Square in the Face: A Claire Montrose Mystery (Claire Montrose Mysteries (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: MULTIPLE MYSTERIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
Review: April Henry has written another excellent book, I agree with the good reviews. What I liked was plate numbers, it makes the book last longer and makes you think. In Circle of Confusion, I also spent a good couple of hours looking at the art of Vermeer. Great fun.

Rating:
Summary: MULTIPLE MYSTERIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
Review: April Henry has written another excellent book, I agree with the good reviews. What I liked was plate numbers, it makes the book last longer and makes you think. In Circle of Confusion, I also spent a good couple of hours looking at the art of Vermeer. Great fun.

Rating:
Summary: GRTSTUF!
Review: Square in the Face by April Henry is the second in the Claire Montrose mysteries. It's a heart grabber when Claire starts looking for a matching marrow donor for an old friend's dying son. In the meantime Claire's mother is buying everything her new best friends on TV's home shopping network are selling. Lots of family secrets! This is a wonderful story with terrific characters. I loved Charlie, Claire's roommate. It is fun watching Claire rediscover her family, too. Humor, a little love interest, lots of intrigue, and some sad history, too. As with any mystery, the 'bad guys' leave their mark but our Claire is not going to let them get away with it. This is a strong follow-up to Henry's first book, Circles of Confusion, and moves this series onto my 'must buy' list. April Henry is a sharp young writer with ever-increasing skills, a superb imagination, and the wit to use them well.

Rating:
Summary: GRTSTUF!
Review: Square in the Face by April Henry is the second in the Claire Montrose mysteries. It's a heart grabber when Claire starts looking for a matching marrow donor for an old friend's dying son. In the meantime Claire's mother is buying everything her new best friends on TV's home shopping network are selling. Lots of family secrets! This is a wonderful story with terrific characters. I loved Charlie, Claire's roommate. It is fun watching Claire rediscover her family, too. Humor, a little love interest, lots of intrigue, and some sad history, too. As with any mystery, the 'bad guys' leave their mark but our Claire is not going to let them get away with it. This is a strong follow-up to Henry's first book, Circles of Confusion, and moves this series onto my 'must buy' list. April Henry is a sharp young writer with ever-increasing skills, a superb imagination, and the wit to use them well.

Rating:
Summary: CLAIRE SUCCESSFUL AGAIN
Review: Square in the Face is April Henry's second book which gives her readers another exciting and interesting look into the life of Claire Montrose. Claire is a former employee of the state of Oregon. Fortunately, for her, she has escaped the drudgery of state employment and now has time to enjoy life, her handsome boyfriend, and to help a friend, and former co-worker, who has a really big problem. Little does Claire know when she says that she will help, that she will find herself smack in the middle of a very dangerous undertaking. April Henry does a great job making Claire and her adventures real. And the really fun thing about April's book is how readily the reader can identify with Claire. If you're look for a fun read with some real life drama, this is the book for you. Sit back, relax, and prepare to have a really enjoyable visit with a very interesting and engaging young woman.

Rating:
Summary: Square in the Face
Review: This is a must have!! Excellent writing...very good characterization. I simply love her main character, she could be my best friend!! A book very well done.

Rating:
Summary: I'll be looking for more in this series
Review: This is my first dip into the Claire Montrose series, but now I plan to hunt down the rest of April Henry's books. The mystery plot was twisty enough to keep me compulsively turning pages despite the blizzard battering my old house and the kids converting the playroom into the ninth circle of Toy Hell. But the real pleasure of Henry's work lies in her vivid characterizations. Claire Montrose, her friends, and her family are people you want to know, want to listen to, want to follow off the pages into real life. I was disappointed when I reached the end and there was no more (and not just because it meant I had to shovel off the porch and pick up 857 action figures.) Sure to please lovers of cozies with a modern edge.

Rating:
Summary: An easy read
Review: This latest book by April Henry is a quick and easy read. An excellent book for an airplane trip or the beach. Slightly better than her first book Circles of Confusion, Square in the Face still lacks the depth and "completion" to be a "great" mystery. There are trails leading in all directions and not all of the answers are forthcoming. Still, this book is fun entertainment and worthy of a relaxing read.

Rating:
Summary: Clumsy fluff
Review: Unless you are a mystery genre junkie in need of a fix, any fix, I would not go here. I am sorry to be harsh but I just don't see how this book was accepted for publication. It reads as if written by a presumptious 9th grader. The characters are walking lists of traits void of genuine psychological nuance. I once lived in Portland, Oregon but do not recognize it as the half-evoked setting of this story. Facts morph, like the French twist on one page that becomes a French braid on another. Facts are overlooked: if you introduce a contemporary unattached adult female character from a working class background who apparently has no day job, please clue the rest of the world in on how to succeed at living without being gainfully employed! I did not read the first book in this series and thus do not have any background information other than vague, confusing references to a painting. Send the author back to school. Make her study literature, traditional and contemporary, classical and pop, written by and for adults. Make her study the conventions of fiction writing. Explain what Chekov meant by showing a gun in the first act. Throw in a course on human psychology. Then hire a proactive editor. Light fare does not have to be devoid of nutrients.

Rating:
Summary: Claire Outwits An Evil Doctor
Review: When a friend's son needs a bone marrow transplant, she asks Claire Montrose to help her find a lost daughter. Claire feigns pregnancy to gain entrance to a secret and expensive adoption agency. There, she learns of terrible secrets the doctor is willing to kill for. The clock is ticking for the friend's son and Claire tracks down the families who may have adopted the daughter. Claire is an engaging character who, at times, seems unaware of her beauty and wit. She's a regular gal who feels out of place with her new boyfriend's high society pals. This is the second of the series and loses a little focus as the author pulls threads from the last book, which are a little diluted in this story. None the less, very readable.