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Juliana Mysteries #1
Blackthorn Winter: A Murder Mystery
Fifteen-year-old American-born Juliana Martin-Drake attempts to solve a murder while visiting a seaside artists’ colony in England.
About the Author: Kathryn Reiss is the author of many mysteries for children and teens, including Time Windows, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and Edgar Award nominees, Pale Phoenix and Paper Quake. She lives with her family in northern California and is a Professor of English at Mills College.
About the Author: Kathryn Reiss is the author of many mysteries for children and teens, including Time Windows, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and Edgar Award nominees, Pale Phoenix and Paper Quake. She lives with her family in northern California and is a Professor of English at Mills College.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
9 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Reiss
25 books190 followersKathryn Reiss was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Ohio, and received B.A. degrees in English and German from Duke University, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. After college, she lived in Bonn, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar, and during this time wrote the first draft of her first novel, Time Windows.
Ms. Reiss is an award -winning author of 20 novels for kids and teens. She has been a Writer in Residence for the Princeton Arts Council, a recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant for Writers, and has been a featured speaker with (among others) Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, The Northern California Library Association, The International Reading Association, Fresno County Office of Education, California Reading Association, The American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives in Northern California with her husband and the last of her seven children still in the nest. She is a Full Professor of English at Mills College at Northeastern University, and also teaches in the low -residency MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Ms. Reiss is an award -winning author of 20 novels for kids and teens. She has been a Writer in Residence for the Princeton Arts Council, a recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant for Writers, and has been a featured speaker with (among others) Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, The Northern California Library Association, The International Reading Association, Fresno County Office of Education, California Reading Association, The American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives in Northern California with her husband and the last of her seven children still in the nest. She is a Full Professor of English at Mills College at Northeastern University, and also teaches in the low -residency MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
July 11, 2020
15-year-old Julianna's parents haven't been getting along since her father's architecture career started taking up all his time. Her mother decides to renew her neglected art career with a change -- moving back to England. Her three adopted Californian children aren't excited about leaving their father and schools, but they make the best of it. However, they have hardly arrived in Blackthorn before one of their new acquaintances -- an art school friend their mother had just gotten back in touch with -- is murdered. Locals are happy to pin the crime on the town "lager lout," Simon, but Julianna can't help but recall that practically everyone she's meet so far has expressed a wish to kill selfish, rude Liza. And when she starts investigating, it is clear that someone has something to hide. But is it Liza's murder, or an older secret?
This nice solid, traditional small-town murder mystery, of the sort where almost everyone has a motive for doing away with the unpleasant victim, or for lying to keep secrets. Reiss adds a nice twist by combining this with the (again, traditional and well-executed) YA themes of identity, familial change, and growing up. Repeated nosy questions about her adoption and "real" parents cause Julianna to wonder anew about the birth mother she can't remember, but who may have been British. What happened to her? Why can't Julianna, who was adopted at age 5, remember anything from her earlier life? Is she about to lose her second dad as well? And does that cute red-headed boy next door have a girlfriend?
Julianna's personal life and the mystery fit together very naturally and believably, although a couple elements were a bit too coincidental. Reiss does a great job giving minor characters depth, and I especially liked that the nine-year-old siblings were realistic kids with differing interests rather than the usual precocious or bratty cardboard-cut-out kids. Will definitely look for more by this author.
This nice solid, traditional small-town murder mystery, of the sort where almost everyone has a motive for doing away with the unpleasant victim, or for lying to keep secrets. Reiss adds a nice twist by combining this with the (again, traditional and well-executed) YA themes of identity, familial change, and growing up. Repeated nosy questions about her adoption and "real" parents cause Julianna to wonder anew about the birth mother she can't remember, but who may have been British. What happened to her? Why can't Julianna, who was adopted at age 5, remember anything from her earlier life? Is she about to lose her second dad as well? And does that cute red-headed boy next door have a girlfriend?
Julianna's personal life and the mystery fit together very naturally and believably, although a couple elements were a bit too coincidental. Reiss does a great job giving minor characters depth, and I especially liked that the nine-year-old siblings were realistic kids with differing interests rather than the usual precocious or bratty cardboard-cut-out kids. Will definitely look for more by this author.
August 6, 2009
Fairly typical murder mystery where it seems that EVERYBODY has a motive, but the person who actually did it is "the last person you'd expect". Only I DID suspect, and pretty early on.
The main character, Juliana, really got on my nerves; I couldn't sympathize with her much, and I felt like sometimes she was a little too inconsistent--it seemed like she reacted in certain ways just to move the plot along and not in ways that felt natural. And her past and the answer to the gaps in her memory were wrapped up sort of too ridiculously neatly and it just wasn't very believable. Honestly, I didn't care about her past and the gaps in her memory in the first place because the character just wasn't real enough for me to feel any interest in her whatsoever.
One more thing--it drives me CRAZY in mysteries when the killer has to go on and on and ON about how and why they committed the murder as they're attempting to kill someone else. I just can't imagine anyone behaving like that in real life, and I always saw it as a really weak way to justify the author's plot.
This turned out to be a little too flat and trite for me is all.
The main character, Juliana, really got on my nerves; I couldn't sympathize with her much, and I felt like sometimes she was a little too inconsistent--it seemed like she reacted in certain ways just to move the plot along and not in ways that felt natural. And her past and the answer to the gaps in her memory were wrapped up sort of too ridiculously neatly and it just wasn't very believable. Honestly, I didn't care about her past and the gaps in her memory in the first place because the character just wasn't real enough for me to feel any interest in her whatsoever.
One more thing--it drives me CRAZY in mysteries when the killer has to go on and on and ON about how and why they committed the murder as they're attempting to kill someone else. I just can't imagine anyone behaving like that in real life, and I always saw it as a really weak way to justify the author's plot.
This turned out to be a little too flat and trite for me is all.
December 28, 2022
The mystery is a lot more obvious than I remember it being when I read this at the age of 13, and Duncan is significantly more shitty of a crush than I recall, too. But it's still a delightful read!
Easily the best part about this book is the atmosphere. This is such a classic mystery vibe. Spooky dark beach? Small, quirky, ominously isolated English village? Cast of unsettling characters? Use of weather as foreshadowing (e.g. the whole concept of a "blackthorn winter")? Check, check, check, check. When you picture a mystery novel, this is what you picture. I like a book that delivers on its promises.
Also, reasonably nice writing and vocabulary (you don't see words like "dolorously" and "asperity" much in YA fic).
Easily the best part about this book is the atmosphere. This is such a classic mystery vibe. Spooky dark beach? Small, quirky, ominously isolated English village? Cast of unsettling characters? Use of weather as foreshadowing (e.g. the whole concept of a "blackthorn winter")? Check, check, check, check. When you picture a mystery novel, this is what you picture. I like a book that delivers on its promises.
Also, reasonably nice writing and vocabulary (you don't see words like "dolorously" and "asperity" much in YA fic).
dnf
January 24, 2024DNF'd at 58 pages
The writing wasn't engaging and I was already getting tired of the mystery set-up. The writing style reads younger, so I feel I'm just not the target audience.
The writing wasn't engaging and I was already getting tired of the mystery set-up. The writing style reads younger, so I feel I'm just not the target audience.
February 25, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the different characters and the setting. It kept you intrigued and turning pages until the end. :)
October 31, 2013
Grade: 5-6
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: None
I would use this while learning about point of view. For this novel I would have the students read this outside of class. Then they would pick a different character from the novel, and write a part of the story from his/her perspective. They would need to pay attention to detail and understand point of view.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: None
I would use this while learning about point of view. For this novel I would have the students read this outside of class. Then they would pick a different character from the novel, and write a part of the story from his/her perspective. They would need to pay attention to detail and understand point of view.
October 31, 2021
Kathryn Reiss has an unmatched quality of writing that takes you on a journey to a faraway land and leaves you speechless and enthralled until the very last word. I still remember reading her American Girl History Mystery books over a decade ago, and thinking, “Wow! These are great books!” Although I’ve read hundreds of books since then, I still remember those books better than almost every other book that I read during that time. Why? They were impeccably written and had stories that I had never read before and haven’t read since. While I absolutely loved those books, Blackthorn Winter was even more phenomenal and original. The characters were vivid and well-described and the setting was very accurately described. I felt as though I there with Juliana in the cold winter in England, smelling the salty sea air and meeting the townsfolk. I found myself desperately wanting hot milky tea (even though I’ve never been a tea person). I even looked up a recipe for sticky toffee pudding. That’s how good the details were. The mystery in this book was unmatched and I have to say that despite over two decades of reading mysteries, I didn’t figure out who the culprit was and was along for the journey until the end. The twists and turns made me ponder what was going on and I kept waiting for the truth to be revealed. It took patience, but the reveal was worth it. The story came together well and I was satisfied with the ending, albeit somewhat sad. I didn’t want the book to end, but when it did, I was content. I appreciate books that flow, and those in which the story can stand alone without needing a sequel to support it. This book didn’t need anything more- it was great on its own. I only wish Kathryn Reiss had dozens more books, but I know that the quality of this one is better than other books that I have read. Quality is much better than quantity, and I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone (teenagers or above), due to some scary moments and language. But this book and get ready for a book that will enthrall and entertain you until the very end. It’s 100% worth the read!
August 19, 2020
Over the summer I read Kathryn Reiss’ Blackthorn Winter. When year old Julianna moved away from her dad to England. Her mother moves her family to England to further her artistic side. Her parents are having a trial separation and throughout the book Julianna has to struggle with not being next to her father. When a murder happens Julianna is determined to find how the person and and who's the killer. I read Kathryn Reiss’ other book called Murder at heather stone Hall. One day I was at my local library looking for a book to read. A lady walks up to me when I’m looking at the other books next to murder at heather stone hall. She asks if I have read morder at heather stone hall and I say yes that’s it’s my favorite book I’ve ever read. She introduces herself as Kathryn Reiss. She was the author my my favorite book. She showed me this book of hers and said I would like it. I always thought that it was amazing that I met her. That is why I picked this book.
My ability to pick this book impacted my feeling about it because I have always thought it was very cool that I met the author and she recommended it to me. After meeting the author it encouraged me and made me excited to start the book. I also liked the other book I read by her and that also encouraged me to read this and to get excited. After reading one of her books and meeting her I knew I had to read the book. I knew I would love the book and it would keep me engaged the whole time. That is why the ability to choose my book influenced my feelings and engagement on reading the book.
My ability to pick this book impacted my feeling about it because I have always thought it was very cool that I met the author and she recommended it to me. After meeting the author it encouraged me and made me excited to start the book. I also liked the other book I read by her and that also encouraged me to read this and to get excited. After reading one of her books and meeting her I knew I had to read the book. I knew I would love the book and it would keep me engaged the whole time. That is why the ability to choose my book influenced my feelings and engagement on reading the book.
May 2, 2024
More of a children's book than young adult. Reminds me of a Scooby Doo story. An outdated story style. Like something written in the 50s or 60s. If I didn't need it for a challenge, I would have have abandoned it. But for children, it might be enjoyable.
May 31, 2020
Felt like a cheesy murder she wrote episode where everyone is a suspect. I stuck with it and the last third was better.
July 31, 2020
I highly enjoyed this book. The amount of mystery, and the action that got me clenching my fists. This was a must read
October 17, 2024
Was not good until last 20 pages. Not recommend
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October 19, 2021I’ve tried to read this one twice because I love the setting but honestly it’s just so boring! I feel like I could be reading a book I can really connect with
April 29, 2008
Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com
Fans of the Nancy Drew stories will enjoy this latest book by Kathryn Reiss. BLACKTHORN WINTER is a well-written "who done it?" mystery that leaves you wondering until the very end.
Blackthorn is a perfect place for a mystery to take place. It is a damp, gloomy town in England, an artist's colony with some very interesting residents. All the residents seem to be busybodies, knowing a little too much gossip and happenings in the town. It's a far cry from sunny California, where Juliana and her family used to live.
Her mom, facing a crumbling marriage and wanting to explore her artistic roots further, made Juliana and her brother and sister move to England with her. The adjustment wasn't easy - she was away from her Dad, her friends, and everything else she knew. England, at least where she was, didn't look like any of the pictures in the calendar Mom bought her. Even worse, Juliana had a constant nagging feeling that something wasn't right.
The book has two mysteries intertwined together. The first mystery that has to be solved is finding the murderer of Liza Pethering. As you delve further into the book you will discover that finding the culprit is easier said than done. The person arrested is the easy choice, but not particularly the right choice. The second mystery has to deal with Juliana's past, which has to be unraveled so she can move forward. At five years old, Juliana joined the Martin-Drake family. Ever since she was little, Juliana has had trouble with recalling memories of her past. It seems that she can't remember anything before she was five.
Did something happen to her to make her repress the memories? Are the two mysteries tied together somehow? All she knows is that she must solve both of them before another person, maybe herself, becomes the next victim.
Fans of the Nancy Drew stories will enjoy this latest book by Kathryn Reiss. BLACKTHORN WINTER is a well-written "who done it?" mystery that leaves you wondering until the very end.
Blackthorn is a perfect place for a mystery to take place. It is a damp, gloomy town in England, an artist's colony with some very interesting residents. All the residents seem to be busybodies, knowing a little too much gossip and happenings in the town. It's a far cry from sunny California, where Juliana and her family used to live.
Her mom, facing a crumbling marriage and wanting to explore her artistic roots further, made Juliana and her brother and sister move to England with her. The adjustment wasn't easy - she was away from her Dad, her friends, and everything else she knew. England, at least where she was, didn't look like any of the pictures in the calendar Mom bought her. Even worse, Juliana had a constant nagging feeling that something wasn't right.
The book has two mysteries intertwined together. The first mystery that has to be solved is finding the murderer of Liza Pethering. As you delve further into the book you will discover that finding the culprit is easier said than done. The person arrested is the easy choice, but not particularly the right choice. The second mystery has to deal with Juliana's past, which has to be unraveled so she can move forward. At five years old, Juliana joined the Martin-Drake family. Ever since she was little, Juliana has had trouble with recalling memories of her past. It seems that she can't remember anything before she was five.
Did something happen to her to make her repress the memories? Are the two mysteries tied together somehow? All she knows is that she must solve both of them before another person, maybe herself, becomes the next victim.
July 19, 2010
What can be worst then moving far away from the city you grew up in, the friends of your life, and your foster father who loves you very much? Julianna, an adopted child who couldn't remember anything from her life before she was adopted, was forced to leave everything she ever knew behind in California. Her foster mother took her and her two siblings and moved to a deserted town (Blackthorn) in England to find peace and refine her dreams of being an artist. But in that small little town, peace did not exist. Julianna kept getting scary flashbacks and then a death occurs.
Starting this was the worst part of the book. For the first 100 pages I couldn't stop putting the book down. I almost gave up in reading it. It was the longest reading I had to do to reach the climax. That's when things got interesting. The mysterious murder was exciting to follow, but a bit annoying. Reading about how Julianna couldn't pin point a single suspect got me frustrated. But as expected like many murder mystery books, the murderer was revealed at the end.
This book reminded me very much of CLUES(not sure if that's the actually title), if anyone remembered that series/game. If not, it was also about murder mysteries, where a wanna-be detective searches for clues. Among a group of suspects who each has a motive, there lies the murderer.
I do not recommend this book because the beginning was unbearable. It sounded like a journal of a dull teenager. The repeated descriptions of each character were unnecessary. There was no action, nothing to look forward to. It did however messed with my brain and got me thinking, which I believe make a mystery book a mystery book, that's why I believe I should at least give it some credits.
Starting this was the worst part of the book. For the first 100 pages I couldn't stop putting the book down. I almost gave up in reading it. It was the longest reading I had to do to reach the climax. That's when things got interesting. The mysterious murder was exciting to follow, but a bit annoying. Reading about how Julianna couldn't pin point a single suspect got me frustrated. But as expected like many murder mystery books, the murderer was revealed at the end.
This book reminded me very much of CLUES(not sure if that's the actually title), if anyone remembered that series/game. If not, it was also about murder mysteries, where a wanna-be detective searches for clues. Among a group of suspects who each has a motive, there lies the murderer.
I do not recommend this book because the beginning was unbearable. It sounded like a journal of a dull teenager. The repeated descriptions of each character were unnecessary. There was no action, nothing to look forward to. It did however messed with my brain and got me thinking, which I believe make a mystery book a mystery book, that's why I believe I should at least give it some credits.
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November 29, 2018I reread this recently, and I had completely forgotten the entire plot of the story, which was amazing. It allowed me to enjoy every moment again as if it was brand new, because as far as my memory was concerned, it was new. This book was not a challenging read, per say, but it was incredibly exciting. The mystery is really a mystery. I'm the kind of person that can figure out who done it usually within the first few chapters after the big mysterious occurance occurs. But it was not so with this book. I honestly had no frickin clue. And that made the big reveal even more epic and intense. Then there is the non-mystery part of this book. The characters are incredibly real. I felt like the Goops were my own siblings, and I fell head over heels in love with Duncan. I love the characters with all of my heart. I mean, if I had to pick a favorite, I could. (It would be Edmund because 1. I love that name 2. He's from Russia 3. He is protective of his sisters, which is adorable and 4. He doesn't get nearly enough credit in the book.) But I would never admit that I play favorites. When I finished reading this, I had to pull myself out of Blackthorn, that rainy British town. I forgot where I was, forgot I wasn't there. I was a little bit heartbroken when it ended, because I wanted more. I want more to their lives, more to the story. But if I have to settle for what is there, it's not really settling at all. The murder mystery, the mystery of who Julianna is, where she came from, and what those voices are is absolutely enthralling. The relationships made, broken, and fixed feel like the opposite of fiction. This story is written very nicely, and I cannot wait until I forget about it again so I can read it for a third first time.
October 28, 2012
This book is awesome! It pretty much has all the elements that I love in a story: it's a murder mystery with a teenaged girl who solves it and there's lots of danger and suspense. There's lots of suspects, too, and of course, the least expected person is the guilty one. It also has a sub- mystery involving the heroine's adoption and her amnesia of the events in her early life. And a huge plus is that the book takes place in England in a gloomy little village with ruins of a castle on the hill! This is sort of a young adult gothic.
Fifteen year-old Juliana isn't happy when her parents agree to a trial separation and she and her younger brother and sister, both 9 and born on the same day but not twins, move to the sleepy little English village of Blackthorn with their mother so that her mother can take up her painting again. England is so different from California and Juliana misses her father terribly. A plus is when she meets Duncan, the red-haired stepson of their landlord. But soon her mother's best friend from her artist days is found murdered. Juliana can't help but notice things and this makes the murderer very nervous. The final chapters are very exciting as Juliana flees for her life. I thought that this was going to be a ghost story but there are no ghosts, just the awakening memories of a girl who couldn't remember her earlier life.
I'm pretty sure that this is a single title book but I would dearly love to know what happens to Juliana and Duncan and if Juliana ever met her birth family.
My copy has a different cover, by the way.
Fifteen year-old Juliana isn't happy when her parents agree to a trial separation and she and her younger brother and sister, both 9 and born on the same day but not twins, move to the sleepy little English village of Blackthorn with their mother so that her mother can take up her painting again. England is so different from California and Juliana misses her father terribly. A plus is when she meets Duncan, the red-haired stepson of their landlord. But soon her mother's best friend from her artist days is found murdered. Juliana can't help but notice things and this makes the murderer very nervous. The final chapters are very exciting as Juliana flees for her life. I thought that this was going to be a ghost story but there are no ghosts, just the awakening memories of a girl who couldn't remember her earlier life.
I'm pretty sure that this is a single title book but I would dearly love to know what happens to Juliana and Duncan and if Juliana ever met her birth family.
My copy has a different cover, by the way.
February 20, 2012
Title: Blackthorn Winter
Author: Kathryn Reiss
Release Date: January 1st 2006
Page Count: (hardcover) : 352 pages
Goodreads link:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64...
Goodreads Summary: The last place fifteen-year-old Juliana wants to be is halfway around the world in Blackthorn, England, an idyllic seaside artists' colony her mother has dragged her off to while her parents weather a trial separation. Juliana misses her father terribly and doesn't understand why her mother needs to travel so far to resurrect her artistic self, which she claims to have lost in the marriage. Soon after they arrive in the tiny village of Blackthorn, the artists' colony is set on its heels by the murder of one of its own. Juliana feels compelled to solve the crime, but she is shocked and frightened when it seems that clues in the matter are hitting a little too close to home. Can she figure out who the murderer is before anyone else--herself included--gets hurt?
Rating: 5/5 stars
My review: I have read this book at least three times and I pick out new details and old details every time! This book makes me fall in love with England even more ( though I have never been.) This story touches my heart because Juliana reminds me a lot of me and my siblings! This is full of twists and shocks that just melted my heart. The characters are true to life and it's the perfect length for the story being told!
Author: Kathryn Reiss
Release Date: January 1st 2006
Page Count: (hardcover) : 352 pages
Goodreads link:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64...
Goodreads Summary: The last place fifteen-year-old Juliana wants to be is halfway around the world in Blackthorn, England, an idyllic seaside artists' colony her mother has dragged her off to while her parents weather a trial separation. Juliana misses her father terribly and doesn't understand why her mother needs to travel so far to resurrect her artistic self, which she claims to have lost in the marriage. Soon after they arrive in the tiny village of Blackthorn, the artists' colony is set on its heels by the murder of one of its own. Juliana feels compelled to solve the crime, but she is shocked and frightened when it seems that clues in the matter are hitting a little too close to home. Can she figure out who the murderer is before anyone else--herself included--gets hurt?
Rating: 5/5 stars
My review: I have read this book at least three times and I pick out new details and old details every time! This book makes me fall in love with England even more ( though I have never been.) This story touches my heart because Juliana reminds me a lot of me and my siblings! This is full of twists and shocks that just melted my heart. The characters are true to life and it's the perfect length for the story being told!
January 24, 2015
I really like mysteries and young adult books so I checked this out of the library but it had a few problems. First of all it followed the YA fiction formula too closely: fish out of water (they've just moved from sunny California where main character has friends to her mom's birthplace of cold and dreary England where the kids are friendly but don't get her), parental conflict (mom though great has separated from dad for reasons main charater doesn't agree with), and love interest (cute boy, with the unfortnate nickname Dunk-O), Still, I'm fine with all that. What bothered me was the constant translation of English terms into American terms and vice versa. OK, maybe you do it at first to get the flavor of the book going but it seemed constant and ham-handed. "Mom (hope she doesn't expect me to call her mum they way they do here" or "Truck, mom says they're called lorries" boot=trunk, torch=flashlight, it went on and on. And all the people had grown up in the same little town but the bad kids seemed to have totally different accents. I could go on. There were two pretty decent mysteries that kept me reading and I could imagine some people really loving this book.Plus around page 200 this turned into a really great exciting read. So you never know.
December 4, 2013
Fifteen-year-old Juliana can't imagine a place more different from her old home in California than Blackthorn, England a damp, gray colony filled with old homes and people who seem to know everyone else's business. But when she is befriended by the boy next door. Juliana begins to think living in Blackthorn may not be so bad after all. Just as her family is settling in, their new life is shaken by a grisly murder. Juliana is compelled to investigate the crime only to find that it echoes long-buried secrets from her own past. Can Juliana put all the clues together before the killer strikes again?
Part of the reason why I gave this book 5 stars is because of how this book made me scared so much at a point I started to say to my sell that it us just a book and no more reading it at night. This book has got to be one of the best mystery books I've ever read. The thing about this book the it's not just the same old mystery book no, this has a love story and a killer that is coming after her. I recommend this book to people that like adventures love stories and murder mysteries.
Part of the reason why I gave this book 5 stars is because of how this book made me scared so much at a point I started to say to my sell that it us just a book and no more reading it at night. This book has got to be one of the best mystery books I've ever read. The thing about this book the it's not just the same old mystery book no, this has a love story and a killer that is coming after her. I recommend this book to people that like adventures love stories and murder mysteries.
August 3, 2011
Plot: When Juliana's family (minus dad, due to her parents trial separation) move to Blackthorn Village in England, she is forced to c confront her forgotten past when a suspicious death occurs in teh village.
Why I picked it up: I'm on a committee in my library system that plans a "one county, one book" type of program for late-elementary/early middle school students. This is one of the books on our long-list.
Why I kept reading: Outside of the fact I needed to read the whole book in order to make a fair assessment of it's potential for the reading program, I was drawn in by the suspense. For the most part, Reiss does a good job planting clues and suggesting suspects. This part did drag on a bit too long for my tastes, but when the mystery was solved, I admit I was taken a bit by surprise. When I finished the book, I felt like I'd been on Juliana's emotional roller coaster right along with her. It was a great ending, very satisfying.
Why I picked it up: I'm on a committee in my library system that plans a "one county, one book" type of program for late-elementary/early middle school students. This is one of the books on our long-list.
Why I kept reading: Outside of the fact I needed to read the whole book in order to make a fair assessment of it's potential for the reading program, I was drawn in by the suspense. For the most part, Reiss does a good job planting clues and suggesting suspects. This part did drag on a bit too long for my tastes, but when the mystery was solved, I admit I was taken a bit by surprise. When I finished the book, I felt like I'd been on Juliana's emotional roller coaster right along with her. It was a great ending, very satisfying.
February 27, 2009
A fantastic mystery set in England. Juliana, an American teen, is dragged to the little coastal village of Blackthorn by her mother. She is not happy about leaving bright sunny California to spend her summer in dreary, rainy Blackthorn. She also misses her father who remains at home. Her parents are going through a trial separation and her mother thinks that she will re-discover her artistic side in Blackthorn. Soon after they arrive a murder rocks the village. A local woman, a friend of Juliana's mother, and woman that was not overly well liked in the village, is murdered. As far as Juliana can tell there is more than one person that had good reason to want her dead and she starts to try and solve the crime herself.....but is she putting her family in danger as she starts to put the clues together????
Sooo...good. Blackthorn is the perfect rainy setting for a good murder mystery.
Sooo...good. Blackthorn is the perfect rainy setting for a good murder mystery.
February 17, 2017
This is a mystery set in present-day England. Juliana is an adopted daughter whose parents are going through a separation/divorce/whatever, and she was not happy to have to leave behind her dad and everything she knows in California. Almost immediately after arriving, there is a murder, followed by the arrest of someone who Juliana thinks probably didn't have anything to do with it. So she and the cute guy snoop around a little.
We shelve it in the children's section here. It was also the RHS bookclub read last month. I think Juliana is 15, but nothing serious happens between her and the cute guy. It probably could be shelved easily in both the childrens and the YA sections. Def something I could recommend to a parent of a pre-teen without having to worry about the wrath of mom.
MG - BL: 5.1 - AR Pts: 14.0
We shelve it in the children's section here. It was also the RHS bookclub read last month. I think Juliana is 15, but nothing serious happens between her and the cute guy. It probably could be shelved easily in both the childrens and the YA sections. Def something I could recommend to a parent of a pre-teen without having to worry about the wrath of mom.
MG - BL: 5.1 - AR Pts: 14.0
June 5, 2013
Blackthorn Winter is a novel filled with mystery and suspense. Juliana, her younger brother and sister, and her mother move from California to Blackthorn, England. Her mother, an artist, felt it was necessary to move to England to resurrect her artistic ideals in Blackthorn's seaside artistic village. Once arriving in Blackthorn, the unthinkable happened, a murder occurred. Juliana, who had been adopted, and hiding her own traumatic past, teams up with a friend, Duncan, to try to find out the murder. Through many close calls and many dangerous encounters, Juliana and Duncan find themselves suspecting everyone in the village. It is not until right at the end that she solves the murder of a family friend, but also breaks through her barrier and remembers her past before she was adopted.
September 4, 2007
Fifteen-year-old Californian Juliana is forced to move to a small town on the coast of England with her nine-year-old siblings and mom as her parents begin a trial separation. On their second night in town her mother's college friend is murdered. The whole town including the police believe a local miscreant is the culprit, but clues and disturbing incidences keep happening to Juliana and she suspects the murderer is still at large. The unsettling tone of this story is appropriate for a murder mystery and plenty of suspects/motives will keep mystery fans enthralled to the end. I would recommend for a somewhat mature reader as there are flashbacks/scenes of a disturbing emotional nature involving drug use and death.
August 17, 2008
During a trial separation, Juliana's mother takes Juliana and her little brother and sister to live in a tiny artist's colony in England. Juliana's mother plans to find some solitude and peace so that she can start painting again and recapture her artistic self. Juliana understands none of this and misses her dad.
Shortly after Juliana arrives in Blackthorn, her mother's school friend, a nosy and obnoxious woman, is murdered. Though a suspect is jailed right away, Juliana is convinced that the real killer is still on the loose and investigates on her own.
Juliana's investigation leads her to make some mysterious connections with her own past. Can she find the real killer before he - or she- strikes again?
Shortly after Juliana arrives in Blackthorn, her mother's school friend, a nosy and obnoxious woman, is murdered. Though a suspect is jailed right away, Juliana is convinced that the real killer is still on the loose and investigates on her own.
Juliana's investigation leads her to make some mysterious connections with her own past. Can she find the real killer before he - or she- strikes again?
February 13, 2008
This book is a suspenseful murder mystery with a little romance set in England. I really liked this book eventhough it gets off to a slow start. The main character moves to a small town in England and absolutely hates it; but when she finds out that a cute boy with bright red hair lives next door, they begin to unravel the identity of a serial killer. While they investigate the murder, she has strange visions from her past, which is a complete mystery seeing as she is adopted. As the story unfolds, you will count not two, but three murder stories coming together as one. Finally, it ends with a surprise ending that you would never expect.
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November 21, 2008Fifteen-year-old Juliana can't imagine a place more different from her old home in California than Blackthorn, England - a damp, gray artists' colony filled with ancient homes and residents who seem to know everyone else's business. But when she is befriended by the handsome young man next door, Juliana begins to think living in Blackthorn may not be so bad after all. Just as her family is settling in, their new life is shaken by a grisly murder. Juliana is compelled to investigate the crime - only to find that it echoes long-buried secrets from her own mysterious past. Can Juliana put all the clues together before the killer strikes again?
December 25, 2016
I've seen reviews that say that the book is good. However, I got into the book for some reason. However, eighty pages in, I started losing interest in the book, because it started taking forever to get to the murder. I know that Liza is going to get murdered because it's very obvious because everyone hates her.
The whole adoption thing seems like it's making a very big deal out of it. The whole thing with Juliana having memory problems is kind of an annoying side-plot as well. It's a very annoying thing to read about.
The whole word Goops was highly annoying to even see on the pages. I counted it 30 times. 30 times to many.
The whole adoption thing seems like it's making a very big deal out of it. The whole thing with Juliana having memory problems is kind of an annoying side-plot as well. It's a very annoying thing to read about.
The whole word Goops was highly annoying to even see on the pages. I counted it 30 times. 30 times to many.
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