Top 10 best books with Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie

I love Hercule Poirot. I decided that I would start with this confession, because the hero created by Agatha Christie reminds me of childhood, youth, years of study and work. That's how much it took me to read most of the adventures of the famous Belgian detective.

My ranking of the ten best novels with Hercules Poirot is an attempt to interest people who have never read Christie's work before, or read a few and discouraged or stories did not interest them enough to read more books. Belgian detective comes together in more than 30 novels. I suggest choosing from these ten titles your adventure with this character.

These novels are worth to read! I believe that even though almost a century has passed since Agatha Christie wrote her novels, everyone will still read them with pleasure and growing curiosity.

Sure, sometimes the action develops slowly, there are no sudden twists, but these are classic detective stories! It's not about dynamism, it's about the mystery, the questions: who killed? What really happened? How did this happen?

First and the last novel with Hercule Poirot
The first book was published in 1920 - The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The last one appeared in 1975 and is called Curtain. The stories are fascinating. Every time I had fun, maybe sometimes I did not quite like the narrative or the pace of the story, but I have no objections to the chosen ten :-) If you decide on one of these books, then there will be no time wasted!

What is the best novel by Agatha Christie with Hercules Poirot? In my opinion, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an absolute masterpiece that reads fantastically and with unflagging curiosity. Every lover of detective stories should know this novel!

In my ranking I have not placed collections of stories, because due to the number (over 50) they deserve a separate article :-)

Here is my ranking of the best books by Agatha Christie with Hercule Poirot:

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (see description on Amazon)
2. Murder on the Orient Express (see description)
3. Five Little Pigs (see description)
4. Death on the Nile (see description)
5. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (see description)
6. The A.B.C. Murders (see description)
7. Cards on the Table (see description)
8. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (see description)
9. Peril at End House (see description)
10. Murder in Mesopotamia (see description)

At 11th place I would place Curtain (see description on Amazon) - this is an important book, sad, because the last of Hercule Poirot. I must admit that although I was interested in the criminal riddle, I read this novel primarily because of curiosity about the fate of Poirot.

What book do you like best?

Top 10 best books with James Bond by Ian Fleming

When I was a teenager, I liked reading Ian Fleming's books. I did not read them all then, but when I graduated high school I finally did it :-). And I still liked the adventures of James Bond. If, however, you are not planning to read novels one by one, after the date of their publish, but you are looking for the best Ian Fleming's books, check my ranking of James Bond books.

I think everyone knows James Bond, an agent with code number 007, a spy of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), which countless times saves the world from terrorists. He is a hero not only of Fleming's books but also of other novelists; he appears in movies and computer games.

However, it is worth reaching to the source - books written by Ian Fleming. If you're even a fan of James Bond movies (and you probably have your favorite actor who plays best this character), be sure to read at least a few novels by Ian Fleming. They are still great spy novels!

Spy novels with the participation of James Bond have been popular for decades. Fleming wrote the first novel with Bond in the main role - Casino Royale - in 1952.

While reading Fleming's books is impossible to get bored. Each is a well-told story, with expressive heroes, good dialogues and well-conducted action. Some - in retrospect - may sometimes seem naive, but continue to provide a lot of pleasure while reading :-).

Here's my list of top ten best books with James Bond written by Ian Fleming:

1. Goldfinger (see description on Amazon)
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (see description)
3. From Russia, with Love (see description)
4. Casino Royale (see description)
5. Dr. No (see description)
6. Thunderball (see description)
7. Diamonds Are Forever (see description)
8. You Only Live Twice (see description)
9. Moonraker (see description)
10 Live and Let Die (see description)

If you haven't read anything written by Ian Fleming, buy one of these book first. You won't be disappointment! 

Which novel or a movie :-) do you like the most?

End of Watch by Stephen King - last part of the The Bill Hodges Trilogy

The story of a retired detective Bill Hodges came to an end. The story, which began in the novel Mr. Mercedes, continued in Finders Keepers, has its finale in the End of Watch. This is my review.

I have written several times about Stephen King, and every time I emphasized that I love his books (I read all, see my ranking of his novels), and I am constantly impressed by the hard work, diligence and creativity of the writer.

End of Watch isn't one of his best works, but keeps level - it is a well-written and well-told story of a detective mixed with elements of the paranormal. Specialty of Stephen King :-)

If you have enjoyed Mr. Mercedes (see review) and Finders Keepers (my review), it seems to me that I no longer have to convince you to read this book.You buy it, I'm sure :)

On the other hand, those who did not read about the adventures of a retired policeman, I encourage to read the first part. Of course each of them can be read as a stand-alone story, because Stephen King smoothly weaves the most important information about past events, so even if you do not know the fate of previous heroes of "End of Watch", you will learn everything necessary. But it has its minus - if you decide to then read the Mr. Mercedes or continuation - disappears element of surprise, because you will know exactly what happened.

Different points of view
End of Watch for me it's also a good example of how to in novels refer to the past and not to get bored readers who read the earlier books, and tell important information to readers, who do not read previous titles.

King uses an interesting method - an event that we know from the first part tells from the different perspective - we know what's going to happen, but we look at it from another angle, because the author also focuses on other characters.

End of Watch it's a good book, therefore, I recommend :-). And I am glad that the author is already working on another novel! It is to be titled Sleeping Beauties. Interestingly, Stephen King will co-writes it in collaboration with his son Owen. Planned premiere - somewhere in 2017.

Buy End of Watch on Amazon! >

Closed Winter by Jorn Lier Horst - good crime novel from Norway

My review: Closed Winter is an interesting crime novel about police work, where the most important elements are collecting and analyzing evidence and ongoing conversations with people. If you like this kind of stories, when reach for this book of the Norwegian author Jorn Lier Horst.

What you should know? Author worked for many years in the police, he was the head of the investigation department of the District Police in Vestfold, Norway. Professional experience, knowledge about how daily operational work in Police looks like (he retired from service in 2013) and ability to creating unusual plots helps Horst to write very interesting crime books.

Main character: William Wisting
Jorn Lier Horst writes detective stories with Police Commissioner William Wisting in the lead role. You can buy 10 novels with this character, but you don’t have to read them in order. Of course, where are connection between books, but they are not blockers to buy titles randomly.

Closed Winter - description of the book from Amazon:
"The summer cottages are closed and peace is settling over the coast of Vestfold, Norway, but the autumn fog conceals evil deeds. Ove Bakkerud, newly separated and extremely disillusioned, is looking forward to a final quiet weekend at his summer home before closing for winter but, when the tourists leave, less welcome visitors arrive. Bakkerud's cottage is ransacked by burglars. Next door, he discovers the body of a man who has been beaten to death.

Police Inspector William Wisting has witnessed grotesque murders before, but the desperation he sees in this latest murder is something new. Wisting's unease does not diminish when he discovers several more corpses on the deserted archipelago. Meanwhile, dead birds are dropping from the sky".

Great plot
In Closed Winter there are some surprising moments. One scene in particular is very memorable. I wish I could write more about it, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. But it worth to read the whole book even for this one scene :-)

Story is multidimensional, the writer skillfully weaves different threads to make it more difficult to explain what really happened on the day of the murder. If you like crime novels written by Henning Mankell with Kurt Wallander in the main role (see top 5 best books by Henning Mankell), I think you will also be interested in inspector William Wisting’s adventures.

What I particularly like about Horst’s book? Details. It feels that author knows exactly what he writes. In a few words he can accurately describe the steps in an ongoing investigation. I must admit that Horst came up with a really interesting character.

History has a few flaws (including that one of the threads is quite predictable), but the whole story is so interesting that I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new author of detective stories or just well-written crime story to read. Buy Closed Winter on Amazon.com! :-)

Great book: Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime by Val McDermid - review

Scottish writer Val McDermid, who specialise in crime novels, decided her time to write about real crimes and on their examples show how the development of forensic science changed the way of conducting investigations. It's called Forensic. The Anatomy of Crime and this is an incredible and interesting book!

The true face of forensics. Many people gets the knowledge about modern forensics from television and movies, especially from "CSI" series, but according to McDermid this production completely distorted the image of  modern forensic science.

That's why "Quite a number of jurors began to believe that DNA testing is an essential part of any investigation" - writes McDermid - "although sometimes they are simply unnecessary, because already collected sufficient evidence and it makes no sense to spend additional funds on unnecessary and expensive tests". But - as the author admits - "there are also those who argue that the CSI effect of improved general knowledge of the public on forensic techniques, even if you are doing it exactly oblivion".

Interestingly, McDermid notes that even people working in the police, who love to watch crime stories, sometimes forget the principle that "it is not worth reaching for some kind of cosmic inventions if these same effects obtained in a simpler and cheaper way."

One of the interviewees says to the author: "I remember once we found stabbed man and the officer immediately offered us to do testing for the presence of metal particles in the wound, to prove that the victim actually killed knife. He needs to be explained that it is not necessary, since the blade is still stuck in the flesh".

Many times, however, without the help of scientists many crimes committed all over the world today would not have been clarified and their perpetrators would go free. It is thanks to the passion and titanic work of the whole staff of technical professionals, that so many the investigations may result in the detection of the murderer.

Val McDermid writes about the development of forensic science in an interesting and gripping manner. She talks with passion about its individual domains and their development over the centuries, but does not sweep under the carpet the sins of some scientists or concerns that arise with the widespread use of certain methods.

The writer gives spectacular examples where using some innovating methods (eg. by comparing the vein structure!) leads to the detection of the perpetrator, but also mentions cases in which the experts were wrong and what led to the conviction of innocent people.

What is forensics
While reading the book we learn how forensic was born as a science. We learn about the work of Edmond Locard, who was the founder of the famous laboratory investigations and wrote a manual explaining the basis for that new method. He formulated the basic principle of forensic science, "every contact leaves a trace" which is still current. Thanks to a painstaking and meticulous research, both at crime scenes and in the lab, technicians work has an increasing influence on the investigation.

Another interesting subject in the book are study of fires, entomology, forensic medicine, toxicology, fingerprint examination, DNA testing and blood spatter. How anthropology is used in the investigation, what use is the facial reconstruction, computer forensics and forensic psychology. And finally the author describes how all the evidence are presented in the courtroom and what follows in the process.

The whole consists of 400 pages and it is a sensational and entertaining reading.

This is fascinating book. I learned a lot from it I recommend this title to anyone! Really. Buy this book on Amazon! :-)

Finders Keepers by Stephen King - book review

Stephen King's latest novel is really great. One of my favorite writers once again proves that he can still create a compelling story that you want to read through as soon as possible.

Although this is a continuation of the novel Mr. Mercedes (see review), which is the first book where retired detective called Bill Hodges appears, you can read Finders Keepers even without knowing the previous history.

I emphasize this because latest Stephen King's novel is better and I would not want anyone to discourage from Finders Keepers just because they don't know Mr. Mercedes. This is an independent story, in which Bill Hodges appears only on the second plan.

Finders Keepers - description of the book
In the latest novel written by Stephen King the most important characters are: Morris Bellamy and Peter Saubers. The first one kills world-known writer - John Rothstein in 1978.

Bellamy did not kill for money or because Rothstein has stopped writing books, but because in his last book the famous character that this writer had created - the nonconformist Jimmy Gold - has sold himself for a career in advertising.

However, Bellamy wants to know how the story of Gold ended. That's why he breaks into Rothstein's house, forcing him to reveal where he keeps a safe full of manuscripts and money, and when he kills him.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is captured and locked away for another crime he committed.

Decades later, in 2010, a teenage named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that detective Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after serving a thirty-five years sentence.

Buy this book! (on Amazon :))
I recommend Finders Keepers by Stephen King, because it is well written, interesting thriller. I like that the story is stretched over several decades and told from several perspectives. More over, it is impossible to accurately guess how the story will end.

Stephen King talks about the obsession with literature, which can be so overwhelming that it becomes more important than reality and sometimes even can push somebody to madness. In this novel an author was murdered by a fan, who did not like the ending of his book!

I have already written in the post about Stephen King, that I am full of admiration for his hard work, passion and ideas. I love that he likes to write so much and wants to continue doing so, because it makes him happy.

I am glad that Stephen King does not retire. That's why I cannot wait for his next book :-)
See Finders Keepers on Amazon >

Gone Girl - great book and movie

Very rarely after watching a movie I find myself wanting to buy the novel on which the film was based on. That is exactly what happened when I saw Gone Girl directed by David Fincher.

This history is so great that even though I already know the key points, surprising twists and strong ending, I bought the novel by Gillian Flynn to see how this story was written.

Interestingly, Gillian Flynn also wrote the screenplay for David Fincher's movie!

Gone Girl - the story
According to an official description: „On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?„

David Fincher, director of such films as Seven, Fight Club and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, created a thriller that develops slowly. gradually increasing tension until about the middle of the movie, when action begins to speed up and since then it is difficult to tear yourself away from the screen.

Movie and novel - a strong finale
The movie is worth seeing but also you should definitely read the novel to the end, because the finale is really, really great. I would like to tell you more about it and explain why I think it is so good, but I do not want to spoil the surprise and deprive you of these emotions that accompany while watching this movie or reading the novel.

Gone Girl is an interesting thriller about marriage, trust, betrayal, revenge and emotions that are associated with all of the above.

Even if you watched the movie, be sure to read the novel. You will not be disappointed!

Buy a novel on Amazon >

See the movie on Amazon >

Buy the movie on DVD >

Interesting biography of Stephen King by Lisa Rogak

Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King is an unauthorized Stephen King's biography written by Lisa Rogak. If you want to know how Stephen began his career, reach for this book.

For forty years Stephen King published books that have sold in hundreds of millions of copies. I'm a big fan of his work and I've read all this novels, short stories and books (like Dance Macabre and On Writing). See my top ten best novels by Stephen King >

I also read the biography of the King of Horror written by Lisa Rogak. Even if you know facts from King's life from e.g. Wikipedia or this autobiography On Writing, you should read this book. Why? Because it is well-written, contains lots of anecdotes and comments of King's friends and family.

Rogak writes also how Stephen King fared with fame, fans and critics. Besides, there is a lot of information in it about the circumstances in which Stephen King created his stories, so you can look at his novels with a completely new perspective.

This is a official description of a book:
"One of the most prolific and popular authors in the world today, Stephen King has become part of pop culture history. His best-selling novels such as Carrie, It, Christine, and many others have captured the imaginations of millions of readers. But who is the man behind those tales of horror, grief, and the supernatural? Where do these ideas come from? And what drives him to keep writing at a breakneck pace after a thirty year career?

In this unauthorized biography, Lisa Rogak reveals the troubled background and lifelong fears that inspire one of the twentieth century's most influential authors. Despite his dark and disturbing work, Stephen King has become revered by critics and his countless fans as an all-American voice more akin to Mark Twain than H. P. Lovecraft. Haunted Heart chronicles his story, revealing the character of a man who has created some of the most memorable and frightening stories found in literature today." (from Amazon)

Stephen King still writes
This is a good book, but you have to remembered that Rogak has written it in 2008, when Stephen King published Just After Sunset - collection of short stories. Since then a lot has changed. On the market there are seven new novels by Stephen King. Latest novel - Revival - which is the seventh since 2008, has premiered on the 11th November this year. A new collection of short stories and several TV series based on his work also add up to his achievements.

It is clear that Stephen King, though sometimes he says that he plans to retire, still does not meet his threats, right? :-) Although he could live a comfortable life with what he has earned, still he creates and shares with readers the new great stories.

I read "Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King" with curiosity and I recommend it to anyone.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King - book review

I love Stephen King's books. I'm always impressed by his hard work, imagination and skills to create an interesting story. Mr Mercedes, his latest novel, is another of them.

If you want to know why I'm such a big fan of the works of this author, see my ranking of best books written by Stephen King.

Is it worth to read Mr Mercedes? I'm convinced that the answer is: yes. This is the most straight-up mystery-thriller in King's bibliography and it's good.

In Mr Mercedes we have a classic battle between good and evil: on one hand, there is Brady, who plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over many innocent people, and escapes. One year after the police still doesn't have any suspects.

On the other hand, there's Kermit William Hodges, a retired cop, who is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges decides to catch the killer, before he strikes again. William has no time to lose, because Brady's next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands of people.

This is only a brief description of the book Mr Mercedes (see full description), but from the beginning we know who is the killer, so no spoilers here :-). The bigger question is whether and how Hodges will connect all the information and find Brady?

The action takes place over almost 500 pages, but we are not dealing with painstaking police work, but more of a psychological war between the murderer and the detective. The book is very well written, has interesting plot, characters and dialogues. 

That's why I think that Mr Mercedes is successful King's debut in a detective genre, but if you want to know best works of Stephen King, I encourage you to read titles from my ranking of King's novels.

If you are going on vacation, a long journey or just want to read a good crime book, go ahead and reach for the Mr Mercedes. It will most certainly catch your attention.

Top 10 best books by David Baldacci

David Baldacci has a law degree and practiced law for nine years, but he doesn't creates stricte legal or court thrillers. This novelist writes thrillers that have more action in them and hes doing it really well. So if you are looking for titles from this genre, you should definitely get one of books written by Baldacci.

This American writer has published more than 20 titles and created several series (including Camel Club and with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell), as well as many stand-alone novels.

Baldacci made his debut in 1996 with the novel Absolute Power, which immediately became the worldwide bestseller. A year later, the novel was made into a movie - Absolute Power (1997) - with Clint Eastwood (who is also a director of this movie), Ed Harris and Gene Hackman.

Now this author has millions of sold copies of his novels. Fully deserved!

I like books by David Baldacci – they are well written, dynamic, always with an interesting story and a surprising ending. It's worth to read his novels, which is why I choose the books which in my opinion are the best novels written by David Baldacci. I encourage you to read them.

This is my ranking of best novels by David Baldacci:

1. Absolute Power (see description)

2. Stone Cold (see description)

3. Wish You Well (see description)

4. The Winner (see description)

5. Divine Justice (see description)

6. Split Second (see description)

7. The Innocent (see description)

8. The Hit (see description)

9. The Target – latest David Baldacci's book (see description)

10. Total Control (see description)

I think if you are looking for a new thrillers or wondering which of the books written by Baldacci to read first - see one of the titles above. I guarantee it will be a good read :-)

Review: Jeff Abbott - Panic

If you are looking for an interesting and well-written thriller to take for a long journey or you just have a free evening, reach for the novel Panic by Jeff Abbott. It will be good choice. 

Jeff Abbott is an author of over ten mystery, crime and suspense novels. Before he decided to become full time writer, Abbott worked as a creative director at an advertising agency.

Panic, which was first released in 2005, is an excellent example of the scheme: a common man is suddenly in unexpected danger and must fight against opponents to be able to return to his normal life.

Here is a description of the book from Amazon:
„Evan Casher is a successful documentary filmmaker with a perfect life- until the day his mother is brutally murdered. Suddenly pursued by a ruthless circle of killers, Evan discovers his entire past has been a carefully constructed lie. With only one chance at survival and no one he can trust, Evan must discover the shocking truth about his family and himself...”

I other words Evan, while trying to find his father, meets FBI agents, brutal killers, spies and mysterious people from his parents' past. He wants to get his revenge on the people who murdered his mother and uncover all the secrets about his family.

What I like most about this novel? The story with a surprising finale. It is a very interesting idea. However, I think that the author could have included more detail into the plot, which would make the story more credible. But if you are looking for a good thriller for the free evening or as a gift for a thriller lover, Panic wirtten by Jeff Abbott is a title ideal for you and I encourage you to read it.

Joyland by Stephen King - review

Finally! There is a new book written by the king of horror. Stephen King - to the delight of his fans – still writes great novels. His latest one - Joyland - is a must read for everyone who likes crime and mystery!

Some time ago I wrote about 10 best books by Stephen King. I think that if someone did not read his earlier novels, he should start with any of the previous titles.

However, if you already read some of the books written by King you should reach for the Joyland immediately, because in tis one the writer confirms that he is a great author with extraordinary imagination and workshop skills. He perfectly creates the characters, a mood and a story.

What is Joyland about? 
"Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever" (see full description on Amazon).

Interestingly, the book is available only as a paperback. Why this decision?

"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book." - said Stephen King.

What is my opinion about Joyland? The book is great, I highly recommended it. So if you have a birthday soon and the family asks you what you would like to get for a present - Joyland is a good answer :). Everyone else should buy a novel for themselfs, for example on Amazon :)

Top 5 novels by Dan Brown

Usually, I make a list of the ten best books of the author, but with Dan Brown this is not possible, because he wrote only five novels :). That's why this time I created a list of all novels sorted from the best to the weakest.

First Dan Brown's novel I have read was The Da Vinci Code - like I guess most people did. The novel had spectacular marketing, but for me all the things which are associated with this book, all the conspiracy theories, criticism of the Catholic Church, etc. didn't really matter.

What matters is that The Da Vinci Code reads really well. I was fascinated by the writer's workshop, the narration (short chapters ending at an important time, which force you to read further just to see what happens next) and the general plot and characters. This is a good thriller.

I got interested in other novels by Dan Brown and that is why I read his earlier books: Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and his newest - Last Symbol - which came six years after the publication of The Da Vinci Code.

I recommend to read The Da Vinci Code first, which is probably not surprising. I think that the plot is more interesting is Angels & Demons, but the structure of this book is not quite as good as in The Da Vinci Code (narration is slow in the beginning, there are too much explanations, the real action starts just somewhere in the middle). That's why Angels & Demons you should read second :).

This is my list of best novels by Dan Brown:

1. The Da Vinci Code (see description)

2. Angels & Demons (see description)

3. Deception Point (see description)

4. The Lost Symbol (see description)

5. Digital Fortress (see description)

If you already known adventures of world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, get the Deception Point – very interesting, surprising and well-written political thriller, where NASA is involved in the plot. You certainly won't be bored!

Review: Between by Jessica Warman - great mystery book for teens

Jessica Warman is an author of Breathless (2010 Best Book for Young Adults) and Where the Truth Lies. Between is her third well written novel for teenagers.

Some writers begin to write their books by asking "what if". Others reach for the memories of their childhood – and that's what Jessica Warman has done. In the description of her biography (e.g. on the Amazon) we can find the information that "The idea for Between came from an incident in her childhood, when a local boy went missing after a party on a yacht (Eventually he was found, alive)."

But the plot of the novel is quite different. The main character Elizabeth Valchar - very pretty and popular girl - wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her friends. Elizabeth quickly realized that no one sees nor hears her. Why? Because she is dead and now a ghost.

From publisher's description: "Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman displayed brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, they also that is a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go."

We are dealing with a major mystery (what happened in the night, whether it was an accident or not?), but as we read the book there are more unknowns, secrets come to light and it turns out that everyone had something on their conscience.

It's not an outstanding book, nor especially surprising (fairly easy to guess the ending). This said, I think that Between is a good book, well written and with interesting plot. Especially for teens, but not only. I finished high school ages ago ;-), but also I like it.

The author skillfully shows how Eliza is evolving under the influence of new events, how from the spoiled child she becomes mature and wiser. There are also some touching moments :). But - in my opinion - the main advantage of the book is that it forces us to reflect on how we ourselves treat others in school, family, work, etc.

Therefore, if you are wondering what to buy for some young adult (close friend, aunt's daughter, etc.) - you should definitely look up this novel.

Reviews on Amazon also confirm that this is an interesting book. On 35 reviews 16 people gave it 5 stars, and 17 gave 4. So I encourage you to read Between by Jessica Warman! :)