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raeanne's review
4.0
I won this as a First Reads giveaway. I was given an ARC. The only thing I felt cheated out of was the pictures that are suppose to be included. I could tell since there was place holder text at work. I would have loved to see those pictures. =(
For my star rating - I think this book is actually a 3.5 stars. However, I'm rounding up based on charity and benefit of the doubt. I mean this is a first book in a series which does avoid a lot of problems first books face and it is indeed an enjoyable good read. I will look into the next book in this series, but I have a bit of concern on how that book is going to play out. For specifics, it's at the end of my review under the spoiler link.
I'm an adult who love young adult books. I think this is a good book for young readers and adults a like to enjoy. It is on the clean side. So for those of us who like young adult fiction that delves into real issues like [b:Crank|270730|Crank (Crank, #1)|Ellen Hopkins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348310402s/270730.jpg|262457] does, this is not it. It's a good clean fun mystery. Think Hardy Boys, only not as lame. Now if you're a parent I do suggest you read this with, before, or along side your child. There are things brought up that you probably want to clarify or talk about like the actual history of the Old West and religion, specifically the Bible being brought up.
I really enjoyed this book. Nick Caden was well done. There's a fine line when writing teenage characters, especially for teenage readers. You need the character to be believable and relatable so the character needs to be up to date. On the other hand sometimes with an over load of pop culture references, slang terms and attitude teenage characters will be overdone obviously by an older author trying to come off as cool and hip. The teenage character becomes cringe worthy and a caricature. Thankfully, Nick Caden falls into the former category. He's a relatable believable 14 year old boy. I'm quite fond of him actually. I was won over by his love of NCIS and Criminal Minds.
I think basically all the characters were well done. Nick's family and their dynamics was among the high points. I'm a bit iffy on Annie though. She didn't seem to come together very well. Of course, maybe there's just some detail we're missing in her background that really brings her together. She does remain a mystery.
I loved the mystery and Nick's stubborn logical view of things. It was refreshing. It actually put me in the mind of Scooby Doo and that's quite a good thing considering how awesome that show was (the original, of course, not that new CGI crap with live actors) and how much I love Scooby Doo. Too often with mysteries you can see it coming from a mile away. Not true in this case. I really was guessing til the end of the book. The plot with it's twists and turns was well done. I have no complaints in this department. It's actually the best part of the book. The part that made me want to keep on reading and find out how it ends.
Minor Issues:
Why is a 14 year old having to worry about cholesterol? There's no mention of why. He certainly seems physical fit in the book based on certain things he did and no mention of anything to give the reader any impression otherwise.
At the end of the book there's mention of him wearing glasses but it's not mentioned any place else. With all the running, climbing, riding and whatnot going on you'd think Nick would mention glasses. Especially since given the physical activities going on the glasses would get slippery due to sweat or fall off or be a hassle.
They never did reveal how the awesome special effects are done. I mean the special effects really were far too advanced for anything we have going currently. The gun part was explained but the whole 'people becoming translucent and dissolving into the ground right in front of visitors' wasn't. Unless we're just suppose to assume they really are ghosts? I guess that's what the line "nagging questions of the ultimate destiny of a person's body, soul and spirit?" in the blurb was getting at.
On page 62, there's some dialogue regarding the Bible and some crazy passages in there about ghosts, zombies and vampires. Oh my! It's a great poking fun at some of the outrageous claims in the Bible.
For specific quotes regarding the Bible and my take on them:
This statement I agree with and have had the same terrible experience. I do however, not like the Mom's statement of not having an issue with what's in the Bible, just what it does to people. I certainly have issues with both. So really, she had no problem with rape, selling the rape victim to the rapist, justifying genocide and stupid things like 'don't wear mixed fiber clothes'? Huh. That's not okay.
Nick's mom continues later on page 62,
This is untrue. Science certainly has disproved the global flood theory aka Noah's Ark (Hint: Geology), that the Earth is only 6,000 years old (Hint: Earth is a lot older), and that God created humans as they are today (Hint: Evolution). I could go on and on about this but that's not directly my point.
At the end of the book, Nick is now flying off to investigate Jesus Christ. Now, Dead Man's Hand was a believable place for a kid to wind up in and get involved in. But now convincing his entire family to go so he can investigate Jesus Christ? Uh huh. Maybe the next book will elaborate more. I will certainly give the next book a shot, I'm just a bit worried. I can totally see this dissolving into religious lecturing and unscientific bull. Or it could be a great rational, skeptical, scientific look into mythical and historical Jesus Christ. I'll just have to wait and see. I'd hate for it to have such a great start only for the author to pull a bait and switch.
For my star rating - I think this book is actually a 3.5 stars. However, I'm rounding up based on charity and benefit of the doubt. I mean this is a first book in a series which does avoid a lot of problems first books face and it is indeed an enjoyable good read. I will look into the next book in this series, but I have a bit of concern on how that book is going to play out. For specifics, it's at the end of my review under the spoiler link.
I'm an adult who love young adult books. I think this is a good book for young readers and adults a like to enjoy. It is on the clean side. So for those of us who like young adult fiction that delves into real issues like [b:Crank|270730|Crank (Crank, #1)|Ellen Hopkins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348310402s/270730.jpg|262457] does, this is not it. It's a good clean fun mystery. Think Hardy Boys, only not as lame. Now if you're a parent I do suggest you read this with, before, or along side your child. There are things brought up that you probably want to clarify or talk about like the actual history of the Old West and religion, specifically the Bible being brought up.
I really enjoyed this book. Nick Caden was well done. There's a fine line when writing teenage characters, especially for teenage readers. You need the character to be believable and relatable so the character needs to be up to date. On the other hand sometimes with an over load of pop culture references, slang terms and attitude teenage characters will be overdone obviously by an older author trying to come off as cool and hip. The teenage character becomes cringe worthy and a caricature. Thankfully, Nick Caden falls into the former category. He's a relatable believable 14 year old boy. I'm quite fond of him actually. I was won over by his love of NCIS and Criminal Minds.
I think basically all the characters were well done. Nick's family and their dynamics was among the high points. I'm a bit iffy on Annie though. She didn't seem to come together very well. Of course, maybe there's just some detail we're missing in her background that really brings her together. She does remain a mystery.
I loved the mystery and Nick's stubborn logical view of things. It was refreshing. It actually put me in the mind of Scooby Doo and that's quite a good thing considering how awesome that show was (the original, of course, not that new CGI crap with live actors) and how much I love Scooby Doo. Too often with mysteries you can see it coming from a mile away. Not true in this case. I really was guessing til the end of the book. The plot with it's twists and turns was well done. I have no complaints in this department. It's actually the best part of the book. The part that made me want to keep on reading and find out how it ends.
Minor Issues:
Why is a 14 year old having to worry about cholesterol? There's no mention of why. He certainly seems physical fit in the book based on certain things he did and no mention of anything to give the reader any impression otherwise.
At the end of the book there's mention of him wearing glasses but it's not mentioned any place else. With all the running, climbing, riding and whatnot going on you'd think Nick would mention glasses. Especially since given the physical activities going on the glasses would get slippery due to sweat or fall off or be a hassle.
They never did reveal how the awesome special effects are done. I mean the special effects really were far too advanced for anything we have going currently. The gun part was explained but the whole 'people becoming translucent and dissolving into the ground right in front of visitors' wasn't. Unless we're just suppose to assume they really are ghosts? I guess that's what the line "nagging questions of the ultimate destiny of a person's body, soul and spirit?" in the blurb was getting at.
On page 62, there's some dialogue regarding the Bible and some crazy passages in there about ghosts, zombies and vampires. Oh my! It's a great poking fun at some of the outrageous claims in the Bible.
For specific quotes regarding the Bible and my take on them:
Spoiler
Nick's mom, says on page 61"I don't know that I would necessarily believe everything you read in that book. Back then people knew a lot less about science and how the world worked. It's been my experience that if you try to have a reasonable debate with someone who takes the Bible literally, they end up calling you an over-educated elitist who doesn't believe in God."
This statement I agree with and have had the same terrible experience. I do however, not like the Mom's statement of not having an issue with what's in the Bible, just what it does to people. I certainly have issues with both. So really, she had no problem with rape, selling the rape victim to the rapist, justifying genocide and stupid things like 'don't wear mixed fiber clothes'? Huh. That's not okay.
Nick's mom continues later on page 62,
"There's no way to prove that what's in the Bible is true or not. Or that there is a God. What I'm saying is, you can gather all the clues you want, but in the end, it's just a matter of believing something you can't prove."
This is untrue. Science certainly has disproved the global flood theory aka Noah's Ark (Hint: Geology), that the Earth is only 6,000 years old (Hint: Earth is a lot older), and that God created humans as they are today (Hint: Evolution). I could go on and on about this but that's not directly my point.
At the end of the book, Nick is now flying off to investigate Jesus Christ. Now, Dead Man's Hand was a believable place for a kid to wind up in and get involved in. But now convincing his entire family to go so he can investigate Jesus Christ? Uh huh. Maybe the next book will elaborate more. I will certainly give the next book a shot, I'm just a bit worried. I can totally see this dissolving into religious lecturing and unscientific bull. Or it could be a great rational, skeptical, scientific look into mythical and historical Jesus Christ. I'll just have to wait and see. I'd hate for it to have such a great start only for the author to pull a bait and switch.
labraden's review
3.0
Nick and his family take a vacation to Deadwood Ranch, which is a ranch with shows and entertainment based on the Wild West. Nick is not happy about taking the trip, so as soon as he arrives he is drawn to a sports car that he hears revving in a barn. When he goes up to the hayloft, he sees what he thinks is a murder of one of the performers playing Billy the Kid. Nick reports what he saw, but the body has disappeared and everyone thinks that the actor took another job and left. Nick knows what he saw and once he gets the help of his computer crime solving skills, he decides to investigate what he believes was a murder.
Dead Man's Hand includes a nice mystery with lots of suspects and clues to keep the reader interested. There is also a paranormal aspect that keeps popping up in the story to keep the reader guessing. Nick is a fairly bratty teenager, who is not very likable among other characters who are barely developed, making it difficult to find a reason to enjoy Nick's pursuit of a possible killer. Overall, Dead Man's Hand is an average mystery with an obnoxious protagonist.
Dead Man's Hand includes a nice mystery with lots of suspects and clues to keep the reader interested. There is also a paranormal aspect that keeps popping up in the story to keep the reader guessing. Nick is a fairly bratty teenager, who is not very likable among other characters who are barely developed, making it difficult to find a reason to enjoy Nick's pursuit of a possible killer. Overall, Dead Man's Hand is an average mystery with an obnoxious protagonist.
brokebybooks's review
4.0
I won this as a First Reads giveaway. I was given an ARC. The only thing I felt cheated out of was the pictures that are suppose to be included. I could tell since there was place holder text at work. I would have loved to see those pictures. =(
For my star rating - I think this book is actually a 3.5 stars. However, I'm rounding up based on charity and benefit of the doubt. I mean this is a first book in a series which does avoid a lot of problems first books face and it is indeed an enjoyable good read. I will look into the next book in this series, but I have a bit of concern on how that book is going to play out. For specifics, it's at the end of my review under the spoiler link.
I'm an adult who love young adult books. I think this is a good book for young readers and adults a like to enjoy. It is on the clean side. So for those of us who like young adult fiction that delves into real issues like [b:Crank|270730|Crank (Crank, #1)|Ellen Hopkins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348310402s/270730.jpg|262457] does, this is not it. It's a good clean fun mystery. Think Hardy Boys, only not as lame. Now if you're a parent I do suggest you read this with, before, or along side your child. There are things brought up that you probably want to clarify or talk about like the actual history of the Old West and religion, specifically the Bible being brought up.
I really enjoyed this book. Nick Caden was well done. There's a fine line when writing teenage characters, especially for teenage readers. You need the character to be believable and relatable so the character needs to be up to date. On the other hand sometimes with an over load of pop culture references, slang terms and attitude teenage characters will be overdone obviously by an older author trying to come off as cool and hip. The teenage character becomes cringe worthy and a caricature. Thankfully, Nick Caden falls into the former category. He's a relatable believable 14 year old boy. I'm quite fond of him actually. I was won over by his love of NCIS and Criminal Minds.
I think basically all the characters were well done. Nick's family and their dynamics was among the high points. I'm a bit iffy on Annie though. She didn't seem to come together very well. Of course, maybe there's just some detail we're missing in her background that really brings her together. She does remain a mystery.
I loved the mystery and Nick's stubborn logical view of things. It was refreshing. It actually put me in the mind of Scooby Doo and that's quite a good thing considering how awesome that show was (the original, of course, not that new CGI crap with live actors) and how much I love Scooby Doo. Too often with mysteries you can see it coming from a mile away. Not true in this case. I really was guessing til the end of the book. The plot with it's twists and turns was well done. I have no complaints in this department. It's actually the best part of the book. The part that made me want to keep on reading and find out how it ends.
Minor Issues:
Why is a 14 year old having to worry about cholesterol? There's no mention of why. He certainly seems physical fit in the book based on certain things he did and no mention of anything to give the reader any impression otherwise.
At the end of the book there's mention of him wearing glasses but it's not mentioned any place else. With all the running, climbing, riding and whatnot going on you'd think Nick would mention glasses. Especially since given the physical activities going on the glasses would get slippery due to sweat or fall off or be a hassle.
They never did reveal how the awesome special effects are done. I mean the special effects really were far too advanced for anything we have going currently. The gun part was explained but the whole 'people becoming translucent and dissolving into the ground right in front of visitors' wasn't. Unless we're just suppose to assume they really are ghosts? I guess that's what the line "nagging questions of the ultimate destiny of a person's body, soul and spirit?" in the blurb was getting at.
On page 62, there's some dialogue regarding the Bible and some crazy passages in there about ghosts, zombies and vampires. Oh my! It's a great poking fun at some of the outrageous claims in the Bible.
For specific quotes regarding the Bible and my take on them:
This statement I agree with and have had the same terrible experience. I do however, not like the Mom's statement of not having an issue with what's in the Bible, just what it does to people. I certainly have issues with both. So really, she had no problem with rape, selling the rape victim to the rapist, justifying genocide and stupid things like 'don't wear mixed fiber clothes'? Huh. That's not okay.
Nick's mom continues later on page 62,
This is untrue. Science certainly has disproved the global flood theory aka Noah's Ark (Hint: Geology), that the Earth is only 6,000 years old (Hint: Earth is a lot older), and that God created humans as they are today (Hint: Evolution). I could go on and on about this but that's not directly my point.
At the end of the book, Nick is now flying off to investigate Jesus Christ. Now, Dead Man's Hand was a believable place for a kid to wind up in and get involved in. But now convincing his entire family to go so he can investigate Jesus Christ? Uh huh. Maybe the next book will elaborate more. I will certainly give the next book a shot, I'm just a bit worried. I can totally see this dissolving into religious lecturing and unscientific bull. Or it could be a great rational, skeptical, scientific look into mythical and historical Jesus Christ. I'll just have to wait and see. I'd hate for it to have such a great start only for the author to pull a bait and switch.
For my star rating - I think this book is actually a 3.5 stars. However, I'm rounding up based on charity and benefit of the doubt. I mean this is a first book in a series which does avoid a lot of problems first books face and it is indeed an enjoyable good read. I will look into the next book in this series, but I have a bit of concern on how that book is going to play out. For specifics, it's at the end of my review under the spoiler link.
I'm an adult who love young adult books. I think this is a good book for young readers and adults a like to enjoy. It is on the clean side. So for those of us who like young adult fiction that delves into real issues like [b:Crank|270730|Crank (Crank, #1)|Ellen Hopkins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348310402s/270730.jpg|262457] does, this is not it. It's a good clean fun mystery. Think Hardy Boys, only not as lame. Now if you're a parent I do suggest you read this with, before, or along side your child. There are things brought up that you probably want to clarify or talk about like the actual history of the Old West and religion, specifically the Bible being brought up.
I really enjoyed this book. Nick Caden was well done. There's a fine line when writing teenage characters, especially for teenage readers. You need the character to be believable and relatable so the character needs to be up to date. On the other hand sometimes with an over load of pop culture references, slang terms and attitude teenage characters will be overdone obviously by an older author trying to come off as cool and hip. The teenage character becomes cringe worthy and a caricature. Thankfully, Nick Caden falls into the former category. He's a relatable believable 14 year old boy. I'm quite fond of him actually. I was won over by his love of NCIS and Criminal Minds.
I think basically all the characters were well done. Nick's family and their dynamics was among the high points. I'm a bit iffy on Annie though. She didn't seem to come together very well. Of course, maybe there's just some detail we're missing in her background that really brings her together. She does remain a mystery.
I loved the mystery and Nick's stubborn logical view of things. It was refreshing. It actually put me in the mind of Scooby Doo and that's quite a good thing considering how awesome that show was (the original, of course, not that new CGI crap with live actors) and how much I love Scooby Doo. Too often with mysteries you can see it coming from a mile away. Not true in this case. I really was guessing til the end of the book. The plot with it's twists and turns was well done. I have no complaints in this department. It's actually the best part of the book. The part that made me want to keep on reading and find out how it ends.
Minor Issues:
Why is a 14 year old having to worry about cholesterol? There's no mention of why. He certainly seems physical fit in the book based on certain things he did and no mention of anything to give the reader any impression otherwise.
At the end of the book there's mention of him wearing glasses but it's not mentioned any place else. With all the running, climbing, riding and whatnot going on you'd think Nick would mention glasses. Especially since given the physical activities going on the glasses would get slippery due to sweat or fall off or be a hassle.
They never did reveal how the awesome special effects are done. I mean the special effects really were far too advanced for anything we have going currently. The gun part was explained but the whole 'people becoming translucent and dissolving into the ground right in front of visitors' wasn't. Unless we're just suppose to assume they really are ghosts? I guess that's what the line "nagging questions of the ultimate destiny of a person's body, soul and spirit?" in the blurb was getting at.
On page 62, there's some dialogue regarding the Bible and some crazy passages in there about ghosts, zombies and vampires. Oh my! It's a great poking fun at some of the outrageous claims in the Bible.
For specific quotes regarding the Bible and my take on them:
Spoiler
Nick's mom, says on page 61"I don't know that I would necessarily believe everything you read in that book. Back then people knew a lot less about science and how the world worked. It's been my experience that if you try to have a reasonable debate with someone who takes the Bible literally, they end up calling you an over-educated elitist who doesn't believe in God."
This statement I agree with and have had the same terrible experience. I do however, not like the Mom's statement of not having an issue with what's in the Bible, just what it does to people. I certainly have issues with both. So really, she had no problem with rape, selling the rape victim to the rapist, justifying genocide and stupid things like 'don't wear mixed fiber clothes'? Huh. That's not okay.
Nick's mom continues later on page 62,
"There's no way to prove that what's in the Bible is true or not. Or that there is a God. What I'm saying is, you can gather all the clues you want, but in the end, it's just a matter of believing something you can't prove."
This is untrue. Science certainly has disproved the global flood theory aka Noah's Ark (Hint: Geology), that the Earth is only 6,000 years old (Hint: Earth is a lot older), and that God created humans as they are today (Hint: Evolution). I could go on and on about this but that's not directly my point.
At the end of the book, Nick is now flying off to investigate Jesus Christ. Now, Dead Man's Hand was a believable place for a kid to wind up in and get involved in. But now convincing his entire family to go so he can investigate Jesus Christ? Uh huh. Maybe the next book will elaborate more. I will certainly give the next book a shot, I'm just a bit worried. I can totally see this dissolving into religious lecturing and unscientific bull. Or it could be a great rational, skeptical, scientific look into mythical and historical Jesus Christ. I'll just have to wait and see. I'd hate for it to have such a great start only for the author to pull a bait and switch.
booksonhermind's review
4.0
She's Got Books on Her Mind
Nick's been dragged along to go on a family vacation to an old Wild West town where cowboy actors play the part of the most well know outlaws - Jessie James, Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley, and more. Nick's dreading hanging out in an old town where there is no cell reception, no internet, and surely there is nothing fun to do. That all changes when Nick discovers a dead body in a barn but when he goes to tell the marshal by the time the marshal sends someone out to check if there is a murder case on their hands the body is gone. There are no blood stains to corroborate Nick's claim. They all say it was probably just part of the act. There are projections to make it look like someone was shot and there are trapdoors to take the "bodies" away to put on a good show. Nick doesn't buy it. He knows what he saw and he will find the truth no matter what it costs even if he has to put his own life in danger.
Back home Nick has this detective club where him and a bunch of friends use this computer system to help solve crimes they see on television shows. It's all fun and games but not to Nick. He takes it all seriously. He even comments from time to time what he does with his friends which I don't think is a good move if you want someone to take you seriously but it at least gives you some background on the story. He is determined to figure out what happened to Billy the Kid, the actor's stage name who's body he found, who supposedly left for Hollywood after he got a role in a movie. Nick is very analytical and knows what questions to ask and what questions he should not just in case that the person he is talking to is the killer. He gets to ask these questions because he was deputized by the marshal so he wouldn't go blabbing about an imagined murder to the other customers. Most people he talks to humor him but they usually end up getting offended by what he asks which makes you know that he doesn't pull any punches. Meanwhile his parents go along with it like it's okay that they never see their son around on their vacation. These are the most irresponsible parents I've met in a while in a book. How could you let your kid wonder off in a strange place? He's fourteen (or thirteen I was confused about his age because he's not supposed to be fourteen till a month or something but they keep on saying he's fourteen...) which makes him a minor who you know likes to get in trouble. You need to pay attention to your child before he gets killed!
He partners up (sort of) with the Annie Oakley of the town who's real name is Annabel. She's Nick's same age with freckles all over her face and a tomboy attitude. She is sent to keep an eye on him by her uncle (the marshal) to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. That proves to not have helped because wherever this boy goes trouble follows him. He's raising tough questions all the while the killer could be planning his accidental death for all we know. Nick is brazen and just goes with everything. I feel like I kind if missed something with his story because the parents think he will cause some trouble before the vacation begins, they keep on talking about this computer program, and his club back home. It just felt like I was reading a sequel instead of the first story sometimes. I really wish Annie and possibly his little sister Wendy would have been part of the story more. I think there was a missed opportunity with Wendy not being by her brother's side helping solve the case. She's going to go with him wherever the series takes them so why not let her be her annoying self that contributes her own opinions to help solve cases? It makes perfect sense! I don't mind the parents being in the background because that usually happens anyways but I want to see the sister more.
I really liked where the mystery took me. There were various amounts of suspects even people who surprised me. Nick did a good job investigating and letting me see the different possible motives and see the sides of people that make them look like the killer. There was a moment where I felt like this person seems like the killer. It made sense that they were and guess what? I was right. I don't think it was obvious especially not the motive. The motive came out of nowhere for me. I think it just clicked with me but with others it just might not. Everything was really good about this book except one or two things including me wanting Wendy more in the story. I also felt that it was a little unrealistic that Nick's parents and other adults would let him go around and humor him about a murder. It was a little strange but I can understand that younger kids may not see it that way. There was also a little religious thing I can see going on. There was mention of it once and I kind of brushed it aside because it wasn't a big deal. It was just part of this story and it was just a little part for those of you who don't like that in their books. But, then I see where it's possibly leading into this whole religious case next time... I don't know if I would want to read it. I am curious to see what the next story will bring anyways.
With this story I have to say I really enjoyed it no matter what little things I nitpicked on earlier. It's a very "boy" book that I think reluctant readers will like especially with the setting being the Wild West and it being about murder but I also think girls will equally like it based upon the mystery and Annie's character. The story is very different than what I'm used to which I love. Nick's journey is something new to me and I really enjoyed the way he thought. He was a great blend of calm and impulsive at the same time. He was confident in what he doing and gave us a real good show in his own way.
Nick's been dragged along to go on a family vacation to an old Wild West town where cowboy actors play the part of the most well know outlaws - Jessie James, Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley, and more. Nick's dreading hanging out in an old town where there is no cell reception, no internet, and surely there is nothing fun to do. That all changes when Nick discovers a dead body in a barn but when he goes to tell the marshal by the time the marshal sends someone out to check if there is a murder case on their hands the body is gone. There are no blood stains to corroborate Nick's claim. They all say it was probably just part of the act. There are projections to make it look like someone was shot and there are trapdoors to take the "bodies" away to put on a good show. Nick doesn't buy it. He knows what he saw and he will find the truth no matter what it costs even if he has to put his own life in danger.
Back home Nick has this detective club where him and a bunch of friends use this computer system to help solve crimes they see on television shows. It's all fun and games but not to Nick. He takes it all seriously. He even comments from time to time what he does with his friends which I don't think is a good move if you want someone to take you seriously but it at least gives you some background on the story. He is determined to figure out what happened to Billy the Kid, the actor's stage name who's body he found, who supposedly left for Hollywood after he got a role in a movie. Nick is very analytical and knows what questions to ask and what questions he should not just in case that the person he is talking to is the killer. He gets to ask these questions because he was deputized by the marshal so he wouldn't go blabbing about an imagined murder to the other customers. Most people he talks to humor him but they usually end up getting offended by what he asks which makes you know that he doesn't pull any punches. Meanwhile his parents go along with it like it's okay that they never see their son around on their vacation. These are the most irresponsible parents I've met in a while in a book. How could you let your kid wonder off in a strange place? He's fourteen (or thirteen I was confused about his age because he's not supposed to be fourteen till a month or something but they keep on saying he's fourteen...) which makes him a minor who you know likes to get in trouble. You need to pay attention to your child before he gets killed!
He partners up (sort of) with the Annie Oakley of the town who's real name is Annabel. She's Nick's same age with freckles all over her face and a tomboy attitude. She is sent to keep an eye on him by her uncle (the marshal) to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble. That proves to not have helped because wherever this boy goes trouble follows him. He's raising tough questions all the while the killer could be planning his accidental death for all we know. Nick is brazen and just goes with everything. I feel like I kind if missed something with his story because the parents think he will cause some trouble before the vacation begins, they keep on talking about this computer program, and his club back home. It just felt like I was reading a sequel instead of the first story sometimes. I really wish Annie and possibly his little sister Wendy would have been part of the story more. I think there was a missed opportunity with Wendy not being by her brother's side helping solve the case. She's going to go with him wherever the series takes them so why not let her be her annoying self that contributes her own opinions to help solve cases? It makes perfect sense! I don't mind the parents being in the background because that usually happens anyways but I want to see the sister more.
I really liked where the mystery took me. There were various amounts of suspects even people who surprised me. Nick did a good job investigating and letting me see the different possible motives and see the sides of people that make them look like the killer. There was a moment where I felt like this person seems like the killer. It made sense that they were and guess what? I was right. I don't think it was obvious especially not the motive. The motive came out of nowhere for me. I think it just clicked with me but with others it just might not. Everything was really good about this book except one or two things including me wanting Wendy more in the story. I also felt that it was a little unrealistic that Nick's parents and other adults would let him go around and humor him about a murder. It was a little strange but I can understand that younger kids may not see it that way. There was also a little religious thing I can see going on. There was mention of it once and I kind of brushed it aside because it wasn't a big deal. It was just part of this story and it was just a little part for those of you who don't like that in their books. But, then I see where it's possibly leading into this whole religious case next time... I don't know if I would want to read it. I am curious to see what the next story will bring anyways.
With this story I have to say I really enjoyed it no matter what little things I nitpicked on earlier. It's a very "boy" book that I think reluctant readers will like especially with the setting being the Wild West and it being about murder but I also think girls will equally like it based upon the mystery and Annie's character. The story is very different than what I'm used to which I love. Nick's journey is something new to me and I really enjoyed the way he thought. He was a great blend of calm and impulsive at the same time. He was confident in what he doing and gave us a real good show in his own way.
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