The+Private+School+Murders

//Confessions: The Private School Murders// by James Patterson

Haven't read this one, but a quick search seems to indicate that this is the second in the series of "stand alone" criminal cases. Would love for someone who's read the book to comment. :) Lisa Houde / Rye Public Library

A decent mystery that stood on its own, even if it is the second in the series. Tandy has a sharp mind, which she uses to one-up the police force in solving crimes. I'm not a fan of that kind of attitude, but the fact that she gets results does go some way to ameliorate it. I found the confessions excerpts to be odd, though we got more information that way. I also found it slightly distasteful to be directly addressed as "friend" randomly in the midst of an otherwise cohesive narrative. That said, the characters are sympathetic, even if they do have rich kid problems, and likeable. The many mystery threads seemed a bit much (did Tandy's brother kill his fiancee; where are the poisonous creatures coming from; who is killing private school girls), but did serve to make the story interesting. Would make a fine addition to the list, if a mystery is needed. Good for older teens. The journal-like format of the confessions might turn boys off, but the myster/story is interesting enough that it might not matter. -Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown Public Library, 2/2/14