Susan Moody

I must be the only person ever who
1. loved The Secret Garden with every fiber of my being
and
2. found this to be a worthy sequel.

Yeah, I usually detest 'sequels' written 100 years after the original was published. Yeah, stuff happened that I didn't want to happen. No, it's not perky and cheerful and filled with the singing butterflies of childhood innocence, like the Burnett's original.

But this one doesn't betray or misrepresent or alter beyond recognition any of the characters - and I show more can't think of a higher compliment.

And I still love that irascible, cantankerous, agonizingly difficult Mary Lennox. show less

I don't remember much about Return to the Secret Garden except that I found it absolutely horrible and consider it a massive and unforgivable insult to both Frances Hodgson Burnett and anyone who has read and adored The Secret Garden. Now, I would not have minded if Susan Moody had changed the characters somewhat (I mean, children do grow up and change), and I also would not have minded even some controversial topics. However, changing Colin into some kind of bisexual deviant who calls out show more Dickon's name wile having sex with Mary and so on and so on really was and still is not my idea of an even remotely acceptable sequel to The Secret Garden (in fact, Return to the Secret Garden is one of the few books I have ever actually wanted to burn, and that is saying a lot). Truly, one of the worst and most distasteful books I have ever read (and for those who might claim that Susan Moody's writing style is interesting and that one should give this book a chance, well I tried to give Return to the Secret Garden a chance, but the massive changes to the characters, the fact that the book read like a cheap gossipy romance made me feel ill and insulted to such an extent that I never even noticed or more to the point cared all that much about Susan Moody's writing style, narrative flow, word-building, so angered and disgusted was I at and by the contents, the themes). show less

This is the first book I have read about Alex Quick. I was intrigued by the cover and description and decided to give it a go. The book starts off with a close friend of Alex is found in a field tortured to death. And, the man's sister begs Alex to look into it since Alex used to be a cop. But, it's not that easy, Tristan, the dead man, seems to have many secrets, and then more people are getting murdered and Alex is at a loss to what they all have in common.

I got a strong Midsomer Murders show more vibe when I read this book. I could see how the old man is walking his dog when he spots the body, cut to the intro music, and then the murder investigation start. Well, of course, if Barnaby had been a woman, and not a policeman anymore. But, still. Alex had been a cop and just like in a Midsomer Murders episode the bodies started to pile up.

I quite liked reading the book. The story was engaging and interesting, and Alex was an easy character to like. And, one of her best friends; Sam, is a hot single bookstore owner that seems to like her quite a lot. I wasn't sure about what who was behind all the murders until around the end when I started to see a pattern, or rather, suspect that I knew what linked all the murdered people together. Although I had some problem with the book, like for instance, I forgot one of the murdered men, I had to go back and reread a part in the beginning to fresh up my memory. It was a bit odd when the person was mentioned in the book and I was totally blank to whom the hell he was. But, then again, there were terribly many deaths. Also, like A Midsomer Murders episode was this book quite nice, but still I can't say that I found it to be that thrilling to read. It was an OK book, the characters didn't bother me, the case was interesting, but I was not entranced with the book.

I want to thank Severn House Publishers for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review! show less

If we are honest with ourselves, we’d all like a friend with bluntness like Alex Quick. As a friend, she’d tell you what you need to hear; not necessarily what you want to hear. But, with her dear friend, Dr. Helena Drummond, she called it wrong. For some time, Helena had been trying to tell Alex she felt as if someone was stalking her. Since Alex knew her friend’s flair for the dramatic, she’d not paid attention. Then, Helena had not shown up for an important meeting with a new show more client. She went to Helena’s home in Canterbury and let herself in as they’d exchanged keys. She found her mutilated body on the bed … No, wait … it wasn’t Helena. Alex experienced two thoughts simultaneously. Where was Helena? Who was this dead woman?

Alex and Helena were collaborators at Drummond & Quick Ltd, working to produce high-quality art book anthologies. Before this, Alex was a Detective Inspector. She had cop instincts. While the police were engaging the thought that Drummond may have been the killer, Alex knew her friend better than that. At least she thought she knew her. As she began answering questions for the police, she was finding just how little she really knew about her friend’s life.

The biggest complaint I have of this story is a feeling that Alex, as an ex-cop, should have called the police a little sooner. Instead, I felt she allowed herself to enter the room and contaminate what would become the scene of the crime. I really liked Alex’s personality, her rough exterior, and her unwavering faith in her friend. The story was told at a fast pace and held a nice twist. Some aspects of the story were not explained fully to my satisfaction. For the faint of heart, the crime was a bit graphic. Bottom line, though, is that I’d love to read more of Alex Quick. Rating: 3.5 out of 5. show less