Customer Reviews

Mary's Little Lamb: a Mick Hart Mystery (Mick Hart Mystery, 3)

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The infamous Mary Jane Jenkins murder case that caught the attention of avid readers in the debut novella, All About Mary, continues, with her 14 year old daughter, Sapphire, being the catalyst that sets everything in motion in Christopher's latest, Mary's Little Lamb.

This novella opens with the good citizens of Odelot, Ohio hearing some very disturbing news on the radio: the Mayor's teenage daughter, Brook Lincoln, is missing and a woman is killed during an attempted car jacking. Not long after hearing this broadcast, Private Investigator Mick Hart, receives a call and is hired to look into the disappearance of another teen, the infamous Miss Sapphire Jenkins. What begins as two unrelated missing person cases actually turns out to be more related than anyone imagined. While Odelot's entire police force and FBI are working around the clock on the Brook Lincoln case, Mick Hart, a lone PI, is not only getting close to finding out what happened to his client, Sapphire, but he's also getting close to locating Brook and the folks responsible for both girls' abductions. So, will Mick Hart be able to save both of them in time? You'll just have to read this one to find out!

Mary's Little Lamb is a short, fast paced read that is filled with credible characters and a crisp realistic dialogue that will appeal to young adult readers. I admire the author's use of popular headlines news, entertainment media stories and the Internet to make this a relevant story of our time. But, when it comes to being a well crafted mystery novel, this one lacks all the fascinating clues and intricate plot framework which satisfies true mystery buffs' passion for detection. Still, the overall premise of the story is good and shows that Christopher is an apt storyteller!

I like the connection between Mary Jenkins and Mick Hart's stories. One does not overshadow the other.

Mary's daughter Sapphire is growing up and has to deal with the benefits and pressures of physically maturing before mentally maturing.

This book is a great reminder and in some ways a warning that growing up is more difficult today than in the past.

This book deals with a number of family and social issues, while entertainingly pulls you through a whimsical mystery. It is a recommended read for adults, to then pass on to their teenagers.

Lawrence Christopher is the master at creating a convincing and intriguing page-turner that weaves contemporary issues into a compelling story. "Mary's Little Lamb" is the sequel to "All About Mary" and once again Christopher pulls you right into the story and has you second-guessing yourself in this
tightly-crafted whodunit.

For those of you who might be hesistant to pick up a mystery novel (i.e. the ladies), Christopher blends all the right ingredients -- humor, romance, drama and cultural awareness -- into this novella. Once you finish enjoying "Mary's Little Lamb," you'll find yourself anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Mick Hart Mystery series.

Odelot, Ohio is in the midst of history when citizens elect John Lincoln as its first African-American mayor. Two missing teens and a murdered woman turn up the heat when one of the missing teens is the mayor's daughter, Brook, and the other is Sapphire, the daughter of infamous, Mary Jane Jenkins. Returning with his memorable characters in "All About Mary," Lawrence Christopher takes readers on a wild chase of who dunnit in his follow up novella, MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.

Like her mother, Sapphire Jenkins, knows how to use what she's got, to get what she wants. 36-25-40 is not her locker combination, but the measurements of this voluptuous pubescent teen. When Sapphire's adoptive father, Perry Rogers, contacts PI Mick Hart to locate the missing teen, Mick discards his reluctance and jumps on the fast track to obtain
the whereabouts of Sapphire Jenkins. Through a maze of lies and deceit Mick forges ahead turning up child pornography, the Internet and a dead body all in a days work. What do two teens from different sides of the track have in common and what is the catalyst that ties them together? Will Mick find Sapphire and Brook before it is too late? The bigger question is who is responsible for the murdered woman and WHY? Mary's Little Lamb (Sapphire) has all of the answers, but its up to PI Mick Hart to find out.

MARY'S LITTLE LAMB is fast-paced...intriguing ..and cunning! A fascinating addition to the Mick Hart series fans have grown accustomed to. Lawrence Christopher weaves romance, abstruseness and current societal issues of child pornography and the Internet with deft and plausibility. Having not been a fan of mystery reads, Lawrence Christopher has quickly opened the door for this reviewer and I look forward to experiencing more by this author. Don't let the title fool you. This Mick Hart cliff-hanger is far from the nursery rhyme of a docile little lamb.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
APOOO BookClub

Lawrence Christopher reintroduces the literary world to Mick Hart with a case that is full of deja vu. Election Day in Odelot brings a great deal of headline news: the election of its first African American mayor, a car jacking and the disappearance of two teenage girls. Mick is called to duty to investigate the whereabouts of MARY'S LITTLE LAMB. This little lamb happens to be the daughter of Mary whose murder Hart solved previously.

Hart's investigation leads him to realize that teenagers (our little lambs) are becoming victims of the wolves of the world because they are growing up too fast. These wolves found on the streets and also on the Internet disguised as adults prey on our little lambs. As he ventures deeper into the investigation for MARY'S LITTLE LAMB, Hart is faced with demons from his past. Are these missing teenagers connected? Will past demons and secrets hinder the search for the missing teenagers?

Christopher has done a masterful job with this Mick Hart mystery. It is a refreshing mystery that captures the reader with witty chapter titles and journal entries. He provides background for the readers to know the history of his characters that are reintroduced from his previous novella, All About Mary, so that one does not need to read it first. I look forward to the next Mick Hart mystery.

Reviewed by Robilyn Heath
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers