Kicks & Stones

Reviewed by Kerliza Foon for Readers' Favorite Karl Fields' novel Kicks & Stones: Kate Albertson Mysteries Book 1 is a quirky, fun-filled adventure. Kate is not your average girl next door. She is passionate about her job in "Acquisitions," whether it is jewelry or your most wanted prize possessions, if it is for the right price. But what happens when on one of her Acquisitions trips, a murder happens and she's the prime suspect? Now she has to solve the murder to stay out of jail or forever spend her life on the run. The story starts off slowly but then, as you get used to Kate's personality, you get to see the quirky kind of person she is. Anagrams are not just found in the comic sections to get kids to try out their spelling skills. Kate's way of taking even just people's names and objects and rearranging them to create something new has you laughing and finding humor in some of the oddest situations she ends up in. The cast of characters is well defined and even though one of them is clearly the killer, you have a hard time pinpointing it, which keeps you in suspense. This page turner, although in first person, clearly portrays the emotions that seem to be felt by the other characters so you are not left in the dark as to how they feel. I recommend this book to those who love mystery novels but do not want the romance aspect. It has some slight moments where it is mentioned, but it is not a factor in the novel. I loved the book.

3.5 stars When you are reading a story based in Hollywood, I guess it's safe to expect a few clichés and stereotypes. But the abundance of them in the start of the book paired with some unnecessarily rich vocabulary here and there may put off a potential reader from the good story that follows. Otherwise, I liked the book and it's a nice read to finish in one sitting. It's simple, flowy, and fun. The mystery is enough to keep you going, and there are enough characters and their stories to keep you occupied. But it felt pushed in certain places. I liked the play on anagrams and would've liked to see more of it, maybe as a plot device. However, I found a few things to be a little silly. Like why Kate would stay back in Denise's apartment to read her journal rather than leave right away when it’s the house of a homicide victim. At least, she didn’t do it again at Trammel's place. And if the police wanted to catch Kate so badly that they would sit on her house day and night and show up wherever Trammel asked them to, couldn't they have just tracked her cell phone that she was using, oh, so regularly. She was careful to avoid using her car and going to the ATM, but not her cellphone? Maybe Trammel managed to keep the police away from that because he wanted to catch her in the act. Maybe. Overall, it’s light, funny, steady-paced and without the disgusting elements that a lot of mystery writers are including these days. It's a well-written book for a newbie writer.