Drabble Geeks

Geeks…Being Total Geeks.

Tag: mystery

How Does It Hold Up: Nancy Drew

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One of my goals in life is the read the entirety of the Nancy Drew series. All 175 books. Why was this a goal in my life? I have no clue. Anyway, I have finally got to the end of my library’s catalog of Nancy Drew books, I figure now is a better time than any. To start, the original books were initially published in 1930. That becomes super important as you continue with these books. Payphones. What are those? Strange words that you look up that end up being considered slurs now? It’s just the time.

That stuff out of the way, I’ve been enjoying myself reading the books. Some times I’m flipping through past chapters trying to figure out if there was something I missed. Others, I pretty confident in who the criminal is from the first couple of chapters, but unsure as to how we are going to get our evidence. Whelp, no need to hard proof when everyone confesses, so I guess we can move on. One the the things that got me every time was Nancy not calling someone to tell her where she was going. Excuse me, shouldn’t you be calling your dad? Oh, there’s literally no phone around. Could you leave a message, at least? Oh, no answering machines. The only thing that made this better was that after the initial publications, I once read, that they turned Nancy into an eighteen year old instead of the thirteen year old she was originally published as. I think I would have more problems had she not been a legal adult. Also, the boyfriend plot lines would have been even more awkward. Yes, that becomes an entire thing, but at least boyfriends are just the help and not the main sleuth.

Unfortunately, I have yet to read of the books, and I still feel the need to questions all of these characters questionable life choices while trying to figure out the criminal before anyone else. (I mean, what else am I supposed to do.) If anyone can find me more sources to find the books, I would be eternally gratefully. It shouldn’t be this hard to get my children’s mystery fix.

Just Off the Railroad Tracks

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If you can, people-watching while riding along the train can be fun. Honestly, half the time, it’s too dark to see and go through the woods, but if you’re going through a town, people-watching is fun. Honestly, that’s what I thought this book was from the first couple of pages: a people-watching simulator. I was quickly proven wrong as I got deeper into The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

I honestly didn’t know much about this book except the movie trailer made it sound like a thriller. Because of that, it went straight on my to-read list, only to be read now. Now, in the end, I loved the book. It kept me engaged the entire time. There was a bit of mental whiplash from the changing points of view. I was just wrapping my head around all the new information that was thrown at me, trying to fit all of the puzzle pieces together. It was also interesting in the fact that I’m pretty sure that you are not supposed to like any of the characters. As soon as I think I might like them, they would do something I would deem to be completely shady, but I suppose that was to keep you on your toes. And on my toes, I was up until the final moments.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves thrillers and mysteries. Some serious topics do come up, but I think it fleshes out the characters and makes them more well-rounded. No one in this book is perfect and flaws are thoroughly on display. Just make sure to get really cozy while watching everything unravel.

A Romantic Cop Drama?

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I’ll admit, I may have a problem with constantly reading Nicholas Sparks novels. I found two I loved to death, to the point where the covers are falling off. Now, I’m treating his books like Pokémon, and I need to read them all, for better and worse. This book, A Bend in the Road, falls squarely in the middle. Reading the description, I was expecting an adorable romance about two people from previously failed relationships, for very different reasons, coming together and finding love again. That was true for the first half of the novel. The second half was a terribly written cop drama that made no sense.

The second half of the book was a beautiful description of police brutality when of course, the only recourse for the protagonists’ actions was suspension with pay. Other things could have been happening, but I was just so mad. A message to Sparks:

Stop writing cops! You are terrible at it! Just because you made the cop the main protagonist doesn’t mean we will forgive his insane actions!

And by trying to make us forgive him, he did try by having our cop protagonists do a cute flashback to when the book was a romance novel. I one hundred percent support just stopping and the middle and pretending that the ending didn’t happen; you will be much happier that way.

Murder High School

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Think about it: going to high school, only to be locked in, and finding a body a couple of days in. You would think that it’s out of this world, but instead it’s Danganronpa. I’ve played the first two games as my computer can’t handle the third, but I absolutely loved every moment that I played.

Danganronpa is an insane story with so many plot twists that revolve around solving murders in a think-tank style of accusing everyone without having a single piece of evidence or shred of logic. The characters are lovable and hate-able and each have their own unique characteristics that make getting to know each character an experience. There is also an amazing villain to top everything off. If you are not into learning more about the characters, you can skip this. The art style is unique in that everything seems 2D in a 3D world while other parts stick with the typical animal style with a sprinkle other others. Ether way, it is a gorgeous experience, but do know that there are some very dark themes that I don’t know if I could explain without major spoilers.

How Does It Hold Up: Bones Pt 2

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It was over 3 years ago that I started rewatching on of my favorite shows, Bones. As I said in my last post, the first six seasons were my favorite season, and I’m here to tell you that that has not changed. It didn’t take me long to finish the show because I cannot binge watch correctly. I just found better things to do with my time, such as watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from the very beginning. I am 100% confident that the only reason why I finished watching the show was because it was being taken off of Hulu, and I didn’t want to find a different streaming service just to watch one show. It became such as drag to watch that only got exciting every now and again. The last season is probably the best of this later half since it does close some plot holes that have been in the show for years. Either way, if I were to rewatch this show again, I will be sticking to the first six season. As of now, the latter seasons do not really exist and are some random person’s head cannon.

Undercover in a School of Horror

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For whatever reason, mysteries and school life go hand-in-hand. All of the natural drama that occurs in school just offers itself to the subterfuge that needs to occur to have a good mystery. There is a natural tension that can be exploited. That being said, it could be simple or an overall rollercoaster, which is what we saw with Arisa by Natsumi Ando.

I think it was until the very end that I did not know what was going on in this story as we follow Tsubasa, who is trying to figure out why her sister, Arisa, tried to commit suicide. The only information she has is that it has something to do with her school, so Tsubasa goes undercover as Arisa. Going in, I thought this was going to be very shoujo-y, given the author, but I would say that anyone who loves manga and mystery will enjoy this. Yes, there are shoujo elements, but they are overwhelmed by the want to get the full story.

This manga talks about self-harm as these are thoughts several characters have had or actually carried out. Take care if you decided to read this.

Evil Mail Corps

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I’ve never read a full-length tale about finding a conspiracy before, and I think this will be the last. Hearing snippets of what people say on Facebook is one thing, but this was just mindboggling. In all honesty, I’m still not sure of what I read from The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.

From what I gathered, there were warring factions of postal carriers in the medieval period, and this is the story of finding this feud in a weird series of events. It was an interesting read. It just gave me a headache trying to keep up with all the information thrown at me. I’m not too sure what exactly I read, but maybe someone else can give it a try. I have no clue how you may feel after reading. Buyer beware.

Breakfast Murder Club Pt 2

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Once again, what has to be the worst high school in existence, is up to its same old troubles. It seems they didn’t learn their lesson from the previous book about gossiping. Or maybe they did?

In One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus, our favorite high school is stuck in a game of Truth or Dare. This time, if you choose Truth, one of your biggest secrets gets out. This book is much more the typical mystery series with plot twists coming out of nowhere. Still, the secrets weren’t too bad this time and didn’t really lead you down some dark roads since there wasn’t the suspense hanging over your head. The real problem is that high school is filled with high schoolers. Another book that leaves me ecstatic that I no longer have to go through that hell on earth, but a great book overall.

Breakfast Murder Club Pt 1

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Some have nostalgia over their experiences in high school. I am not one of them. In fact, this book encapsulates everything I hated existing for those four years that I had second-hand dread reading from each character’s point of view. One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus is one of the most exciting mystery stories I have read in a while.

The premise of this book is that a student is killed in detention one day, and there are four suspects. You, as the reader, aren’t too sure about what’s going on. You do know that everyone is lying. You follow all four suspects throughout the book that lying about something, but you’re never too sure of the extent of it. I do love this because not knowing what’s being lied about allows your mind to wander. To be fair, my thoughts wandered to some really dark places trying to figure out the lies. There is a second book, but I don’t know how it will stack up, especially since the setting is exactly the same. In my opinion, so far, the author is going to have to come up with a couple more lies different from those found in this book.

Framed for a Life

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In continuing with my love of a good murder mystery, I decided that my next book would be with someone who has innocent but was framed for a murder he didn’t do. Was it cliché? Yes. Did I think everyone was stupid? Of course. Did I love it none the less? Kinda. 15 Seconds by Andrew Gross.

Imagine the typical story: someone is framed for a murder he didn’t do, so he goes on the run while trying to clear his name. Insert that one person who totally should have been a detective but isn’t because life happened, and she’s the only one who believes him. If this was only to the book, I wouldn’t be recommending it. What I found interesting was the killer. Understanding why and how was the most significant thing. Trying to understand his process and how he was connected to things that were going on kept me reading. That’s what I found to be the best part of the book. If that’s what also interests you about these types of novels, I think you’ll enjoy it as well.