News / Entertainment
REVIEWS FOR ANNIE TILLERY MYSTERIES BY LINDA MARIA FRANK
You never know, when you write a book, what the reviews will be. I'd like to share these reviews with you. First, because I am grateful that my work is appreciated, and second because the reviewers got what I hoped that you, the reader, would also get. Thanks for reading Annie Tillery Mysteries, great teen mystery books.
Raymond Klesc at New Book Journal has included "Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys" in the collection. See it at:
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Simon Barrett at bloggernews.net gives all three books a lovely review.
For "The Madonna Ghost"
I first encountered author Linda Frank when I read her third book in the Annie Tillery series The Secrets In The Fairy Chimneys. Linda Frank assured me in an interview that while the books were indeed a series, each one was a stand alone work with Annie and her boyfriend Ty as the central characters.
I rather like the book, so I am not prepared to take the plot discussion any further. I will leave that for readers to discover by themselves. But I will make some observations, Linda Frank knows her stuff. She is a retired science teacher at both High School and College level. One popular class was ‘forensics’.
The Madonna Ghost is a great way to introduce Young Adult readers to the often convoluted world of science. It is easy to confuse a fictional TV show such as CSI with reality. Linda Frank does use an element of science to tell the story, but much prefers good old common sense.
For "Girl with Pencil Drawing"
Girl With Pencil, Drawing was the second in the series. In some ways it is also my favorite. Possibly it is because of the subject matter, stolen and forged art work. This is an area that I have spent countless hours researching. The book is fiction, but in true Linda Frank fashion, there is a huge amount of factual content. This is learning without realizing you are learning!
What jumped out at me while reading Girl With Pencil, Drawing was the close attention paid to detail. No art forger with his or her salt forges a well known work, Trying to sell a copy of the Mona Lisa, would likely not get very far in the art world. Forgers tend to go for lesser known artists. A good forger does not copy, he creates a new as yet undiscovered work by an artist. The master forger will even go so far as to weave a fictitious provenance for the work.
Linda Frank touches on all of these subjects and much more. Although billed as a YA (Young Adult) book I think it has much broader appeal.
For "Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys"
This is third book that Linda Maria Frank has published in her Annie Tillery series. People love to put books in genres and the publisher has deemed that Secrets In The Fairy Chimneys is Juvenile Fiction. I personally would have labeled it YA (Young Adult), but that is of no matter. It is the story that matters, not the filing cabinet it is put in.
I rather like the style that the author uses, she does not talk down to her young readers, rather she treats them as peers on a quest.
I had the opportunity to talk to Linda before reading her latest book. It is amazing how much you can learn about a book before you read it. “CSI meets Nancy Drew” was a comment that I rather liked. Indeed Annie Tillery is much more modern than Nancy Drew. The writing style is also much more modern.
Growing up I was a fan of Enid Blyton and the Famous Five, even the Secret Seven. Those books are now dated. The youth of today are looking for stories that they can relate to. iPhones and computers are the key.
Secrets In The Fairy Chimneys is a great read, what I particularly like is that Linda Maria Frank manages to weave a good deal of factual material into the action and adventure. One could call it ‘sneaky learning’ :) This actually should come as no surprise as the author was a school and college teacher before turning her attention to writing.
There is also a very interesting twist in the end of the book. It is one that I had not foreseen, yet makes perfect sense.
And from My Blog Tour, Enchanted Blog Tours
After all the hard work of writing publishing and promoting the Annie Tillery Mystery series, it is pure joy to get a review that gets what I have been trying so hard for. Thanks Mindy.
Review:
I have fallen in love with spunky Annie and her mysteries. This is going to become part of the books I pass down to the children in my life.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 clouds.
And lastly from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Madonna-Ghost-Linda-Maria-Frank/dp/1491710624/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Linda Frank might as well be the next Carolyn Keene with her new age mystery luring readers from every angle--suspense, romance, and modern forensics. This is a perfect book for all ages, particularly young readers who might find Nancy Drew a bit old-fashioned. Written in a way where every chapter leaves you with a crisp, familiar image of each character and location. A great book to encourage summer reading, or satisfy the urge for a rainy day thriller.
Bravo to Linda Maria Frank! This third book in her Annie Tillery Mystery series is a stunner! Although written for a YA audience, even I as a senior citizen was captured by the mystery and intrigue interwoven throughout this story. And who could resist the element of romance embedded in the two oh-so-appealing main characters, Annie and Ty? But most compelling to me was an introduction to the history and topography of this country with its ancient Fairy Chimneys. Half way through this book, I began researching trips to this wonderland and have placed Turkey at the top of my bucket list for future travels. A beautifully crafted, impeccably edited work. Linda Maria Frank deserves many kudos and an equal number of followers. I know I will be looking out for more of her books to recommend to the young adults in my life, but not before I sneak a peak at them myself.
Lois W. Stern
Creator of the Tales2Inspire book series
With strong characters, flowing dialog and layers of mystery, soon everyone is caught up in a real who-dun-it that involves a long lists of suspects and hidden clues. Twists and turns with all the dangers that come into play when an International Art Fraud has been perpetrated.
Learn the ins and out of the art world that include how scientists tests for authenticity in original paintings by world renown artist like Renoir and the lucrative forgeries that make this underworld as treacherous as any international mob association.
Follow the clues, wait for the DNA evidence and sift through the ashes left by an arsonist. Inspire a young reader to discover the innate detective skills of Annie Tillery who is fast becoming the next Nancy Drew. This series should be placed on our schools’ summer reading list.
Cold Coffee Press endorses ‘Girl with Pencil, Drawing’ and the Annie Tillery Mysteries by Linda Maria Frank. We received a PDF version of this book for review. Review completion date March 24, 2015. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press.
