Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Volume 1 Review

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Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Volume 1 ReviewIn the town of Whispering Meadows there are no lack of cases for Max Finder and his cohort Alison Santos to work on. Finding the culprit can sometimes be very tricky, but between the two of them, their sharp thinking and powers of observation they are great at cracking cases. If you think you can figure out whodunit you are welcome to travel along as they crack ten very sweet and difficult cases at school and around town. Can you cut the mustard and solve them before either one of them claims to know the answer to the mystery? Here are a few cases in this book for the young detectives tried solve:
* The Case of the Basketball Card Foul: Ethan Webster, a snotty but decent basketball player, brought his "limited edition McGrady rookie card" to school and someone stole it. A girl called Mega-Con Comics & Cards to inquire about the value of the card and the weekend show. Hmmmm!
* The Case of the Midnight Scratcher: Leslie was having a bunch of her friends over for her birthday. She received an "Avril Elliot CD"for her birthday. During the night someone gouged Gabrielle's initials in it. She was also seen up during the night. Did she dislike Avril that much?
* The Case of the Stereo-Smashing Spook: Tony's dad donated a stereo as a prize for the school's Halloween dance and he won it when he wasn't supposed to even enter the contest. When no one was looking . . . "CRASH!" It was tossed down the stairs. Gee, did someone hate Tony enough to wreck the stereo?
* The Case of the Soapy Switch: Nanda Kanwar was selling chocolate for charity in hopes she would win a snowboard if she sold the most. Someone swiped her chocolate and left soap behind. She was really upset because she was sooooo close to winning. Would they catch the "soap switcher" before the contest was over?
The cases in this book are fun, but the reader really has to be observant to figure out whodunit in most of these cases. If you put on your thinking cap and closely observe the scenes of the crime you'll stand a good chance of solving them along with Max and Alison. There will probably be a few that will stump you and you'll have to flip to the back of the book to find the culprit. I enjoyed them all and will not admit how many times I had to peek in the back, if at all.
Max is a fact finder and before he presents a new mystery he'll tell you about an interesting fact like "the tongue of a blue whale weighs more than a full-grown elephant." The duo quickly develops a "suspect list" and work hard to solve their mysteries. Of course guys like Basher McGintley, the "Planet's biggest bully," always seem to be the type I'd suspect, but these little mysteries are so well done it really is hard to peg the culprit at times. In addition to the cases there are numerous puzzles and "extra stuff" to do. If you have a youngster who enjoys the graphic novel format and loves a good mystery, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at this collected casebook.Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Volume 1 Overview

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Gentlemen of the Road Review

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Gentlemen of the Road ReviewThe story of the Jewish kingdom of the Khazars is a fascinating piece of history. The Khazars were a collection of semi-nomadic tribes that wandered through the Caucasus region of what is now Russia. Khazaria, loosely thought of as the isthmus-like land mass located between the Black and Caspian Seas, was an ideal site for merchants and wandering traders. Khazaria was buffeted on three sides by the Caliphate's Islamic forces to the south, Byzantium's Greek Christian forces to the southwest, and the barbarian Kievan Rus forces to the north. In an act of geopolitical realpolitik the Khagan, leader of the Khazars, converted to Judaism at some point in the seventh century in order to maintain a neutral balance of power in the region. The Jewish Khazars maintained dominance in the region from around the latter part of the 8th century until the early part of the 11thcentury at which point the Kievan Russians, who had converted to Christianity and aligned themselves with the Byzantines, overturned the Khazar's rule. The story of the ancient Khazars is an intriguing one that makes for a fascinating historical study. They were the sole independent Jewish state ever to exist outside of contemporary Israel. There have been some good books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the Khazars including: The Jews of Khazaria, Dictionary of the Khazars (M), and The Wind of the Khazarsthat provide a wealth of information on this little known piece of history.
Michael Chabon's "Gentlemen of the Road" is set in and around Khazaria during this time period. It is a good adventure; well-told and fast paced. The two gentlemen of the road are Zelikman and Amram. Zelikman, is young, thin, and pale. Originally from Regensburg in what is now Bavaria, Germany, Zelikman has broken with his family and wanders the trade routes of the Middle Ages looking for adventure. Amram is older and bigger. Originally from Africa, Amram wanders the trade routes looking for his daughter who was stolen from his village. They are traveling companions and occasional con-artists living off their wits and their fighting skills. Soon after the story opens, Zelikman and Amram unwittingly find themselves in the midst of a struggle for control of the Khazar Empire. They take custody of a young prince, Filaq, skinny and too young (apparently) to shave, but strong-headed and feisty. Filaq wants nothing more than to avenge the death of his father, the deposed ruler and restore his family to the throne. Amram and Zelikman, bickering all the way face one crisis after another as they travel closer to the capital of the Khazars where they and Filaq will meet their fate.
"Gentlemen of the Road" is a good adventure story. Originally serialized in the Sunday New York Times Magazine (in fifteen installments) each chapter ends with something of a cliff-hanger. Chabon does a nice job keeping the pot boiling and he also does a nice job of developing the back-story of Zelikman, Amram, and the other major characters. The story's biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the absence of any background information about the Kingdom of the Khazars. Any reader unfamiliar with the history of the Khazars is likely to be either surprised or puzzled at the various references to Jewish rulers (Khagans and Beks), expressions and practices that appear throughout the story. In an afterword to the book Chabon mentions that the original working title for "Gentlemen of the Road" was "Jews with Swords" but noted that it only seemed to make people laugh at the seeming incongruity of the title. While I understand Chabon's point in this regard I think the reaction he received to his working title underscores that importance of putting his adventure in some context, even if in an introduction or preface.
That said, "Gentlemen and the Road" is still a good story, written with style by someone in command of his craft. It is well worth reading at a solid 3.5 stars. L. Fleisig
Gentlemen of the Road Overview

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