Customer Reviews

Blackthorn Winter

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Juliana Martin-Drake has enough on her mind. Her mother has dragged her and her brother and sister halfway around the world in an effort to "find herself" as an artist. Not only does Juliana miss her dad, she worries that her parents will be getting a divorce. Then there's trying to fit into the artist's colony at Blackthorn.

Everything is different in England. Juliana misses the California sunshine, along with her private American bathroom and her gregarious friends. She doesn't know anyone in England; when she speaks to them, she only understands about half of what they're saying. And of course there's the tiny matter of her memory. Juliana can't remember anything from the time before she was adopted, at age 5. It has always bothered her, but --- somehow here in England, separated from almost everything familiar --- it seems even worse.

So the last thing she needs is to be involved in a murder mystery. But when someone bashes neighboring artist Liza Pethering on the back of the head and then leaves her in a river to drown, Juliana finds herself caught up in the drama. Everyone else seems relieved and almost happy when the police arrest the ne'er-do-well of the neighborhood, Simon Jukes. But to Juliana, things just don't add up. There are so many other people with better motives: Liza's henpecked husband; the local patron of the arts who's enraged by the cruel portrait Liza painted of her; the girl Liza recently fired, whose response was to wish Liza dead; and maybe even Juliana's own mother.

Despite mysterious warnings to back off, Juliana continues to investigate. The closer she gets to a solution, the more difficult she finds it to shake the feeling that this is all tied up with her own mysterious past. Will she succeed in unraveling the mystery before the murderer decides to make her the next victim?

BLACKTHORN WINTER is an exciting combination of a novel about coming-of-age angst and a mystery. Kathryn Reiss does a good job of devoting equal time to each aspect, and of integrating the two themes into a great read. With believable characters, a fascinating setting and a compulsively readable mystery, BLACKTHORN WINTER is a wonderful addition to anyone's library.

--- Reviewed by Paula Jolin

In one of her latest novels, Blackthorn Winter, Kathryn Reiss puts everything you would think of in a mystery, and more into the plot. This book wasn't just your average "who done it" mystery; it included drama, suspense, and more. I have to say, I have read a lot of mysteries in my life, and this one definitely is on the top of my list. Some mysteries are a little unrealistic, but this one I could understand how she was feeling, and it all seemed real to me.
When Juliana Martin-Drake's parents split, her mom drags her and her two other siblings off to a small artist's town in England, called Blackthorn Village. Juliana is adopted, and can't remember anything from before she was five years old. When she arrives in Blackthorn, she starts to have strange dreams, and gets a sense of insecurity. Just when the Martin-Drake family starts to get settled in to their small cottage, one of their close friends is murdered. A prime suspect was immediately arrested, but Juliana was sure that he was innocent. When Juliana started looking into the murder more, she makes a shocking discovery. While all of that was going on, there was more drama; new friends, and even a boy named Duncan. Kathryn Reiss does a great job of making the dialog of the people interesting. For example, a very uneducated person, had very poor speech, and she wrote it like that. All of those little details made the story more realistic. Sometimes I felt like I was inside the book; when Juliana felt someone watching her, I would actually look around the room.
If I was asked what the main tone, or feeling of this book was, I would have to say suspense. I know I say it a lot, but that's what the book mainly was; full of suspense. There were many moments when I felt my own heart pounding. I have to say, the ending of this novel was only average. It wasn't great, but on the other hand, it wasn't totally horrible. It was basically the typical mystery ending; the criminal is arrested, and everyone is happy. There were a few more little details, such as Juliana finding out who her dead mother's parents are. I just wish that the author had extended the ending a little farther. I would have liked to see what Juliana's grandparents were like.
Overall, Blackthorn Winter was a great book. It included all of the great key things that need to be in a mystery. It can be a little scary at times, but that's what makes you never want to put it down. Trust me, I know; I spent a couple hours at a time reading this book. I would recommend this great book to a person who enjoys mysteries and suspense. You won't be disappointed.

This book is one of the best books I've ever read. Its about a girl named Juliana whose family goes to live in England. A friend of the family mysteriously gets murdered and Juliana must find out who has done it.
A very exciting book indeed - I recommend every one of Kathryn Reiss' books - all are terrific.

This novel was the assigned summer reading for an Honors 9 English class. Without exception, the students loved this book.

Sunny skies and warm beaches was the life for fifteen year-old Juliana Martin-Drake. All of this
would change when her mother moves to Blackthorn, an "artist's paradise", on the coast of
England. Along with her two siblings, Edmund and Ivy, (more often referred to as the Goops) she
and her mother arrive in Blacthorn, and they meet her mother's old (literally) friend, Liza
Pethering, who didn't have a good looking appearance. She looked like a witch: old, black hair,
a crooked nose, and an attitude that could drive anyone mad. Juliana especially meets a
British teen named Duncan, whose stepfather, Quent Carrington, is renting her family an old
stone cottage, and is a talented sculptor, too. She also meets a photographer who's referred to
as Kate, whose mother, Celia Glendenning, isn't a fan of Liza Pethering either. It seems in
Blackthorn that everyone's against Liza Pethering, but no one pays any attention until she's
found dead in a stream after leaving the party drunk. The suspected killer, Simon Jukes, is
arrested and taken to the police. All is well until his brother keeps claiming that he's innocent,
and she suspects that maybe someone else killed Liza Perthering, and not Simon Jukes. That's
when she find's out the clues. First, in her own house, she discovers a bloodstain on the floor, and notices that a couple pieces of jewelry that was given to her mother was missing. One of them,
a beach rock, could have been used to knock Liza out, and then she would have been dragged
to the stream where she would have drowned. Then she finds the evidence that whoever did
this did use the rock, which was found in the stream. Then, Juliana finds a beach stone on her
porch threatening for her family to go home to America. All of a sudden, Juliana finds out
about her past, and figures out who has commited the crime: Quent Carrington, her family's
landlord, and Duncan's stepfather. After getting chased down an underground tunnel, Juliana
learns Quent's motive: jealousy. After Liza Pethering became such an accomplished artist, he
killed her. Either way, Juliana becomes a local hero, and even her father moves to England
where her family is finally reunited. Blackthorn Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, is an excellent novel
to read because of its suspense, its adventure, and how the English countryside is accurately
described.

Blackthorn Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, is an excellent novel to read because of its great suspense.
Throughout the novel, there are exerts that would literally put the reader on the edge of his or her
seat. In the later section of the book, Juliana is coming home from a trek around the town when
she hears something. A loud flush is heard, and a door opens - the bathroom door, as Celia
Glendenning comes out of it. Another is when Juliana is being chased down the underground
tunnel. Built during the Middle Ages, the tunnel is dark, damp, and has a fork in it or two. This will
make the reader think, "Which path should she take?" or, "Will it be a dead end?" Blackthorn
Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, has enough suspense for anyone who like to read books. This is a
complete must for people who are mystery fans, or fans of thrillers, too.

Blackthorn Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, is a book that is an absolute must for those who crave
adventure. The novel has several portions in which adventure would cause the reader to be
caught up into reading it. In one section, Juliana is constantly trying to discover the real culprit
of the mystery, and finds out being caught up being entagled in another mystery, one of her past.
Being adopted at the age of five, Juliana has never known her biological parents, until she sees
a flashback that relates to the current mystery in Blackthorn. Her mother and father, homeless
teenagers, were trying to raise their child, soon to be called Juliana. Her father, who died in
a motorcycle accident, and her mother, who died of a drug overdose, left her in the "care" of one
of her friends. Juliana then remembers where her mother was left to die: in a closet. All of this
adventure leads Juliana to discover who the real culprit of the mystery is. All of this adventure
makes those who are reading the novel spellbound, and they will want to read more and more
until the novel is over.

This novel, Blackthorn Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, is an excellent novel to get interrested into
because of its accurate description of the English countryside, its people, and its culture. The
author, Kathryn Reiss, wrote what a normal English person would say. All of the right vocabulary
was used, such as the word telly instead of T.V., and all of the different foods are described
correctly, like chips, or french fries. Any person from the United States who is going to visit
England should definitely read this novel.

Blackthorn Winter, by Kathryn Reiss, is a great novel to look into because it has a thrilling
suspense, an exciting adventure, and has the right aspects of a book. Although all of the
characters were fake, it told a story that matched what ordinary people would say. I would
reccomend this novel to anyone who likes to read because it has all of the elements of a
spectacular mystery. I rate this story a total of five stars out of five.

A. Chappell