Ellen HarrisRezensionen

A friend (ACC) sent me this book. My rating is probably colored by reading another book from the series just before this one and being more involved with that plot than I was with this one. I can't quite figure out why this book didn't grip me--perhaps I never grew to care for any of the "mysterious strangers" in the house across the street or perhaps it was because so much was made of Abby's pneumonia recovery (which while probably realistic makes for quite boring reading and seems to serve the sole purpose of allowing Abby to have the time to sit around in the downstairs room and spy on the new neighbors.) I'm tired enough--I don't have to read about someone else being tired. Though I can understand Abby's thoughts: her impatience to be out and about, her feeling tired but also feeling tired of resting.

I didn't guess the truth behind the mystery. Maybe I should have.

I liked the idea of the birdhouse that Bobby and Katia made for Abby.

I've read several books in this series. This title was passed on to me by a friend.

I always like to try to figure out where the title came from or how it ties in to the book. This book has several characters with reflections into their pasts.

George--a WWII vet--whose nightmares were previously only known to his wife--when he suffers an injury that lands him in the hospital, others notice his restless sleep. Once he's home, they encourage him to talk about what turns out to be Operation Tiger.

Abby--returns to her former employer, Cornell University, to attend a seminar. Will she be tempted to return by the prestige or because she misses her former colleagues and work?

Mary--her father's injury brings back memories of her own injury and rehabilitation

Brian is returning home as a sort of prodigal son. He became a bit of a partier in college and almost failed out. Then, he ran off. But now, he is returning home and hoping to resume his college career.

I am a bit sad to leave Sparrow Island again--at least for a time as I have no more books from the series currently.

I liked this book about Christmas on Sparrow Island with all the usual characters but a new face on the island, Tony Malachy, has Abby suddenly distrustful of his motives. Tony really seems too good to be true for a young man. Why is he so interested in the older widow ladies? Is he a con man? Abby keeps a sharp eye on him as he seems to be helpful and almost an angel to everyone else. I really liked the story of the angel pictures and almost wish that I could see those pictures. Good story!

Another good story about Sparrow Island. This time the yew trees are being stripped of bark on one side and Abby is determined to find who is doing it. Neighbor Bobby also has started his own detective agency to figure out who is taking half of someone's lunch at school. Abby becomes distrustful of everyone and needs to learn to not judge and to forgive people. Things take a scary turn when Bobby is missing. Can Abby find him safe?

This book (#2) had a bit more mystery than the first book--why did a plane crash and where are the two people who were in the plane? There is also a side story about a mobility assistance (Service) dog that Mary's children got for her. I enjoyed both--though the search and rescue story is a bit more compelling than the service dog part--I did enjoy learning all the things a mobility assistance dog can do, however, and I am glad that Mary learned to love Finnegan despite her early resistance to the idea of a dog. I am also glad that Henry and Mary worked through her fears about their relationship to come to an understanding.

My purpose for reading this book was to get info on the murder of Tina Isa for a school paper about honor killing. The author clearly did a lot of research and the book seems to pull together a lot of information and background related to the case. However, I didn't like that the names of some involved (family members, friends) in this true crime story were fictionalized. I'm assuming the author agreed to alter names in exchange for interviews, but it seemed ridiculous since some of the names left out (Tina's sisters, for example) are available in newspaper articles. The book is a bit hard to follow because it jumps around rather than presents things chronologically. Also, in spots it's hard to tell if the author is giving straight fact or embellishing to make the book a better read.

I would love to know if Tina's sisters or other US family members read the book, and what they thought.½