Tired of Christmas commercialism? Want to be reminded of all the magic of the season? Want to have your faith in humankind and the universe restored? Want to wonder, "What if...?" Want find yourself smiling as you finish a story? Want to have a few genuine laughs? Want a few surprises between the cover of a book? Then you want to read Ray Sipherd's "The Christmas Store"-- and share it with those you love.

This has to be one of the best murder mysteries I've read in a long time. It kept me guessing from the first corpse to the last page. I simply couldn't put it down.

Ornithologist Jon Wilder studies the native bird population in the Tucson area at about the same time that human smuggler The Hawk leaves six dead people in the nearby desert. Jon learns that the deceased include the sister of close friend Emilio Flores and five other family members abandoned without food or water during a border smuggling incident. Jon vows to bring the Hawk to justice over the objection of Emilio who insists that it is too dangerous to mess with the smuggler.

Jon obtains the help of US Border Patrol Officer Max Montoya. However, she is shot during their investigation. Refusing to concede to the peril, Jon wears the garb of a priest as he enters Mexico to confront the deadly Hawk in the villain's aerie.

Though the use of flukes of nature seems more like a bird's fancy, fans of Southwest amateur sleuth tales will enjoy THE DEVIL'S HAWK for its timely scenic look at the region with the impossible patrolling of the border and especially the fowl population. Jon appears to be brilliant in his professional field, but readers will need to overcome his volunteering as an amateur sleuth to achieve the impossible stretch that the Border Patrol has not been able to attain. Still, the settings are beautifully painted and incorporated so that the background enhances the action-packed story line leading to Ray Sipherd's novel being for those regional readers who delight in picturesque depictions filled with natural wonders and birdbrains.

Harriet Klausner

Sherlock Hemlock is the quintessential detective of Sesame Street. His caseload is nothing like the real Holmes though! When Hemlock reads about aliens from another planet preparing to invade Earth he is ready to solve the case! Hemlock had no idea a storm would give him all the clues he needed to solve this case.
I shared this book with preschoolers during "Tell Me A Story" at the Festus Public Library. They were excited and wanted to know when they would get to see the aliens. The ending was nothing they expected but warm-hearted and clever. True to Sesame Street style and values.

There's a nifty premise here -- that John James Audubon reached the Pacific Coast and left behind four previously undiscovered paintings (in real life, he never made it that far west). Unfortunately, this becomes incidental to an at-best conventional murder mystery plot. The writing is sub-par, character descriptions are cursory, and details are bobbled. The dialogue reminded me at times of reading Hardy Boys books when I was a kid. It's too bad, because I love a birdwatching hero! I'll try his others and see.

Brian Ravener announces that he is purchasing four previously unknown paintings by the great John James Audubon. Critic Abel Lasher lashes out by claiming the paintings are fake. Brian and Abel have a nasty public argument. Soon after their melee, Lasher is found dead.

Brian is the prime suspect, though Abel's death has pleased many people, who suffered at the hands of his caustic personality. Brian turns to his friend, bird artist Jonathan Wilder, who recently solved a mystery (see DANCE OF THE SCARECROWS) to prove his innocence by uncovering the real killer. As he travels through the world of high financed art, Jonathan realizes that someone will do anything, including murder an amateur sleuth, to insure that his identity remain a secret.

Though Jonathan remains a likable chap, THE AUDOBON QUARTET fails to leave the ground as the story line never soars. That is too bad because the concept behind the plot is quite intriguing and Ray Sipherd clearly demonstrates that he has plenty of talent. However, in spite of a well designed flight pattern, the story line never takes off. Readers need to pass on this novel and try the first tale in the series, DANCE OF THE SCARECROW, to obtain a taste of a well written and executed amateur sleuth tale.

Harriet Klausner