The Greek who Stole Christmas by Anthony Horowitz

The Greek Who Stole Christmas is a short Diamond brothers story by Anthony Horowitz. The brothers are broke and are more than a little hilarious. This is the first time I've read the series but it's been said they're always on the verge, or have gone off the edge, of penny pinching.

I absolutely love Nick, and not only because he's the smarter and wittier one, and the actual detective of the two. He probably knows how to tie his own shoes better than his older brother, Tim, the one with the Name of detective but a brain needing to be detected, still. (Just a little joke)
I thought perhaps it would be like the Hardy boys but it's nothing like them. Well, consider how only one thinks and the same one is only 14. Big feats for a little guy.

I enjoyed the story through Nick's view. But I have to say I really can't stand Tim, and neither could the other characters in the novel, from the touchy police to the "big star" Minerva. And of course this woman had to be blonde. Second Minerva I've come across that has a heart nothing like her beauty (this one is painfully obvious but I could be bias for the other series Artemis Fowl).

Back to Tim, I figure most kids will find his antics ridiculous and therefore funny, but my brain works of a slightly different level (perhaps 2-3 years older than a 10 year old reading this. *snicker* ~ I'm not that young either).

The story was not as complicated, since it really was a kids story. But it was still affective.
And I'm sure my love for Nick will grow as I read the second book I have of them. And perhaps, go against my nature and actually find the first book of the series.

The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers #35 Lost Brother

I haven't read the first book in a while. It took me about as much to remember the horror of what happened in the last one, The Children of the Lost. To recap, there was someone (not the bears as some of the locals were thinking) abducting innocent children. No one had a clue why and the reason that Frank and Joe were sent to investigate the disappearances that happened years ago was that one kid mysteriously turned up, Justin Greer.
The case was a rollercoaster to read. They seemed to be having dead-ends a lot in the story and the breaks weren't much of a breakthrough. At the end, *spoiler* Frank had been kidnapped himself, although the reasons why are still unknown.
Later in this book, Lost Brother, of course, you would think of the possibility that he was a bribe to get Joe to stop investigating.
Once I really got into this book again I just couldn't put it down. I was in suspense the whole time, reading about the two brothers who had separate stories in the book, but had the common goal to find one another (mostly).
It was hard reading what was happening to Frank. Hard to also imagine what anyone might have been feeling. "Lost" is perfect in this instance. They were trapped but not exactly. There were kids that were okay and comfy but others that were definitely running scared. It didn't make much sense and I wasn't able to draw much from it. All I know is those who "resisted" were punished and I felt a sting of anger realising what could have been done to Frank (think back to Justin) if not for ________.
Needless to say, I'm going to search as hard as Joe for the third book. Hopefully it'd go smoother for me. Who knows, it might pop up somewhere, maybe through a hatch.

The Hardy Boys undercover brothers - Mad House (graphic novel)

the hardy boys have a lot of different series now, from the old traditional blue hardcovers to these undercover brothers books in colour. the one thing they never lost was their cool, their wit and their sense of justice (always done after some cool scenes and stunts). i've been a fan for a long time, so i decided to go with the flow. it's interesting to see the boys in colour and not on black and white but i welcome this change. it's extra fun for anyone because it shows the hardy boys in action, taken from franklin's vivid writing and amazingly brilliant creation, we have modern day james bonds (who also makes his way in the novel :)). the fun story has been spun by scott lobdell (writer) and daniel rendon (artist).  

TRACES Luke Harding Forensic Investigator : Lost Bullet by Malcolm Rose

Image from Shelfari

I actually have read his series before, but I decided to give it another gander. There's something about how well thought out the stories are.
Luke Harding is one of the more intriguing detectives that I've come across. He's already an expert at investigating death, only at sixteen. It's a feat!
This crime was something else. Like I said, the story would have to be thought through, if such a large factor, as a storm, would 'contaminate' the crime scene. A lot of the evidence could simply be washed away. It's plainly a grievance that most people grumble about.
But the obvious grace is that it gets you thinking. As a reader, it's cool to get a chance to ask questions and sooner or later find out what the answers are. Which is what I did throughout just the first few pages. It was a thrill. I liked guessing games when I was younger, especially if I know the clues and solutions as Soon as possible (permit me a laugh)
Of course, if you're not into over-thinking things, go with the flow of the book :)
I figured this book isn't one for those not interested in science-y ways of solving crimes, but the good author injected a little humor in it. For example, he wrote "..Malc replied dryly." See? :)
Thankfully Luke is also one with a sense of humor, though if you read the book you'll realize something about Malc and these jokes. Frustrating yet funny to see how they interact, as close to friendship as a robot could have (*may be spoiling for a book somewhere later to the end*)
Soon you'd start to realize the probable reasons for the deaths.
This book got me thinking a lot about religion and science, in total. And there's also discrimination by the Visionaries against the white community, as in general they believe the latter is an abomination. Only those incredibly indepth books can handle the prejudice. Look at Things Fall Apart, for instance.
And "Lost Bullet"'s idea of being a being without sin was to shave himself clean. To be a baby again. This book is descriptive, no one can dispute that. The scene after is uncomfortably vivid, however, as it brings about another murder.
Not only that, but there are definitely going to be complicated references to something so unmistakably mild, like a flavour chemical "2-furylmethanethiol" which is, surprisingly, "roasted coffee beans".
(No shocker here, the author Malcolm Rose studied Chemistry, and lectures on the subject.)
I could understand thoroughly about the differences between science and religion, but even Ethan did not see it as murder. All in all, it would come down to a test and if Lost Bullet fails or passes, you'll have to find out. Little hint: it was a befitting punishment (one way or another, people committing crime would pay, so not a giveaway exactly) totally and completely.. though unusual :-/
I truly enjoyed reading about the duo - Malc (Mobile Aid to Law and Crime) and Luke himself. It was technology with a human touch.

  

Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Image from Shelfari

Poirot is a new detective for me but he's been solving cases by Agatha Christie since forever, and now I know why. He's a brilliant man with a moustache to match his great powers of deduction (if you read his cases, you'll know it's quite large).
Though if I remember, there were some long-winded speeches (which I didn't skip but I did get a glazed look over my eyes) but there always is. I think it's to confuse. So not only does the Queen of Crime keep me guessing, she comes up with the least expected guilty party - seriously, I tried to keep up with the intuitive thoughts here and there. Realizing 'whodunit', I was stumped. Who knew?
She's living well up to her name.
This time Poirot had friends to discuss with, however he still had his thinking time. It was a lot of fun to read, and I'm picking up more of her books, especially those on Poirot. Basically you get a two-in-one by using my grey matter and picking up a little French along the way, *cough*which is one of the crucial points for the murder*cough*. I can't wait for one of the next books I'm looking out for: The Mystery of the Blue Train.
(And yes, I made the connection. Poirot has a thing for terrors on trains :-P)

This is a last note: sad thing about it is, this is another book of hers that I found which has a typo error. The back cover gives the synopsis, however the first name of the victim (they put it as Simon, I think) is slightly different then that of the actual story, Samuel Ratchett :(

 

Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers #34 by Franklin W. Dixon

The Children of the Lost

Image from Shelfari

I really liked it. It'd be perfect if you liked suspense, and it kept me on the edge as I was shocked by some of the events. I was never more interested, or adrenaline-pumped. The plot was there so I see the need for a trilogy. At the end... a shocker. Better not spoil it (though if you took a chance to see the cover of the second you might guess right) :)