The Wonderland Murders

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Summary: From TV to My Bookshelf--Great Book!
Review: I first heard of this book when I saw Kent Braithwaite (along with his daughter) being interviewed on CBS television in Anchorage. He was in town for a mystery convention, and THE WONDERLAND MURDERS sounded like an interesting book. I bought the book, and I finished reading it in two days. It tells a fast-paced and exciting story about a series of murders in a California amusement park. Having grown up in the American Southwest, I enjoyed the Latino detective and the multicultural setting. It reminded me of home, and I've shared my copy with friends who have also enjoyed it. It's a great book, and I am glad THE WONDERLAND MURDERS moved from CBS-TV to my bookshelf!

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Summary: Wow! It's About Time for Mysteries Like this One!
Review: Wow! It's about time for mysteries like this one! According to the latest Census data, the Latino population has become the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. THE WONDERLAND MURDERS introduces a private eye who is perfectly representative of our ethnicity. Jesse Ascencio is a professional Hispanic man with roots in America's working class. He's a lot like people I know, except he is a private cop, a tough private cop. He's confronted with a series of murders at an amusement park in suburban Los Angeles. Working comfortably in the multicultural wonderland that southern California has become, Jesse investigates these murders and eventually solves the crimes after confronting exploitation and personal danger in any number of guises. THE WONDERLAND MURDERS also introduces a fascinating, and culturally diverse, group of supporting characters. Jesse's Anglo wife. His parents and in-laws. His darling children. His best friend--a black cop. THE WONDERLAND MURDERS is obviously the first mystery in a new series. Bring on the next book! Viva Jesse Ascencio!

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Summary: Kent Braithwaite's Sparkling Debut
Review: Every so often a mystery series debuts that simply sparkles. Kent Braithwaite's new series starring Jesse Ascencio, a Hispanic PI who operates along the Southern California coast, is one of those. I genuinely enjoyed THE WONDERLAND MURDERS. Braithwaite's story and characters reminded me of those I found in the works of Robert Parker, Ross Macdonald, and Dennis Lehane. The main plot and the subplots tied together perfectly in the end. The novel was both entertaining and enlightening. This book deserves to be widely read. I am eagerly anticipating the next mystery in this series. I hope it will be even more wonderful than WONDERLAND.

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Summary: Murder Near the Surf
Review: Southern California is a land of sun, stars, surf, and sand. In The Wonderland Murders, Kent Braithwaite brings murder to a California theme park. With a Mexician detective leading the action, the book is stunning. I loved it, and it gives Latinos another new hero to root for in multicultural southern Cal. I enjoyed the way different ethnic groups interacted in the story, and how the detective kept his cool and proved to be the hero I was hoping he would be. I liked the cover, and I'm wondering where that roller coaster actually is, if it does actually exist. Excellent modern mystery.

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Summary: Fresh Mystery by New Master
Review: First came Hammett in the twenties and the thirties. Then came Chandler in the thirties and the forties. Ross Macdonald covered the next three decades, and Robert Parker assisted by several women--Muller, Grafton, Paretsky, and Barnes come most prominently to mind--handled the next twenty years. Now, first time author, Kent Braithwaite arrives with a hard-boiled mystery for the next millennium. THE WONDERLAND MURDERS is set along the west coast as Y2K flips. It has a contemporary plot tackling social issues and all forms of exploitation. Wonderland is an amusement park. Wonderland is a Disneyland of Death. Murders happen as pages turn in this fast-paced work. 300 pages zip by. The ending is shocking yet enlightening. Jesse Ascencio, Braithwaite's poetry-writing Latino private eye, has the potential of becoming the next Spenser.

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Summary: Absolutely WONDERful!
Review: One of the greatest books I've read! I couldn't put it down...The action and suspense kept me reading it all night through the end. I can definitely see it as a movie!

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Summary: Wonderland Murders--A True Wonder
Review: The Wonderland Murders has it all--entertainment, suspense, cultural diversity, and artistic substance. Once I had met the P.I. and his family, I couldn't put the book down until it was finished. I'm now working on my second reading, discovering subtleties I had missed the first time. Anyone who enjoys amusement parks, mysteries, gambling, or Orange County will thoroughly enjoy this mystery novel.

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Summary: Wathch out...This book has NOTHING to do with John Holmes
Review: Braithwaithe must be making a lot of money off suckers like me who bought his book, thinking it had to do with THE Wonderland murders.
And I think it terribly wrong that Amazon is placing this piece of fiction in with the non-fiction of the Wonderland story. Amazon must count on people like me who'd rather just donate the book to a library, rather than go through all the damn trouble of sending the thing back.
I am pissed, not at Braithwaite, but at Amazon.

Rating:
Summary: This Guy's For Real
Review: This guy's for real. Terrific author. Terrific book. The Wonderland Murders concerns a Hispanic private investigator and a series of murders that involve his family. It is set at a Disneyland-type amusement park owned by his wife's family. Moving beyond the theme park, the novel captures the lifestyle lived among the diverse multicultural landscape of coastal California. The story is well-written with plot surprises yet clues cleverly planted throughout the tale. Braithwaite knows what he's doing. He's for real. This book is a solid mystery and a great read.

Rating:
Summary: dull and predictable
Review: The book has an interesting premise but the plotting proved dull and predictable, the writing stiff, and the characters one-dimensional. If you want an example of California Noir at its best try Raymond Chandler or Ross McDonald instead.