Book Review: Rules of Murder by Juliana Deering (***)

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first ever book review! Hope you enjoy :)

                                                                    Summary:

Drew Farthering loves a good mystery, although he generally expects to find it in the pages of a novel, not on the grounds of his country estate. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.

Soon, financial irregularities at Drew’s stepfather’s company come to light and it’s clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer–and trying harder to impress Madeline–Drew must decide how far to take this game. (taken from goodreads.com)

Review:

I ordered this book in the mood for a good, classic murder mystery. I certainly got that! The plot was fantastic and I honestly couldn’t guess who the culprit was. I found myself accusing one person one minute and another the next. Even when the “great reveal” took place at the end the hows-and-whys still had to be explained to me. :P

 The faith-aspect was very well played also. It wasn’t forced or “preachy”.

 However, (there always has to be one of those, right?) I didn’t fall in love with the characters like I wanted to. Drew, the main detective character, was a bit of a snob and pretty cocky. Honestly, in my opinion, he was annoying. Two or three times in the book it went something like this, “Drew felt bad for pressing for more information due to the pained look on so-and-so’s face. But it couldn’t be helped.”

 Also, I didn’t appreciate the way he treated Madeline. Of course, he was the utmost English gentleman to her and was very sweet at times, but on several occasions she wanted to come along on an investigation (because she was, after all, one of the first people to find the body) and Drew literally snuck away and went without her.

 Speaking of Madeline, she was probably my third favorite character (right behind Nick and Uncle Mason) but she was a little confusing. In the beginning she seemed like someone who had long since wandered from the faith, which I think would have made good character development for her and Drew as they drew closer to God through the book. However, she went from being a worldling to having always been a saint.

 And the constant banter that made up nearly every conversation really annoyed me, although some of it was really very funny. That just isn’t my taste, personally.

 All in all, it was a great book plot wise, but a little disappointing as to the characters. It made it hard for me to enjoy since I like for the characters to become my best friend. But if you’re looking for a good mystery, Rules of Murder is an excellent choice.

 Have you read Rules of Murder? Let me know what you thought!

Imagine (by Courtney)

 Hello everyone! Today's story writer up for critique is Courtney, who has quite the imagination. Let's get to it!

 Imagine by Courtney

Drew carried the beige tray of food down the prison’s hallway. He had to admit he was a little nervous. He was, after all, a rookie to the facility, marching to the highest-security cell in Sweden. However, it wasn’t the hallway he was nervous about; it was the inhabitant. The woman who contorted reality, changing a modern Earth into the stuff of fantasy. It had been going on for years, slowly filling entire regions with strange and otherworldly things.

 He neared the bolted door and set his jaw. He slid open the panel on the front and pushed the food through. He risked a peek at the inmate.

 Before he laid eyes on the woman, he was taken with what surrounded her. Chinese cherry trees were rooted into the cement floor with green vines sprawling across the stone blocks. A small stream flowed across the ground with pink flowers sprouting alongside it. Lightning bugs floated in the air, their soft glow blinking occasionally.

 Drew couldn’t believe his eyes. The woman sat gazing lovingly at the bugs, lifting a finger to them once and a while. She wore a beautiful purple dress and her soft brown curls hung gracefully over her shoulder. The prison had given up trying to control her imagination, it was too powerful. Yet she never tried to escape.

 She was a mystery and a threat to humankind but as Drew observed her, he couldn’t think how she could possibly be dangerous. He shook his head. The dragon that obliterated a village in Africa told a different story.

 He cleared his throat. “Miss Roth, your lunch has arrived.”

The woman looked up sharply, all of the lovely things in her cell disappearing, leaving an empty white room. The dress also disappeared, leaving her in an ugly orange jumper. “Officer Shane.” She greeted, her voice calm and steady. “I heard you were coming.”

 “Yes, well…”

 “You’re nervous.” She noted with disdain. “Are you frightened of me?”

 “No, of course not.”

She rested her head against the wall with a sigh. “Most people are. I don’t blame you. But I can’t control it, I’m sorry. I just dream of things and they sometimes come true.” She opened her eyes to look at Drew with such longing he had to avert his stare. “Being trapped doesn’t help. I can’t do anything to stop the things that are happening when I’m stuck here.”

 A hand clapped Drew on the shoulder. He whirled around with surprise. Another officer stood behind him with an amused expression. He reached over and shut the panel with a click.

 “You’ve got to remember she’s crazy! She talks nonsense. Next time, don’t get sucked in.” They headed back down the hall and he winked. “She’s a charmer alright. Ah, nothing to be done.”

 Drew stayed silent; distressed and a little confused. He knew one thing; she wasn’t spewing nonsense. What she said made perfect sense to him. He sat alone in the break room tensely, sipping on a cup of coffee. Sure he was a newcomer here in Sweden, but he’d had plenty of experience in a prison in London. He knew all about mentally unstable inmates and this strange wonder wasn’t one. He tried to relax in his chair and looked up at the TV on the wall. The news reporter was sitting primly in his chair as footage played in the background.

 “We have received word on the strange shadow-creatures attacking the West Indies. Authorities are trying to find a way to destroy these things, but as far as we know, they haven’t succeeded. The question still remains whether or not killing Patina Roth would solve our problem.”

 “Officer Shane?” Said a timid voice behind him. Drew’s eyes widened with disbelief. He turned slowly. Standing in the doorway was Patina.

Garden of Tears~ A Poem

 Welcome to the first post of The Christian Critique Group! I am very excited to introduce this piece of poetry written by Amelia.

 Remember, to enter a critique just write in the comments below. If you have a submission, email me at wendythewriterccg@gmail.com and read the guidelines.

 Let's get to critiquing!

 By Amelia:

Garden of Tears

Eve’s Lament

My grace was unmatched

My mind, so flawless

My heart was perfect

O why did I succumb to darkness?

I walked in peace

My thoughts never waning

When Sin wasn’t a word

At least not one worth saying

But I saw the serpent

So striking and cunning

I went to him in innocence

When I should have been running

He condemned me and eternity

My fault, alas! The guilt!

I ate the fruit

Satan drew a sword from its hilt

What once was good

Is now terribly wrong

Beauty is no more

And no more is my song

Lo! The shame

What had I done?

Wicked and evil

Shall be called my son

As I walk with heavy steps

I heave many sighs

If I could go back

Yea, and untell my first lie!

My husband is not who he was

The shame he feels

His heart, once free

Is now coldly sealed

He treads with sorrow

Laden on his back

No forgiveness

Could maintain what we lack

We hid from God

To the one who Sees

We hide our faces

What fools are we!

We loved Him so

The One who creates

We shunned his Name

But showed Satan no hate

We knew all along

What we were nigh to touch

Sinner is our name

And forever be called such

I long for those days

When we walked with He

On sunset nights

On faithful, bended knee

The love poured forth

So warm and free

Flowed without reproach

But abused it did we

I pray for hope

To the world and some

Who fall with temptation

Accept this grace which is to come

A New Writing Community

Attention All Christian Writers and Poets!


 Introducing a new blog dedicated to freelance writers! The Christian Critique Group is especially for people like you and I to share their writing and have it kindly critiqued by fellow readers. I'm so excited, so let's get started!

To submit a piece of work simply email me at wendythewriterccg@gmail.com

Please only submit around 1,000 words an entry. Don't worry though, you can submit multiple times throughout the course of your writing- follow-ups will be more than welcome!

Note: Nothing will be published that contains profanity or inappropriate content

In your email, please state whatever name you would like to be published on the blog.

I will post (roughly) three times a week, depending on the amount of entries I receive.


Critiquing Tips:

 Remember to always critique as you would like to be critiqued! That's the golden rule of community writing ;)

 Any type of suggestion is welcome as long as it is kind and not hurtful to the writer

 To submit a critique, however long or short it is, just write it in the comments below.

I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I will! Happy writing!

 ~W. Greene