and his rude nephew isn't much better. 

Grandma Charlotte has a scrapbook that she looks at because it reminds her of her father, who died soon after the Crash of 1929.  He sent her a letter for her birthday that year with a riddle that she refers to as the riddle of the Liberty Lady and died before he could explain the clues in the poem.  Jess takes it upon herself to solve the riddle, in hopes that it will lead to the great treasure that has been rumored to be in the family for decades, but no one has ever found.  In the meantime, Jess befriends Josh and discovers that he isn't really Mr. Thomas's nephew--Mr. Thomas is blackmailing Josh into helping him swindle Jess's grandmothers.

Will Jess and Josh be able to find the treasure and prove that Mr. Thomas is up to no good?

This was another freebie on my kindle--and a very quick read.  It was good and I didn't guess everything by the end, but it was a somewhat stock mystery. 

Happy Reading!

#15--Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective by James DeSalvo

What do you get when you cross Strawberry Shortcake, Babes in Toyland, and a noir detective story?  Today's story, for sure.

The main character, Connie Cobbler, is a former TV star--she and four friends had a show called Connie Cobbler and the Pastry Pals.  When there was an accident on set and one of her friends and co-stars died, Connie left the world and fame behind forever....and became a private detective.  She takes on cases in her hometown, Toy Town.  Brenda Bombshell has come to Connie and asked her to find her lost dog, Foo-foo, who was wearing a very expensive diamond collar when he was dog-napped.  This case leads Connie on to an even bigger case--one where it looks like someone wants Connie out of the picture, for good!

I downloaded this story for free on my kindle.  It was a cute, fun story, but I don't think I would have paid for it.  It is available in paperback and it would be a cute addition to an elementary library.

Happy Reading!