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The Wonderland Murders

The Wonderland Murders

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $10.17
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Debut
Review: Braithwaite has broken onto the mystery scene in a dramatic fashion with The Wonderland Murders. I heard him speak at Bouchercon, Cluefest, and Left Coast Crime. I liked his book and I hope future Jesse Ascencio novels are just as good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terrific, Well Written Mystery
Review: Jesse Asconcio, Hispanic former FBI man, then politician, and now PI and part-time poet, is called to take a look at a dead woman hanging in his-father-in law's amusement park, Wonderland. Police and Jesse soon learn the dead woman was a call girl. And Jesse knows full well that his father-in-law and brothers-in-law frequently make use of the same escort service where the dead woman worked for $750 a night. Within two days another corpse is discovered shot to death at Wonderland, this time a known pimp. Next day, another murder, this time a Wonderland employee stabbed in the House of Horrors. The investigation, headed by Jesse's friend, who happens to be a black detective, begins in earnest, and the male in-laws all find themselves implicated. A woman shows up in Jesse's PI office and drops $2,000 on him to find the daughter she gave up for adoption 17 years ago. Jesse soon finds himself deeply involved in the investigation of the murders, the missing daughter, a prostitution ring and a nasty smuggling ring--more than enough to keep one PI busy for a while. This is a great mystery! The Wonderland ambiance, the detectives working to solve the murders, the vagaries of the wealthy and degenerate--all of these elements blend and work well. I liked the multicultural aspect; the characters were true to life in all cases. And I loved Jesse's relationship with his wife and children--a poignant and different touch for a PI of any nationality. In fact, after the first mention, I never gave a thought to anyone's nationality; it didn't matter to me because they were all so good at their jobs. Excellent work, Kent! My husband, my daughter, and I all loved this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Wonderland
Review: I liked this mystery. It has an interesting detective as well as enjoyable supporting characters. The plots runs well, and author Braithwaite obviously knows his setting. The amusement park was created thoroughly and the villians were delightfully rendered. The final plot twist was unexpected. Good first effort.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The New (Brown) Face of Orange County
Review: Kent Braithwaite's Jesse Ascencio, his private eye hero in his debut mystery, The Wonderland Murders, represents the new face of Orange County. Jesse has a brown face, and he is a positive role model for the Hispanic population in Orange County. As a Latina and a lifelong resident Orange County, I was impressed by this mystery. Braithwaite has his finger on the socio-economic pulse of this region. I enjoyed the play Braithwaite gave to the various ethnic groups who are jockeying for position in our new social order. Jesse's a poet and a private investigator. He is married to an white woman, and his best friend is a black man. These characters represent today's Orange County, and, to a lesser extent, today's new America. Some murders occur at an amusement park owned by Jesse's Newport Beach father-in-law, and his investigation into this Asian woman's theat leads Jesse into entanglements with a prostitution ring. And several more homicides. The story rings true. The dialog reads well. The social message is rewarding. Brathwaite's The Wonderland Murders is a fine first novel.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Racist
Review: This novel was filled with racial and gender stereotypes, was way too predictable and often lagged in places. The characters were often unrealistic, unlikeable and uncreative, the dialogue was rigid and the narration was worse.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Unusual Mystery
Review: I enjoyed this book. It was an unusual mystery set in a usual mystery setting--Southern California. I feel the author has a firm grasp on his Hispanic protagonist and the ethnically diverse social scene in Southern California. The mystery of the story also worked for me. I recommend The Wonderland Murders highly.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a find!
Review: The publicity Kent Braithwaite has received from Newsweek is well-deserved. Braithwaite's "The Wonderland Murders" is quite possibly the best novel I have yet to read. It is a stunning debut, probably filled with gorgeous prose and a thrilling plot that must twist and turn like a pretzel. "The Wonderland Murders" does accomplishes what only truly great literature can. You reach the last sentence and you turn back to the beginning hoping to regain the experience of reading something true for the first time. The

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WONDERFUL MYSTERY
Review: I first heard about this book in a mystery bookstore in Old Sacramento, and I've now eventually read it. I wish I'd read it sooner. THE WONDERLAND MURDERS is a wonderful mystery. You ought to read it soon. It really captures the spirit of California and Californians.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Read IT!
Review: I'm a college student, and I enjoyed reading this book this past summer. It captures the Hispanic perspective in today's America. It is a good story about a detective in California. I loved the subject and the book. Read it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good California Mystery
Review: If you like California PI novels, you'll like this book. The book reminds me of an updated Hammett/Chandler work. As I read it, I heard echoes of Crais, Connelly, and Grafton in the prose. I recommend The Wonderland Murders highly. I hope you enjoy it.


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